MP Simon Fell to 'keep eye' on plan for Roanhead holiday resort

Simon Fell urged members of the public to register any concerns over the would-be development at Roanhead Farm via the online planning portal of Barrow Borough Council – now Westmorland and Furness Council.

"Without feeding into these processes, any concerns will not be captured and actioned by the planning authority," he said.

The Barrow and Furness MP made the comments in a letter to a constituent that was posted to a Facebook group – Save Roanhead from developers – set up in opposition to the holiday resort plan.

The facility would be built on around 550,000 sq metres of land near Askam and could feature a restaurant, gym, pool and children's petting farm.

It has proved controversial with a petition set up in opposition having generated more than 4,000 signatures and protests being held.

Protests, including one at the National Trust car park at Roanhead, have been held against the holiday resort plan (Image: Kelly Holland)

A fundraiser has also been created by Laura Higgs on gofundme.com and has generated around £1,000 so far. The money will be used 'to gather and distribute vital information' needed to fight against the proposal.

In his letter, Mr Fell stressed issues such as highways and environmental impact needed to be addressed to the satisfaction of the local authority in the case of planning applications.

"It is the developer's job to address all these concerns for the development to be able to move forward, and it is important that due process takes place," he said.

An event was held at the National Trust car park at Roanhead on Saturday by people opposed to the holiday resort.

Its aim was to raise awareness and spread the word, with children taking part in scavenger hunts and pebble decoration.