Holiday park appeals refusal of expansion

A holiday park has lodged an appeal against a decision to refuse the expansion of its site.

LB Corporation Ltd has submitted an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate after the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) refused an application to add 22 lodges to Low Briery Holiday Park in Keswick.

Keswick Town Council supported the application, saying expanding existing sites was preferable to turning family homes into holiday lets.

But the LDNPA said the proposed lodges would be within an area of “exceptionally high landscape value” and would be publicly visible compared to the rest of the holiday park.

The application was turned down in May last year.

The decision notice said: “The public benefits of the proposal including the provision of additional holiday accommodation and support for the local economy are not considered to outweigh the identified harm.”

LB Corporation told the Planning Inspectorate that the 2.8 hectare site’s impact on the landscape had been “exaggerated”.

The firm said the proposal would not result in any “long-term adverse effects” on the landscape character or the cultural heritage of the English Lakes World Heritage Site.

The appellant also said the public benefits of the proposed development would include improving the range of short-stay accommodation in the Lake District, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

At the time the application was submitted, Keswick Town Council said the project had been “carefully considered”.

"As a general principle we support holiday accommodation related to existing sites in preference to family homes changing to holiday lets," the council said.

“We understand six of the 22 new lodges proposed will be to accessibility standards for those with disabilities which is a positive benefit.”

The Planning Inspectorate said it was considering the appeal.

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