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| Campaigners fight zip wire plan for Lake District beauty spot | Campaigners fight zip wire plan for Lake District beauty spot |
| (8 days later) | |
| Developers deny proposal is a threat to Thirlmere reservoir | |
| Ben Quinn | |
| Sun 7 Jan 2018 00.04 GMT | |
| Last modified on Sun 7 Jan 2018 10.44 GMT | |
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| On a forest hillside leading down to the reservoir at Thirlmere, the only sounds are from the trickle of a nearby stream and water dripping off a mossy stone bothy, or summer house, used in the 1800s by Countess Ossalinsky – the hero of one of Britain’s earliest conservation struggles. | On a forest hillside leading down to the reservoir at Thirlmere, the only sounds are from the trickle of a nearby stream and water dripping off a mossy stone bothy, or summer house, used in the 1800s by Countess Ossalinsky – the hero of one of Britain’s earliest conservation struggles. |
| To the consternation of many who value this corner of the Lake District, it is a silence that may be shattered in years to come by the cries of people flying across the beauty spot on what would be one of the highest and longest zip wires in Britain. Then there is the impact of an associated cycle track, and of shuttle buses ferrying tens of thousands of passengers along narrow roads each year. | To the consternation of many who value this corner of the Lake District, it is a silence that may be shattered in years to come by the cries of people flying across the beauty spot on what would be one of the highest and longest zip wires in Britain. Then there is the impact of an associated cycle track, and of shuttle buses ferrying tens of thousands of passengers along narrow roads each year. |
| “We’re calling this the second battle of Thirlmere,” said Ed Heslam, a local musician and activist with a campaign group called Zip Off, which is opposing the £1.8m plan formulated by businessmen behind an existing adventure course near Windermere and a zip line attraction in north Wales. “It’s basically environmental vandalism – it wouldn’t just change the scenery here but have a profound ecological impact too.” | “We’re calling this the second battle of Thirlmere,” said Ed Heslam, a local musician and activist with a campaign group called Zip Off, which is opposing the £1.8m plan formulated by businessmen behind an existing adventure course near Windermere and a zip line attraction in north Wales. “It’s basically environmental vandalism – it wouldn’t just change the scenery here but have a profound ecological impact too.” |
| If there was a first battle, it dates back to the 1870s and the fight against the acquisition of Thirlmere by Manchester city council as a reservoir to quench the thirst of its growing Victorian economy. Although they lost, the foundation of the Thirlmere Defence Association by luminaries such as John Ruskin, the writer and artist, and Thomas Carlyle, the essayist and historian, is widely regarded as marking the birth of the conservation movement. It is also a legacy that is felt keenly in places like the bothy once owned by Ossalinsky, one of the last landowners in the area to capitulate to the Mancunians’ resource grab. | If there was a first battle, it dates back to the 1870s and the fight against the acquisition of Thirlmere by Manchester city council as a reservoir to quench the thirst of its growing Victorian economy. Although they lost, the foundation of the Thirlmere Defence Association by luminaries such as John Ruskin, the writer and artist, and Thomas Carlyle, the essayist and historian, is widely regarded as marking the birth of the conservation movement. It is also a legacy that is felt keenly in places like the bothy once owned by Ossalinsky, one of the last landowners in the area to capitulate to the Mancunians’ resource grab. |
| More than a century later new battle lines are being drawn ahead of the end of the public consultation on the project, which closes this week. Ranged on one side are the zip wire company Treetop Trek, the board of Cumbria Tourism and some local businesses. | More than a century later new battle lines are being drawn ahead of the end of the public consultation on the project, which closes this week. Ranged on one side are the zip wire company Treetop Trek, the board of Cumbria Tourism and some local businesses. |
| Standing with Zip Off and other members of the local community are the actress Caroline Quentin and documentary-maker Terry Abraham, who resigned last month as ambassador of the Lake District Foundation over the neutral stance taken by the conservation charity. | Standing with Zip Off and other members of the local community are the actress Caroline Quentin and documentary-maker Terry Abraham, who resigned last month as ambassador of the Lake District Foundation over the neutral stance taken by the conservation charity. |
| Abraham, whose Life of a Mountain documentaries have been credited with enlightening BBC viewers about the beauty and heritage of the Lake District, said: “Thirlmere stands as a monument to actions of the past and should always act as a reminder to stand up for conservation when under threat, no matter how large or small [that might be]. | Abraham, whose Life of a Mountain documentaries have been credited with enlightening BBC viewers about the beauty and heritage of the Lake District, said: “Thirlmere stands as a monument to actions of the past and should always act as a reminder to stand up for conservation when under threat, no matter how large or small [that might be]. |
| “The views from the surrounding fells around Thirlmere, let alone from valley level, are sublime, including looking north from the reservoir to Blencathra,” he said, referring to one of the Lake District’s most famous fell tops, whose snow-capped heights are clearly visible from the car park that is intended to be one of the reception areas for the proposed zip wire. | “The views from the surrounding fells around Thirlmere, let alone from valley level, are sublime, including looking north from the reservoir to Blencathra,” he said, referring to one of the Lake District’s most famous fell tops, whose snow-capped heights are clearly visible from the car park that is intended to be one of the reception areas for the proposed zip wire. |
| “Much of my work has been about promoting not only the beauty of the area but the heritage and culture too. Views of fells such as Blencathra and Helvellyn will be interrupted by the possibility of a theme park ride in the utterly wrong location. If, as some say, the zip wires won’t be intrusive, then why not go the full hog and install electricity pylons too? There’s a long-held view, and now policy, to bury such structures within the Lake District.” | “Much of my work has been about promoting not only the beauty of the area but the heritage and culture too. Views of fells such as Blencathra and Helvellyn will be interrupted by the possibility of a theme park ride in the utterly wrong location. If, as some say, the zip wires won’t be intrusive, then why not go the full hog and install electricity pylons too? There’s a long-held view, and now policy, to bury such structures within the Lake District.” |
| Treetop Trek’s managing director, Mike Turner, acknowledges with weary resignation that he is up against not only present-day opponents of the scheme, but also the romantic poets associated with the area. | Treetop Trek’s managing director, Mike Turner, acknowledges with weary resignation that he is up against not only present-day opponents of the scheme, but also the romantic poets associated with the area. |
| “It’s a beautiful body of water. We would not dispute that. What we do challenge is the assertion that [the zip wire] would have a visual impact,” said Turner, who emphasises the “manmade” aspect of the reservoir, surrounded by what he described as a managed forest. “I love the fells as much as the next person, but what we are looking at doing would have a minuscule environment impact. It’s literally a few cables across the valley and an improved cycle track. This is not about instinct or emotion. We need to look at it objectively. The problem is that when people start using language about the romantic poets it loses that objectivity. | “It’s a beautiful body of water. We would not dispute that. What we do challenge is the assertion that [the zip wire] would have a visual impact,” said Turner, who emphasises the “manmade” aspect of the reservoir, surrounded by what he described as a managed forest. “I love the fells as much as the next person, but what we are looking at doing would have a minuscule environment impact. It’s literally a few cables across the valley and an improved cycle track. This is not about instinct or emotion. We need to look at it objectively. The problem is that when people start using language about the romantic poets it loses that objectivity. |
| “The Lake District is a tourist destination – with the highest numbers of visitors after London – and its entire economy is built around that.” | “The Lake District is a tourist destination – with the highest numbers of visitors after London – and its entire economy is built around that.” |
| Turner has the backing of Cumbria Tourism, where he sits on the board as its “small operator representative”. Its vice-chairman, Jim Walker, points out that Turner was required to leave the room last year when the board discussed supporting the development. | Turner has the backing of Cumbria Tourism, where he sits on the board as its “small operator representative”. Its vice-chairman, Jim Walker, points out that Turner was required to leave the room last year when the board discussed supporting the development. |
| “While recognising the debate on both sides of issue, the board decision was that the principle of the proposal aligns with Cumbria Tourism’s longstanding commitment to promoting the county as the UK’s ‘adventure capital’,” said Walker. | “While recognising the debate on both sides of issue, the board decision was that the principle of the proposal aligns with Cumbria Tourism’s longstanding commitment to promoting the county as the UK’s ‘adventure capital’,” said Walker. |
| While the impact of the development is contested, what is being proposed is more or less clear. Approximately 50,000 people would be expected to use the zip wire each year, with a similar number coming to use cycle tracks. Arrival would be at car parks – one in particular, but also at a number of others that Treetop Trek says are “under-utilised” – and by Stagecoach buses at stops around the lake. Thirty-six people at a time in overalls and helmets would then be transported along tracks using green “military-style” vehicles that Turner says would be diesel-powered at first but which would become electric within three years. | While the impact of the development is contested, what is being proposed is more or less clear. Approximately 50,000 people would be expected to use the zip wire each year, with a similar number coming to use cycle tracks. Arrival would be at car parks – one in particular, but also at a number of others that Treetop Trek says are “under-utilised” – and by Stagecoach buses at stops around the lake. Thirty-six people at a time in overalls and helmets would then be transported along tracks using green “military-style” vehicles that Turner says would be diesel-powered at first but which would become electric within three years. |
| Aside from the debate over the potential ecological impact of the scheme on local wildlife, which includes the increasingly rare red squirrel, other factors include a request by the Ministry of Defence that the structures be fitted with aviation warning lights. Treetop Trek’s response is to point to MoD standard guidance on tall structures – such as buildings or masts – and say that it will not be building anything of that nature. | Aside from the debate over the potential ecological impact of the scheme on local wildlife, which includes the increasingly rare red squirrel, other factors include a request by the Ministry of Defence that the structures be fitted with aviation warning lights. Treetop Trek’s response is to point to MoD standard guidance on tall structures – such as buildings or masts – and say that it will not be building anything of that nature. |
| Cables are not required to be lit, adds Turner, who says they will simply need to be plotted on flight charts. | Cables are not required to be lit, adds Turner, who says they will simply need to be plotted on flight charts. |
| Then there is the position of Cumbria county council, which is recommending a refusal of the planning application on the basis that it is “likely to increase the risk and danger and inconvenience to the users of the highway” as a result of drivers on roads near the lake being distracted. | Then there is the position of Cumbria county council, which is recommending a refusal of the planning application on the basis that it is “likely to increase the risk and danger and inconvenience to the users of the highway” as a result of drivers on roads near the lake being distracted. |
| Those opposed to the project are steeling themselves for the prospect of direct action. Ambling down a track which he believed would one day be used to ferry thrill-seekers to one of the zip wire’s launch platforms, Heslam envisaged how vehicles might be slowed down or impeded: “We have every right to be here, and who knows? We might just decide to take our time and walk up and down here, or even sit down to have a picnic.” | Those opposed to the project are steeling themselves for the prospect of direct action. Ambling down a track which he believed would one day be used to ferry thrill-seekers to one of the zip wire’s launch platforms, Heslam envisaged how vehicles might be slowed down or impeded: “We have every right to be here, and who knows? We might just decide to take our time and walk up and down here, or even sit down to have a picnic.” |
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