A VEIL of secrecy has been thrown over the identity of the buyers of two plots of land sold off by the Lake District National Park Authority.


Sales of a 2.4-acre plot at Lady Wood, White Moss, Grasmere and a 0.64-acre site at Portinscale, Keswick were confirmed this week.


Both sold in excess of their collective £35,000 asking price but the LDNPA is refusing to reveal who the buyers are.

Chief executive Richard Leafe said that anonymity of the buyer was not part of the contract of sale.


However, he explained: “We asked the new owners if they wanted to go public and they agreed that they didn’t - it’s not mandatory.”

“We have sold it [Lady Wood] to a private individual and we’re confident the individual meets our responsible buyer criteria. 


“As far as people are concerned, they are able to know that the site is going to be looked after. I don’t think it’s a question of trust.”


But the decision to keep the buyers under wraps has caused outrage among some people living in the Lake District.

Gilly Hodkinson, who is a member of the Rydal Villages Association, said: “The people here think it’s wrong, wrong, wrong.

"Why not release the buyers’ names? Lady Wood is not just close to my property, it’s close to my heart and I’m very sceptical about this. I don’t believe a word the national park says any more.”

Lakes Parish Councillor, Ella Footit, of Grasmere, said: "We have certainly got a right to know who’s bought the land and to be quite honest the LDNPA are letting the community down not just with Lady Wood but with other sites. It’s diabolical.

"It’s our heritage and he (Richard Leafe) promised he would tell us who’s bought it.

"He came to a Lakes Parish Council meeting and was almost given a vote of no confidence – he doesn’t want to answer questions at all.

“The LDNPA have been put in a position to protect the land for the community and they’re not doing it. They’re not protecting anything. I would like to know who’s bought, how much they got it for and where the money goes.

"I think the community has a right to know that – it’s land that people have walked through for generations.

“We are being asked to trust the National Park that they have chosen a suitable owner but how can we trust them now?

“This was all very underhand – they advertised it by hiding it in the paper and they didn’t want people to see it.


In response, Mr Leafe said: “It’s not an underhand way of selling a property - we sold it through complete transparency.”


Calls for the LDNPA to be more accountable have also come from Parliamentary candidate Tim Farron.


He said: “The public deserve to know who has bought these assets.


“It [The LDNPA] is not a business and should stop trying to act like one.


“This makes the case, yet again, that we need more accountability and elections to national park boards.


“I continue to urge the national park to drop the sale of Stickle Tarn and others.”

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It could be up to six weeks before the names of the buyers are revealed by the Land Registry.

In the meantime the Westmorland Gazette submitted a Freedom of Information request to the LDNPA on Monday, which should be answered within 20 days. 

It asks the national park authority to reveal the names of the private individuals who have bought the two plots and how much money was paid for them.

The Gazette can appeal to the Information Commissioner if it is not satisfied with the response.