Battle over Roanhead resort intensifies as charities oppose plans

National Trust, RSPB, Friends of the Lake District, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, Wildfowl and Wetland Trust claim the Roanhead Lodge Resort Development, which will include up to 450 holiday lodges as well as leisure and entertainment facilities, poses a ‘serious threat’ to the adjacent Sandscale Haws nature reserve and wider areas.

But the developers have hit back saying ecology and wildlife in the surrounding area is ‘extremely important’ to their plans.

The charities have raised a number of concerns in a joint statement, namely the ‘irreparable harm’ the development would have on the ‘fragile ecosystems’ in the area.

They have further voiced concerns over the developer’s proposals on how to deal with the ‘sheer volume’ of additional visitors and dogs to the site as well as the ‘inadequate access’ for the additional vehicle movements to the development.

“We believe the additional visitor number of 130,000 stated in the planning application is a very low estimate based on the capacity of the proposals submitted,” the charities say.

Stephen Trotter, chief executive of Cumbria Wildlife Trust said the charity is ‘very concerned’ about the proposed resort.

He said: “We strongly support the growth and development of sustainable tourism but in our view, this is simply the wrong location for this scale of holiday resort. It’s just too close to such an important and irreplaceable wildlife site.”    RSPB further raised concern over the ‘detrimental effect’ on some of the UK’s rarest plans and birds and said they will be ‘working with partners’ to oppose the development.

An illustration of the proposed Roanhead resort hub (Image: Roanhead Lodge Resort Development)

And Amphibian Reptile Conservation said the development represents an ‘unacceptable risk to nature’.

Responding to the claims, Andrew Coutts, managing director of ILM Group, said: "We will take our time to consider the concerns raised by the organisations in question and will respond in detail in due course.

READ MORE: Roanhead resort 'would bring nearly £200m into area in next decade'

"What we can say at this point is that the ecology and wildlife of the surrounding area is extremely important to us and, because of this, we have been in dialogue with a range of organisations including the National Trust about the proposals since 2021.

"In particular, we have been keen to understand the success of the National Trust's own management of Formby Beach in Lancashire, a hugely popular and well-loved visitor destination which is home to natterjack toads and other rare species, in habitats similar to the sand dunes at Sandscale Haws. Visitor numbers to Formby well exceed those that might be expected at Sandscale Haws in the future, suggesting sustainable tourism is possible and an achievable aim at Roanhead.

"Our plans for the Roanhead Lodge Resort are designed with the benefit of the findings of a comprehensive environmental report carried out by experts over a period of six months and also a Destination Management Plan which we commissioned after finding out that this crucial strategy doesn't exist for Sandscale Haws currently.

View of the beach from the dunes at Sandscale Haws (Image: National Trust)

 "We are confident, given the thoroughness of the reports commissioned, their findings and the mitigation measures put forward, that visitors can enjoy the tranquillity of this area without adversely impacting upon nearby ecosystems. We refute claims that visitor numbers are under-estimated. In fact, the reality is entirely the opposite.

"Obviously we are disappointed to hear that the National Trust is not supportive of the proposals, but our position hasn't changed.

"We remain keen to work closely with them to plan and implement a range of protective measures for the area that will sit alongside those that we create within the resort itself."

After an initial public consultation held by ILM Group, more than 5,000 people signed a petition against the lodge resort and nearly 4,000 people have joined a Facebook group campaigning against the proposal.

But according to analysis by leading economic development consultants shared by the developers, the resort could deliver major benefits to the area, while also supporting hundreds of new jobs.