A PUBLIC consultation on the long term use of common land at New Road in Kendal is to be delayed until later this year.

South Lakeland District Council have announced that the planned consultation will not now take place until a ruling is made on a private application made directly to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Michael Gove to restore the former unofficial car park on the land.

And SLDC have confirmed that they have asked Mr Gove’s department to dismiss the application in order that they can proceed with the consultation.

“We believe that the application is fundamentally flawed,” said SLDC portfolio holder for Economy and Assets Cllr Graham Vincent.

“It offers no evidence of public interest in whether the land is returned to hard-standing or whether it should be retained as green space, something that would be tested in our consultation, and doesn’t consider or make any mention of the impact of the proposed flood defence works.

“In our response we have invited the Secretary of State to dismiss the application so that we can get on and carry out our consultation, which will present all the information people need to make a reasoned decision and will be a true test of public opinion.”

The land in question, which lies between New Road and the River Kent, is designated as common land and was for many years used as an unofficial free car park.

But in early 2018, SLDC cordoned off the area, citing safety concerns, and despite protests from some residents, the area was subsequently landscaped with a view to a full public consultation on the future of the land taking place.

The council said in December that the promised consultation would go ahead early in 2019, but have now decided to delay the consultation in the light of the submission of the private application to Mr Gove’s department.

The application, which was made in December by David Fone via his agents the J36 Rural Auction Centre, asks for consent for works to lay a hard standing surface on the common land.

The move has already drawn opposition from The Friends of the Lake District and charity group The Open Spaces Society.

And SDLC have now also confirmed they will oppose the plan.

Cllr Vincent explained that the council’s view was that the application would still require a lengthy de-registration application to remove the common land designation if it was to be developed as a safe and lawful car park.

“This de-registration option would have been covered in the consultation anyway, so much like last year’s parish poll, we see this application as unnecessary, especially if it ends up going to a costly public inquiry,” he said.