King ‘notes’ campaign against holiday resort

A campaign group which opposes a proposed new holiday resort has received a letter from King Charles saying he has taken "careful note" of the campaign.

Plans for a holiday park at Roanhead Farm in Cumbria have been scaled back following opposition from wildlife groups.

The letter to the founder of the Save Roanhead Campaign, Kelly Holland, said the King was "deeply committed" to protecting the natural world, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Ms Holland said she had "renewed enthusiasm" thanks to the letter. The developer, ILM Group, said it had "listened intently to feedback".

The ILM Group has recently submitted scaled-back proposals for the Roanhead Lodge Resort, including reducing the number of proposed lodges from 450 to 233.

The group said this would "significantly" reduce the number of visitors to the site and impact on the natural environment.

The letter, from the monarch's correspondence secretary, said: “The King has asked me to thank you for your letter and to say that His Majesty has taken careful note of the ‘Save Roanhead’ campaign.

“The King is deeply committed to protecting the natural world.

"As Prince of Wales, he spoke passionately about the need to conserve the environment for future generations, recognising that everyone has a role to play in preventing climate change and biodiversity loss.

“As King, His Majesty continues to celebrate global efforts towards a more sustainable future.”

Ms Holland said: “We will continue to fight to save Roanhead from any development that will adversely affect this delicate area and now have renewed enthusiasm from the fight thanks to our letter of encouragement from HRH King Charles.”

The developer also said the lodges would be made of sustainable materials and will have low carbon heating systems.

It also said it had been working with a natterjack toad specialist to discuss the impact of the proposals on the species near Sandscale Haws

Andrew Coutts, CEO of ILM Group, said: “We recognise the strength of feeling relating to our previous proposals and have listened intently to feedback, evolving our approach to provide a new masterplan for Roanhead Lodge Resort.

"It is much more balanced and sensitive to the surrounding environment.”

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