CUMBRIA Wildlife Trust said it 'strongly objects' to a proposed eco-lodge development at Roanhead. 

Up to 450 lodges could be built on land at Roanhead Farm near Askam if proposals are approved by councillors. 

Drawings submitted to Westmorland and Furness Council show plans for a health club and pool, sports courts, play areas, a bar and brasserie, a spa and an events barn.

Accommodation would include holiday cottages as well as lodges and 'eco cabins'.

The wildlife trust is a charity that participates extensively in matters related to environmentalism and biodiversity in the local area. It put its view of the proposed plans on record as one of the planning consultees. 

It said: "Cumbria Wildlife Trust has significant concerns about this application and strongly objects to the proposed development which we consider to be contrary to national and local planning policy.

"We consider that the scale and nature of the proposal is completely inappropriate at this environmentally-sensitive location and that because of the likely adverse impacts on the adjacent sites, in particular Sandscale Haws National Nature Reserve, the planning application should be rejected."

READ MORE: Roanhead resort 'would bring nearly £200m into area in next decade'

It said that around 23 per cent of the UK population of Natterjack toads live in the area, as well as many breeding and over-wintering bird species and rare species of plants, fungi, mammals and invertebrates which could be disturbed by the development. 

The objection raised these concerns: 

  • Increased recreational disturbance, especially from dogs.
  • Increase in litter, pollution and damaging nutrient contamination from dogs. 
  • Increased light and noise disturbance.
  • New physical constraints on the ability of habitats and species to adapt to sea level rise and climate change.
  • Increased levels of nutrients entering the Duddon Estuary from sewage and wastewater. 
  • Increased cumulative impacts of development across the Morecambe Bay - Barrow - Millom coastline. 
  • Damage to the integrity of ancient woodland habitat and protected species. 

The objection also said that the economic benefits would be 'at best' limited to a local level but the impact of the site would risk 'the integrity of the nationally and internationally important natural and wildlife assets.' 

The plans have the backing of Cumbria Tourism, and the developers ILM Group claim that the resort would pump nearly £200 million into the local economy over the next decade. They say any potential impact on wildlife will be mitigated.

Andrew Coutts, managing director of ILM Group, said: "We will take our time to consider the concerns raised by the organisations in question and will respond in detail in due course.

"What we can say at this point is that the ecology and wildlife of the surrounding area is extremely important to us and, because of this, we have been in dialogue with a range of organisations including the National Trust about the proposals since 2021.

"Our plans for the Roanhead Lodge Resort are designed with the benefit of the findings of a comprehensive environmental report carried out by experts over a period of six months and also a Destination Management Plan which we commissioned after finding out that this crucial strategy doesn't exist for Sandscale Haws currently."