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Reported by Fiona Marley Paterson
A broke out over the location of a parking lot that was set up to ease traffic congestion and parking problems in the Lake District.
The landowner says there was room for hundreds of cars that might otherwise block narrow streets. But opponents say it tore up a beautiful meadow and claim it is now operating illegally.
But opponents say that the parking lot has torn up a beautiful meadow and claim that it is now operated illegally.
Coniston resident William Watson is against the parking lot. He said, “There is a parking problem, but the solution is not to build a 250-space park drive in the middle of the village without a building permit. It’s become an eyesore.
“This whole development was originally carried out under the false title of agricultural drainage, and when completed it looked remarkably like a parking lot.”
You could park in a field for 56 days, but you were not allowed to build. That is development. A whole meadow was dug up and hundreds of tons of stones were thrown into it. Without a building permit, you wouldn’t build a parking garage next to Machu Pichhu and that’s similar, a world heritage site. It needs to be thought through carefully by those in authority.
William Watson, resident of Coniston
The building permit for a parking lot in the area was actually denied in 2017. However, it was denied this year thanks to special Covid measures that allowed pop-up parking spaces and campsites for 56 days. But three writ of execution have now been served asking whether this is temporary.
Coniston Central car park
There is now a building application to make it permanent. Planners said this parking lot was not needed 4 years ago.
Now businessman Phillip Johnston says it is so. He said, “Over 1,200 people have now signed a petition to keep this parking lot.
“The National Park Policy – Section 22 – says that when considering new parking spaces, they will only be considered within rural service centers and Coniston is listed as a rural service center and is also listed as a place to get one consider a new parking space. “
“I think it’s important that everyone thinks about the outcome, not the process. And the bigger picture of the Lake District and the parking.
“Our streets are clogged with cars looking for parking and people would park in the residential areas and people in these residential areas are now telling us that there are no cars parked, they can easily all of their own cars in most cases parking, so this car park has softened this scenario. “
I charged what I thought was a reasonable price. I charged £ 6 all day. There are many people who benefit economically from parking and that seemed right.
Philip Johnston, Coniston Central Parking Lot Owner
Opponents say visitor numbers are likely to decline after the pandemic. But the charged debate over tourist accommodation in the Lake District is not new and will not go away.
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