Tim Farron MP has said plans to expand the Lake District National Park should only move forward with the "proper consent" of local residents.

The proposal, submitted by charity Friends of the Lake District, would increase the size of the national park by around six per cent, or 155 square kilometres. 

Mr Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said: “These plans would see the biggest increase in population of the Lake District since the national park was founded back in 1951.

“Being in the national park brings some benefits but it means giving away democratic control of planning, housing and environmental matters to an unelected body.

“It would also very likely see an increase in house prices that could make life even harder for local families already struggling to get on the housing ladder.

“So it would be wrong to go any further with this proposal without proper consultation of people in the Cartmel Peninsula.”