Few would doubt that the Lake District is thoroughly deserving of its World Heritage Status. However, those celebrating this as a boost for our tourism economy might wish to consider carefully the wider implications.

There has always been a small body of opinion that the Lake District should stand still in time, and such views may be reinforced by the Unesco decision. But to regard the World Heritage designation as a red light to any future improvements to the public realm would, in my opinion, be wrong.

If, as is likely, the number of visitors to Cumbria is set to increase, then provision must be made to cater for them. This means adopting a sensitive but realistic strategy to ensure that our roads, parking resources and other areas of infrastructure are able to cope.

I would also suggest that we need to address how to manage even more effectively the incoming visitors. Encouraging trips throughout the four seasons, rather than just in summer, is one way. Another would be to highlight the appeal of destinations in the Lake District other than its best-known tourism honeypots.

Failing to provide adequately for the visitor market would be to compromise the benefits of tourism, which currently see £1.2 billion worth of spending annually in our regional economy and its support of some 18,000 jobs.

If World Heritage Status attracts, as some suggest, more funding and investment for the Lake District, let's channel that into making our region more accessible to all, in every sense.

Henry Wild

Director, Skelwith Fold Caravan Park

Ambleside