THE National Trust says it intends to object to a planned £100 million holiday resort at Roanhead Farm.

Plans have been put forward for to build a 450-lodge resort with sports and leisure facilities on the farmland.

But the National Trust, which manages the nearby Sandscale Haws Nature Reserve, has raised concerns over the 'serious harm' the development could cause.

Developers ILM Group have said they will mitigate against any impact on the surrounding environment and wildlife.

Dan Taylor, general manager for the National Trust in South East Cumbria & Morecambe Bay, said: "The National Trust is proud to look after the Sandscale Haws National Nature Reserve on behalf of the nation for ever.

"The reserve is internationally significant and one of the Trust's most important coastal sites, which provides a refuge for some of the rarest and most protected species in the UK.

"This is why we are intending to object to the current proposals submitted as a planning application to create a large holiday park at Roanhead Farm which would sit directly adjacent to the nature reserve.

"Our major concern is that this significant development would seriously harm the rare and fragile habitats and species of the reserve and the wider estuary.

"We are currently reviewing all of the planning documents which have been submitted and we will be providing a response before the public consultation process closes on 23 July 2023."

More than 5,000 have signed a petition opposing the resort.

Landowners Terry and Jimmy Curtis, who have lived and farmed the land for much of their lives, are backing the development.

Terry said: “The gates will be open, anyone can come and use the facilities, from Askam, from Barrow, from Dalton.

“It's given us a good living. A hard living, but a good living. Now it's time for it to provide a living for a lot more people, especially young people around here.

“At one time when the mines were going it would have employed hundreds of people. That all went and now we’re hoping it will come back.”

Plans say more than 200 jobs could be created by the resort while a study shared by the developers estimated it could pump around £200 million into the local economy over the next ten years.