The operators of Lowther Castle and Gardens have been refused planning permission as they sought to devise a way of keeping the rain off cafe visitors.
The visitor attraction applied to create a permanent outdoor covered seating and servery area attached to the Grade II* listed Coach House Cafe.
London-based architects acting on behalf of the applicants, said that between September, 2021 and September, 2022, there had been a 23 per cent increase in visitors with the cafe having proved “too limited in space” to cope in peak season.
To help those sitting outside the cafe, it was proposed to fit a metal and glass canopy.
The development would not alter the “historic façade” and would revolutionise how the cafe operated all year round, architects told the national park.
They added: “We feel that this proposed scheme is infinitely preferable to the temporary marquee that the cafe has erected as a trial, which is in danger of becoming the preferred solution,” architects told planners at the Lake District National Park Authority.
But planners refused permission for the development, which the applicants stated would have increased the number of full-time jobs at the cafe by five.
Planners decided that a “fully glazed” extension was not an “appropriate design response to the character and significance of the host building and its setting”.
In a report the planners said: “The proposals fail to conserve or enhance the character and quality of the built environment, within a highly significant group of heritage assets.
“Views will be obstructed by the glazed panels and doors and the former function of the Coach House element of the stable block will be harder to discern.
“The apparent symmetry of the coach house will be disrupted by the new glazed screens and asymmetrical positioning of the double doors,” their report added.
