Plans for a larder to help chill and store the carcasses of red deer shot across a swathe of Lake District land have been withdrawn after a community backlash.
United Utilities had applied for planning permission to create a deer larder building on land it owns close to residents’ homes at Burnbanks, near Haweswater — containing winches, hoists, a processing table and a freezer to help dress and hang deer carcasses before collection and transportation away by a game dealer.
But it was branded a “meat processing plant” in the heart of the Lake District with residents “horrified” by the proposal and bombarding the Lake District National Park Authority with letters of objection.
Every year, dozens of deer are stalked across the national park, both to control numbers and prevent damage to legally-protected areas — with the meat ending up on the lucrative venison market.
UU had insisted that the meat would only be stored for short periods at the site and would not cause an odour nuisance — but their assurances were not enough for people living nearby.
Residents Jacqui and Tony Whitfield told planners: “We love the deer. We’ve even fed them in the garden, but now we’re afraid to get too friendly with them and we don’t want them to trust us in case they get shot.
“We used to see them all the time and now we hardly see them at all. It is so sad to think that such proud animals can be shot.”
According to UU, the site was chosen because it was plumbed in to services such as electricity and drainage, but residents want the company to reconsider and put the building elsewhere.
Last year, the company won permission for a deer larder to go at a nearby water pumping station, but then declared it unsuitable, which led to the new application.
Every year, the North Lakes Red Deer Group shoots red deer across the huge Haweswater catchment area which spans 10,000 hectares, according to UU.
To control population numbers and protect the health of the herd, deer are stalked for 36 weeks.
Culling is also required to prevent the animals from wreaking havoc across a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which is conserved by law, said UU.
The company wants the deer larder to go on the site of a former builder’s yard — described as about 400 metres from the reservoir and screened by trees.
But it is too close to home for some, who say they would be able to see and hear it.
Janet Shepherd, of Burnbanks, told the national park that the handling of carcasses would be “clearly visible” from certain properties nearby and it would be distressing for people to see wild animals being “delivered, manhandled and butchered”.
“Meat smells — it has a distinctive aroma — we do not want a Penrith-style pong here,” she said.
Mike and Marion Jones, of Burnbanks, said they recognised the need for the larder but said the site would be “highly visible” and the refrigeration unit would generate noise.
“Deer stalking is carried out early in the morning and at dusk, so the majority of the increased traffic will be at unsociable hours. This will result in increased noise and lights, in what is a very quiet place with no street lighting or industrial lighting,” said the Joneses.
Resident Diana Nicolson added: “The sight of carcasses being handled will be very offensive to some of the residents who are vegetarian and vegan and the smell associated with processing carcasses can be both strong and unpleasant.”
Helen Glendinning said she would be able to hear vehicles and the industrial process of lifting and cutting carcasses. “Taking the skin, legs and head off a large mammal is not a quiet business — especially in this type of hollow, pre-fabricated unit,” she wrote.
Elinor Leckie also said she was “dismayed” by the plan. “For 17 years I have enjoyed a delightful co-existence with various wildlife in close proximity to my home, and to face the prospect of this facility in an idyllic location is very distressing.”
The applicants said: “The nearest deer larder currently for United Utilities stalkers is in Thirlmere. This is too far to transport the deer on warm days. The carcasses have to be chilled very quickly after being shot in order to comply with the Wild Game Meat Regulations 1995 before entering the human food chain. It is therefore proposed to install a purpose-built deer larder for use by the deer stalkers operating in the Haweswater catchment.”
Deer can can cause considerable damage to young trees and crops and when numbers get too high they can compete with other livestock for grazing.
