Zip wire plan for Lake District beauty spot that inspired Beatrix Potter gets go-ahead despite 90,000 objections
Plans for a major zip line tourist attraction in a Lake District beauty spot that inspired author Beatrix Potter have been granted the go-ahead, despite receiving 90,000 objections.
Developers had applied for permission to turn Elterwater Quarry in Ambleside into a hub for visitors, including constructing zip wires that would see punters hurtle through underground caverns.
Friends of the Lake District CEO Michael Hill previously said the plans would cause 'noise, chaos and degraded landscapes', and a total of 90,000 objections had been lodged in opposition.
The group garnered support in their opposition and even held rallies against the development.
But a judicial review has now seen the plans receive a green light, after the action brought by the conservation group failed.
The Lake District National Park Authority first agreed to develop Elterwater Quarry into the Zip World attraction in May last year, with the help of owners Burlington Stone.
It will see up to 50,000 people a year visit the former quarry, using zip wires to explore the history of mining in the Great Langdale area.
But landscape group Friends of the Lake District pushed for the review into the authority's decision, saying it wasn't right for the area.
Developers had applied for permission to turn Elterwater Quarry in Ambleside into a hub for visitors, including constructing zip wires that would see punters hurtle through underground caverns
Critics of the plans fear Elterwater (pictured above with the Langdale Pikes lying just beyond) will become overrun with traffic
Following a two-day hearing at the end of April, Mr Justice Mould has now ruled in favour of the park authority's decision.
CEO Mr Hill said: 'The decision to seek a judicial review into the approval of the zip wire attraction at Elterwater was not one that we took lightly.
'But the damage to the tranquillity of the area that would be caused by this development and a desire to draw a line in the sand against forms of tourism that devalue the special qualities and cultural heritage of the Lake District meant that this was a fight we could not shy away from.
'We initiated the judicial review because the prospect of facing one often leads public authorities to reflect on their approach and can influence future decision-making.
'We are now even more determined to bring about an alternative vision for tourism in the Lake District - one where visitors both benefit from and give back to the landscape so that what is special about it remains so.'
Developers argue the attraction will bring 'a new heritage experience promoting the legacy of Elterwater Quarry’s history whilst creating an immersive cavern tour that is both exhilarating and informative'.
But Friends of the Lake District's concerns about the development centred on the impact of the attraction on levels of traffic coming into the Langdales - and hence on the quiet calm of the area.
It also argued that the Lake District National Park Authority misunderstood its responsibilities to conserve and enhance the park's natural beauty and cultural heritage.
Friends of the Lake District, a conservation group, previously organised rallies against the plans (pictured)
The Lake District National Park Authority granted permission for the attraction at the Elterwater Slate Quarry (pictured), and this has been upheld by a judicial review
How the zip wire system will be laid in caves at Elterwater Slate Quarry, owned by Burlington Stone
The group said levels of traffic would be too high and the applicant's plan to tackle that was inadequate.
The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the UNESCO body set up to monitor World Heritage sites, also said that permission would transform 'the quarry or part of it into a theme park and trivialise the experience of an important aspect of the Lake District's heritage.'
Mr Hill added: 'This ruling is a setback for the Cumbrian landscape, but in our 90 years' history, Friends of the Lake District has seen many of those.
'We remain unbowed in our determination to campaign for a Lake District that is tranquil, rich in cultural heritage and environmentally healthy and for protections in law for this and other National Parks to be maintained and strengthened.'
The group may appeal.
