A petition calling on Cumberland Council not to permanently close the road along the western side of Thirlmere has garnered more than 6,500 signatures.
The online protest set up by Mark Hatton calls on the U7003 road to be re-opened to walkers, cyclists and motorists and says: “We firmly believe that the entire road should be reopened and remain open as a through route to all forms of traffic in order that all who wish to use this route as an enjoyable, quiet and scenic route should be able to do so.”
The road has been closed on an emergency basis since Storm Arwen hit in November 2021 causing trees, rocks and other debris to litter the highway. But the Reminder reported last month that landowners United Utilities (UU) and Cumberland Council were seeking a traffic regulation order (TRO) that would see the road shut permanently with not only vehicles but cycles and pedestrians unable to use it.
UU has blamed the unstable nature of Rough Crag for the 20-month closure of the road, but campaigners claim that nothing has fallen from its face during that time and say the risk to the public is tiny. The water company has blamed the fact that Rough Crag is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), so it would be unable to work on securing the site until permission was granted and it is working with Natural England to achieve this.
At the July meeting of Castlerigg, St John’s and Wythburn Parish Council, UU stakeholder manager Ian McCoy said the company did not want to completely close the road, and it is closed because they cannot resolve the issues to stabilise this rock face due it being a SSSI.
Mr McCoy confirmed that UU would need environmental impact assessments and would then need to apply for consent from Natural England to work on the crag.
But upon being quizzed on this Mr McCoy confirmed that UU has not yet applied to Natural England for consent to work on the SSSI, and did not have a timetable for the research required to submit an application.
“If it is true that UU are unable to work on the crag because of ecological concerns, and they wished the road to reopen, then they would have applied to Natural England soon after Storm Arwen,” said Cllr David Felton. “Instead, 20 months after its closure, not only have they not applied to Natural England for permission to work on the crag, but they have no timetable for doing so either.
“It would be reasonable, I think, to conclude from this that the road will remain closed indefinitely until another agency pushes them.”
Cllr Markus Campbell-Savours confirmed that ultimately it is a Cumberland Council decision about whether the road is re-opened or not. He said that Cumberland Council is currently telling UU that it has a legal duty to reopen the western road to all traffic.
He said: “It’s frustrating that the new TRO being consulted on is for a permanent road closure.
“I understand this does not prevent the council from continuing discussions with UU and working towards the road being re-opened.
“I fully expect the council to keep working on this and re-open what is not only a safer route for cyclists but the only practical alternative to the A591.
“We have seen a number of road closures over the last few years and I don’t believe sending drivers to the M6 via Ullswater is a practical alternative.”
