An application to construct 22 wooden lodges on an existing family-owned holiday park in Keswick has been refused by planners.
Members of the Lake District National Park Authority’s development control committee followed officers’ advice to turn down the proposal for an expansion at the Low Briery Holiday Park, on Penrith Road.
This was despite the application receiving widespread support from residents, businesses, Keswick Town Council, Cumbria Tourism and Keswick Tourism Association. There were no letters of objection.
A report to the meeting said that the proposals would result in adverse landscape and visual effects, in particular from elevated vantage points on Latrigg, and this would in turn result in “less than substantial harm” to the World Heritage Site. This is despite extensive screening and landscaping of the site promised by the developers.
The report added: “The identified harm is not outweighed by the public benefits of the proposals arising from support for the existing business and tourist economy.”
Speaking on behalf of the applicant, Anthony James said that this was “a rare opportunity’’ to expand an existing holiday park in a sensitive way.
“We have prepared this application in full awareness that the national park is an area of exceptional high landscape value and is a World Heritage Site and for this reason we engaged a team of expert professionals to help us deliver an improved visitor accommodation offer as well as fulfilling the objectives of the local plan.”
He added that the public benefits of the proposal had been “significantly underplayed” by the national park.
“Tourism is vital to Keswick’s local economy and supports the employment of 3,000 people and this fact is reflected in the support for the application,” he said. “It also provides the benefit of releasing pressure on the local housing stock which all too often has been converted into holiday lets.”
Members of the panel at the meeting said that they had to weigh the public benefits against the impact on the local landscape. The strong support by Keswick Town Council was also noted.
Member Mark Kidd said a revised scheme or one with more mature planting might be acceptable.
He proposed the plan be refused. “It all comes down to what’s the harm to the landscape versus the benefits of having an expanding business,” he said. “I agree after 10 years once that is all screened (by the planting) it is probably pretty minor. However, it would mean we have 10 years of damage to the visuals of the landscape, especially when viewed from those higher, elevated public viewpoints. That’s a problem.”
He added: “You’re going to have lodges, associated roads and especially cars parked outside the lodges, you are going to see it and that is a previously undeveloped field, which makes up part of the distinctive character which makes up the World Heritage Site.”
Member Jay Sayers described the plan as a “really close call”. She said Latrigg was accessible to many and it offered a chance to enjoy the “unspoilt” beauty of the Lake District.
Member Jim Jackson said: “It is a difficult one because it does meet a number of our policies. I also like the opportunities for sustainable transport and the ability for people to leave their cars and walk into Keswick as it is close enough for the majority of people to do that. But that view is so iconic and appears in so many pictures and memories of the Lake District for people.”
Panel chairman Geoff Davies, of Braithwaite, said there were a considerable number of positives. The panel unanimously agreed to refuse.
