Residents of Pooley Bridge fear their village could grind to a halt after the Lake District National Park Authority refused to retain Waterfoot car park.
The temporary car park, at the head of Ullswater, was put in place in 2019, when Dunmallard car park was taken over by construction of the village’s recently completed new bridge.
Planning permission submitted, to extend the temporary car park for a further two years, was rejected despite strong support from parish and district councils as well as local people.
Having been inundated with “staycationers” this summer, villagers argued the tourist destination’s rural road network is already at capacity and could become overwhelmed without this car park to absorb the influx of holidaymakers’ vehicles.
Refusal by LDNPA was made on three main grounds.
Firstly, the site failed to demonstrate the exceptional circumstances required to permit additional car parking as put forward in the national park’s local plan.
Its appearance would also be considered detrimental as it is located in open countryside within area of “exceptionally high landscape and cultural heritage value”.
Lastly, the car park is sited next to two well-used roads without a proper footpath to connect it to Pooley Bridge, making it potentially unsafe for walkers.
The chairman of Barton and Pooley Bridge Parish Council, Miles MacInnes, said: “It is very disappointing, to say the least, that the LDNPA have refused to allow the temporary car park at Waterfoot to continue for a further two years.
“Parking in and around Pooley Bridge has been a real problem for many years and this has worsened since lockdown restrictions were lifted. The village has experienced exceptional visitor numbers throughout the summer and early autumn, and there is no doubt that the Waterfoot car park with its short footpath to the village has made a real difference.
“The application had unanimous support from all the parish councils in the Ullswater Valley.
“It was also supported by Eden District Council, so it is even more disappointing that Councillor Judith Derbyshire (representing Eden District Council on the LDNPA and a member of Dacre Parish Council) voted in favour of refusal.
“The committee of seven was divided and Mrs Derbyshire effectively held the casting vote, thus ignoring the views of her own parish council (who are strongly in favour of retaining it) and not respecting the views of the community she represents.
“We are actively looking for additional car parking in Pooley Bridge and have identified a possible site but it will take time to progress this.
“Retaining the existing Waterfoot car park for a further two years whilst we look for a permanent solution was the obvious option.
“There is no doubt that parking will be a continuing problem in the foreseeable future as many visitors continue to choose staycations instead of overseas travel and we are anxious about parking capacity without this very useful overflow car park.”
Responding to Mr MacInnes’ comments, Mrs Derbyshire said: “When anyone is appointed to sit as a member on the LDNPA they are required to act not as a district councillor or parish councillor, but must consider the wider issues in the national park using their local knowledge to help inform any decision made.
“As I said during the public hearing, this was a difficult decision for me, with valid arguments on both sides of the debate.
“But on balance, I felt I had to agree with the planning officers’ recommendation of refusal,” she said.
