A 19TH-CENTURY weir near Kendal is set to be removed and a rock ramp installed after plans were given the green light by councillors.

The proposal concerning Bowston Weir was subject to numerous representations when it came before a meeting of South Lakeland District Council's planning committee - with one objector saying the sounds generated by the dam's positioning were 'Beethoven in the wild, wetter days and Mozart in the summer days'.

The plan, submitted by South Cumbria Rivers Trust, is to see the weir, which incorporates two fish passes, removed in order to 're-naturalise' the section of the River Kent in question.

The rock ramp would exercise 'hydraulic control' over sediment that has built up behind the weir over time.

Michael Rogers, head of conservation at Eden Rivers Trust, spoke in support of the application.

He said: "By removing artificial barriers and restoring the river to a more natural state, species can more easily access food sources and refuge."

Gareth Pedley, conservation officer for the north at the Wild Trout Trust, told the meeting: "Most weirs were created at a time when the major ecological harm they caused was not understood."

Mike Hayward, of Lakeland Canoe Club, told councillors the club was 'broadly enthusiastic' about removal of the weir but had 'serious concerns about the nature of the downstream rock ramp'.

He said a key concern related to the 'boulders' that would be used in the ramp's creation. He felt the planned positioning of these boulders meant canoeists risked becoming 'pinned' against them.

"We are objecting to the design of the rock ramp, not necessarily to the whole project," he said.

In the ensuing debate between planning committee members, Cllr Chris Hogg said: "I have mixed feelings about this.

"My concern is largely about the historic aspect of this.

"We can't restore it once it's gone.

"It's not been listed, it's not been designated, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be."

The application for the weir's removal was approved with the added condition that work would not commence until a 'scheme for the on-site interpretation of Bowston Weir's significance as a heritage asset has been submitted to, and

approved in writing by, the local planning authority'.