Lake District zip-wire plans abandoned after protests

Plans to erect zip-wire rides across one Britain’s most picturesque national parks have been abandoned after protests from residents and environmental campaigners.

Treetop Trek Ltd had applied for planning permission for a £1.8m activity hub with eight aerial lines up to 1,200 metres long criss-crossing an area in the Lake District.

Charities including Friends of the Lake District and the Wainwright Society, along with the actor Caroline Quentin, president of the campaign for National Parks, had opposed the scheme, saying it would ruin the landscape.

But the final blow for the plans appears to have been dealt by the Ministry of Defence, which said the zip-wires would threaten fighter pilots who use the skies above the Lake District.

The local planning authority had been expected to rule on the fate of the plans on Tuesday but revealed that they had been withdrawn a day earlier.

Mike Turner, managing director of Treetop Trek Ltd said: “We have this week withdrawn our planning application for the Thirlmere Activity Hub with immediate effect.

“We made it clear from the beginning of this process that we would not propose a scheme that was not supported by the MOD. To date we have received two contradictory communications with the MOD; one supporting the scheme and the other opposing the scheme.

“The MOD’s internal investigation into Thirlmere and into what they would be happy with at Thirlmere is ongoing and unlikely to be resolved in the next eight weeks, so on that basis we are withdrawing the application.

“We would like to sincerely thank all those who have supported us during this process. Their positivity has been hugely appreciated.”

The announcement was given a cautious welcome by Treetop Trek’s opponents, as it remained unclear whether the company would resubmit alternative proposals.

Friends of the Lake District said the plans were “entirely inappropriate and would deprive future generations the opportunity to enjoy the Lake District National Park.”

More than 14,000 people signed a petition against the proposal and planning officials received 3,676 letters of objection, compared with 164 in support of the plans.

from Environment | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2olAPtP
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