Representation by Rebecca Ferson
- Date submitted
- 4 September 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am a regular visitor to the Lake District and the Eden Valley. The landscape of this area is recognised in the awarding of World Heritage Status. The recent extension of both the LD and Yorkshire dales national park is also recognition of the unique character of this area. There has been a proliferation of ares seeking to become AONB’s which is in keeping with the government’s objective of increasing areas where nature can flourish, protecting rural landscapes and biodiversity. It is very hard to know which areas are within the parks and which are outside. That is the case with the Eden Valley. It is a unique landscape and could easily be an AONB and may become one in the future. I share the concerns expressed by Friends of the Lake District about the impact on landscape. This is most severe at Kirkby Thore which is within the setting of the North Pennine AONB. The landscape will suffer severe adverse effects. This is permanent and irreversible. Landscape has been given insufficient priority which is astonishing given the designation of World Heritage site to the Lake District was due to Landscape. Highways appear to have attached significance only to roman archeology and nothing else in this section which is troubled and inconsistent with the fact that Highways recently dug up the entire section of road at Kirkby Thore which they now say is untouchable.