An appeal has been launched against the refusal of planning permission to extend a family-owned holiday park in Keswick.
It follows a decision by the Lake District National Park Authority’s development control committee to turn down a proposal to construct 22 wooden lodges at the Low Briery Holiday Park on Penrith Road.
This was despite the planning application receiving support from Keswick Town Council, Cumbria Tourism and Keswick Tourism Association (KTA).
A report to the development control meeting last May which was supported by members 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.”
The national park also felt that the close siting of the proposed lodges to a row of mature lime trees would introduce pressure on these trees which could lead to their removal on maintenance or safety grounds and undermining the proposed landscaping.
Members of Keswick Town Council supported the “significant expansion” of holiday accommodation and described as a positive benefit that six of the proposed lodges would have accessibility standards for those visitors with disabilities.
It was also noted that the lodges would be constructed off site minimising the impact of construction work and would provide a high standard of insulation, air tightness, solar panels, rainwater harvesting and sustainable heating systems.
Addressing a meeting of the town council, the park’s general manager Emma Atkinson said that the lodges would not be visible from Latrigg and would adapt into the natural landscape with the help of landscaping.
The KTA said the proposed extension of the holiday park would be an asset to Keswick’s visitor economy which welcomes more than three million visitors each year and this contributes approximately to £300 million being invested into the local economy.
It added: “The proposed extension to Low Briery Holiday Park, which is a well-established and well-run business, will enhance and complement the existing tourism and hospitality offering in Keswick.”
