World Heritage Status is being welcomed by the Lake District National Park Authority (a non-elected quango) and the Friends of the Lake District (an environ-mental pressure group).

The NPA will now have UNESCO in Paris to help them preserve funding and the Friends will adore the cryogenic freezing of the Lake District so that anybody who disagrees with their landscape mantra will be painted as a World Heritage status heretic.

If you're a young resident of the national park, what can you look forward to?

Some affordable housing or even less? A more vibrant village welcoming fun action events or less? Less people wanting to retire here or more?

World Heritage Status may pickle the environment but for our young people it may just mean it's a little more unaffordable, even more quiet and peaceful and a lot more dull.

Julian Rayner

Staveley