by Holly Chapman | 11 Mar 26 | Landscape Architecture, News, Sustainability
Consultants Mott MacDonald has been chosen to draw up a concept masterplan for the Windermere station area to create a transformational welcomes to the Lake District.
Part of the Windermere Gateway project, jointly led by Westmorland and Furness Council, Lake District National Park Authority, National Trust and their developer Urban Splash, the project seeks to unlock opportunities for a mix of new homes, jobs and sustainable transport connections.
The council’s Local Transport Grant allocation is funding the project, giving £150k towards the design work and improvement delivery.
The masterplan features high-quality station and public realm while delivering heritage-sensitive design within the Conservation Area and World Heritage Site.
Jonathon Brook, council leader and cabinet member for the economy says: “Sensitively creating an enhanced gateway to the Lake District World Heritage Site, through a redeveloped station and transport hub, is a critical component of the Windermere Gateway project. Creating this vision will put us in a much stronger position when lobbying for funding to make this a reality.”
Measures to enhance passenger experience, sustainability and climate resilience will also be explored.
by Aidan Williams | 05 Sep 24 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
Cumbria Wildlife Trust has launched a major public appeal to help buy Skiddaw Forest, including the summit of Skiddaw.
The charity aims to restore the 620-acre lost area of temperate rainforest and 2,200 acres of other habitats but open public access will be secured.
It needs to raise a final £1.25 million following a partnership with Aviva £5 million has been raised and there has been additional support secured from charitable funders.
Stephen Trotter, CEO of Cumbria Wildlife Trust, says: “This is a unique and exciting opportunity to create England’s highest nature reserve and, working with farmers and the local community, we urgently need to put more wildlife back into a much-loved and spectacular part of Cumbria.
“We’re extremely grateful to Aviva and other donors for the contributions already made towards the purchase of Skiddaw Forest.
“Now we’re asking the public to give whatever they can to help us secure this site and to bring more nature to this very special place.
“Skiddaw Forest offers a unique opportunity for wildlife and climate resilience at a major scale in the Lake District National Park. We have to reverse the decline of nature in national parks to help address the impacts of the climate emergency and the wider wildlife crisis.”
This forms part of the Trust’s 100-year vision for bringing back wildlife to the lower slopes of what will be the highest nature reserve in England.
“Restoring temperate rainforest, peatlands and other habitats on Skiddaw will help the Lake District become more climate ready and provide communities and visitors the opportunity to experience the wonder of British rainforests for years to come,” adds Claudine Blamey, chief sustainability officer at Aviva.
by Bethany Vann | 08 Aug 23 | Nature & Biodiversity, News, Topics
Pygmyweed has crowded out nine native species of Derwentwater in the Lake District and is posing a threat to wildlife in the New Forest, says the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
New Zealand Pygmyweed, also known as Australian swamp stonecrop or Crassula helmsii, forms a dense cover over the water’s surface, mitigating natural light and oxygen, causing potential harm to the wildlife below and obstructing navigation.
The Outdoor Swimming Society is urging wild swimmers to avoid transferring fragments of the plant to other lakes.
Originally brought to the UK in 1956, pygmyweed was marketed as an oxygenating plant used to decorate aquariums and sold in garden centres, but the RHS says it is now it is posing ‘serious threat to lakes and rivers’..
Pieces of the plant as small as a few milometers can grow into larger plants and it is known for its hardiness when trying to eradicate. The invasive species has been ruled illegal to grow in the wild and its sale was banned in 2014.
by Nina Mason | 12 Apr 23 | Commercial Landscaping, Nature & Biodiversity, News, Topics
A project to improve the visitor experience at Fell Foot Park in the Lake District has been granted planning permission.
Chester based landscape architecture practice Land Studio has been working with the National Trust – which was given the property in 1948 – to design a series of more open and accessible paths through the Victorian park and to the visitor hub at the Grade II-listed boathouses on the shores of the lake.
The design plans have been approved by the Lake District National Park Authority and construction work is expected to start to take place on site later this year.
The lakeshore park sits at the southern tip of Lake Windermere. It was the first country park in the Lake District to be designated as such and is one of the few lakeside venues accessible to the public south of Bowness.
Land Studio founder Simon Richards says: “We’re delighted that planning permission has been approved for our project at Fell Foot Park, which is a much-loved tourist attraction in the Lake District.
“We specialise in designing within historic places and in ways that connect people to nature and are working with the National Trust on a number of projects across the North West.”
