Plans for a huge new UK safari park on the edge of the Lake District have been rejected. The attraction in Cumbria, near Tebay, would have had a negative impact on the way the area looks, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) planners claimed. The wild animal reserve – which proponents want to use to house giraffes and rhinos – would have been run by the operators of a recently closed zoo, which was subject to long-term welfare concerns, reports the BBC.
Unauthorised work has already taken place on the site, YDNPA chairman Derek Twine claimed, adding that action would be taken if it were not reversed. “This is not acceptable and has been passed back to our officers to seek to have some remedial action undertaken,” he said. “If not responded to, things will have to be taken further.” Mr Twine added that the proposed reserve consisted of “haphazard buildings and large concreted areas”, which would cause “significant visual harm to the iconic landscape”.
Planning documents supplied by New Roots Holding Company Ltd. state that the applicant wants to create a “unique and intimate wild animal experience” that would “expand and diversify the existing holiday let business at Brockholes Farm”.
The attraction would be “pre-bookable, wild animal reserve with restricted access providing a unique and educational experience for guests, conveying the importance of conservation and providing visitors with an understanding of the current threats to a selection of wild species found at the site”.
Papers added: “At the same time, the proposed development seeks to support and promote an understanding of the existing native wildlife on site and enhance the natural beauty and rich wildlife found in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.”
The application explicitly stated that the venue would not be a zoo.
It read: “The visitor attraction would not operate as a zoo and access would be strictly limited through the pre-booking system and guests staying in the holiday accommodation.
“Visitor numbers would be further restricted and controlled through licencing arrangements, separate to the planning regime, as detailed in the accompanying Visitor Management Plan.”