Campaigners for and against the construction of a 150-space car park at Ullock Moss near Portinscale have had their say on the divisive proposal with 238 opposing and 230 supporting the controversial planning application.
But both sides are now claiming victory in the battle for public opinion with claims and counter claims being made ahead of a Lake District National Park planning officer submitting a report that recommends either approval or refusal of the scheme which also features an amenities building at the car park, a new shuttle bus turning facility at Cupboard Field and a series of measures to the adjacent highways and footpath infrastructure.
Developers say that the proposal, which has the support of the local highways authority, would ease congestion and illegal parking problems on the roads at the base of Catbells — one of the most popular fells to climb in the Lake District.
Opponents of the plan say that they are aware of a Facebook post uploaded just days before the deadline for comments, at the end of October, which called on readers to support the car park plan.
They claim that no context was given to say what the car park was and some of the responses submitted to the LDNPA planning portal do not include a name or address.
There is also concern that some of the messages of support may be based purely on emotion and assumption and could have come from people who have not read the application and have no knowledge of its potential benefits or impact.
It is claimed there were 115 responses to the post — which has now been taken down — and opponents are now asking the national park to look into the validity of
those responses.
The opponents also claim that 75 Portinscale residents were objecting to the proposal as opposed to nine supporting the application.
“It’s not just the quantity of opponents, it’s the quality of the arguments,’’ said application opponent Gareth Cosslett. “There are far stronger arguments against and they far outweigh those in support.
“All eyes are now on when that paper, with the officer’s recommendation, is published.’’
Developer Michael Anderton responded by saying that he was not aware of the Facebook post, and in a statement to The Keswick Reminder, he said: ‘’Our application has strong, genuine support from the Portinscale community, despite attempts to undermine this by the spreading of misinformation by objectors.
“The reality is that supporters outnumber objectors, now and in 2021 when an independent survey found that most Portinscale residents favoured the application as a three-pronged approach to resolving the long-standing issue of illegal parking.
“Objectors dismissed this survey as ‘invalid’ without evidence and they are doing so again. They claim short letters of approval, submitted by busy local people including farmers, are less valid than the ones using a cookie-cutter template provided by the Friends of the Lake District.
“The objectors are ignoring the fact that the council (Cumberland Council) has invested public money in bringing forward parking restrictions, enforcing them and providing a shuttle bus service.
“In isolation these have failed and the original combined approach is still needed which is: parking restrictions; the promotion of sustainable travel and; an appropriate alternative location in which existing visitors can park.
“In truth, the objectors struggle to accept that we have widespread, authentic support. These tactics won’t diminish our commitment or the community’s belief in the project.’’
