Decision made on plan for lodges at Buck Yeats

The accommodation is to be situated in the southern section of Buck Yeats Lodge Park, Lakeside, on the western shore of Windermere.

The plan for the site, which currently has 12 lodges and a chalet, was discussed by a meeting of the national park authority's development control committee.

Planner Chris Kempster told committee members the size and appearance of the lodges would be 'similar' to those already at Buck Yeats.

He said the county council's highways department was 'content' the traffic generated by the proposal would be 'unlikely to have a significant material effect on existing highway conditions'.

However, Colton parish councillor John Taylor told the meeting the council objected 'very strongly' to the proposal. 

He said Colton Parish Council did not 'see any evidence of need', referring to the accommodation already in place at nearby Newby Bridge Country Caravan Park.

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"There is no evidence that [this development] would make a significant contribution to issues that are priorities for the parish, such as local housing, local employment and so on," he said. 

“I find it difficult just to dismiss the idea of the impact on the road running through Lakeside.

"That is a busy road. In the middle of summer it’s very, very difficult, and I think anything that’s done that adds to the pressure on that road is a difficult issue.”

Although the lodges are to be screened by trees, Cllr Taylor believed they would be 'very visible' in winter. 

He felt approval of the application would constitute further 'erosion' of that section of Windermere.

"[It] is an area that needs to be preserved, and needs to be looked after very carefully," he said.

Kate Bellwood, planning consultant and the agent for applicant Lake District Estates Co Ltd, stressed the accommodation would not be 'short lets'.

"It is one family who will have it for the year, and they will be coming and going for that year," she said.

"There is less traffic than the short lets, which might turn round two or three times a week.

“They also tend to support the local shops and restaurants more because they treat themselves a little bit more like locals rather than people just coming up for the weekend and bringing a boot full of shopping.”

She said a new package treatment plant would be put in to serve the lodges. 

“The lakeshore is really important to this site, it’s one of the big selling features, we absolutely do not want to cause any pollution," she said.

“There won’t be any landscape impact, there won’t be harm, you might get the odd glimpse in certain leaf-drop times but, generally, it will be very, very well hidden.”

Lodges already in place at Buck Yeats (Image: Lake District National Park Authority planning)

Sam Little, general manager of Buck Yeats, referred to Cllr Taylor's mention of Newby Bridge Country Caravan Park, which also falls under Ms Little's remit.

"Yes, there are caravans available on there for sale, but it’s a completely different proposition," she said.

"It’s a caravan, it’s a different set of customers, they don’t have lake access, whereas these do and it’s a different proposal.

"A lodge to a caravan is a very different price point, and a different user base."

She told committee members the lodges would be privately owned and bought and built to customers' specific requirements.

Committee member Mark Kidd felt satisfied the accommodation would be 'appropriately screened'.

"The trees are protected, so that screening is there for the duration," he said.

“And does it have infrastructure capacity?

The location of the proposed lodges as seen from Gummer's How (Image: Lake District National Park Authority planning)

"Well we’ve been told there’s going to be a package treatment plant go in there, so that should handle the sewage.

"The road should be able to take the movements and, because it’s the same families coming each time, I think it will have a fairly minor effect on the road network.

"So I think it’s policy-compliant. I don’t think you need to demonstrate a need for these kind of business proposals. 

"If it was like a permanent residential thing, then definitely we would have to look for a need there.”

The application was voted through unanimously.