7th September 2011  Zipwire on Fleetwith Pike rejected

Plans for the contentious zipwire on Fleetwith Pike have been turned down by the Lake District National Park Authority. Members decided by nine votes to five to reject a proposal for a 1200 metre cable from Fleetwith Pike summit down to Honister Slate Mine.

A report from the Head of Development Management David McGowan said that while other applications may have been more significant in terms of their scale, few had captured as much public interest, with 476 letters of support, a 11,500 strong petition in favour, and 255 letters opposed to the scheme.

Reasons advanced in favour of the proposal included provision of new employment opportunities; support for the tourism economy; encouragment of younger visitors to the Lake District ; and that it would be a natural extension to the industrial history of the Honister area.

Objectors claimed the scheme would: impact on the visual appearance of the national park; create extra traffic on narrow roads; be a hazard to walkers; cause noise, be a distraction for motorists and harm nature conservation.