Ullock Moss Consultation

Welcome and thank you for taking the time to engage in our preliminary consultation regarding the future of parking and transport around Portinscale (particularly walkers accessing Cat Bells) and our proposal for a new car park to go some way to combat this issue at Ullock Moss. In this first stage of consultation we are seeking feedback on our early plans at Ullock Moss and the long term strategic vision for accessing Cat Bells and the local amenities of Portinscale. We are pleased to be proposing a scheme which is focused on helping to resolve a long recognised and worsening issue. We want our proposals to be informed by the community and reflect the views of this beautiful part of the Lake District.

The site is located to the South of Portinscale, just to the West of Derwentwater, opposite Nichol End Marine. It is currently used as a clearing for forestry operations for the adjacent woodland. It is well positioned being located next to a footpath that leads to Cat Bells and around Derwentwater. Access will be via the existing clearing opposite Nichol End marine.

Currently the site is open and clearly visible from the road, with a tired post and wire perimeter fence, unmaintained bank and no soft screening. Surrounding the site, between Portinscale and Cupboard Field, it is estimated that there could be in excess of 150 vehicles parked on the side of the road with many at junctions, passing places and bends in the road where the road widens.

Given the areas natural beauty, its proximity to Cat Bells and Derwentwater shore means that many visitors, particularly with young children, try to park as close to the start of the local footpaths as possible. This has resulted in parking at Cat Bells becoming a long-recognised issue which appears to be getting worse, some of these many issues include:

Continuous environmental damage to local vegetation, habitats, and grass verges; ultimately degrading the beauty and tranquility of this special area,
Emergency services, bus service, residents, National Trust, farming operations, and deliveries all are finding great difficulty in accessing this area.
There is a high risk of a serious accident occurring to walkers and cyclists, as well as traffic collisions.

The proposal for the car park will hold 100 spaces with the potential to expand by a further 65 car parking spaces, with 5% of spaces for disabled parking.

The proposals include on-site facilities such as:

• Toilets;
• Shuttle bus pick up to Cupboard Field (near Cat Bells);
• E bike rental and charging facilities;
• Electric vehicle charging points; and
• Undercover waiting area.

In addition to the car park we propose to integrate with the wide range of off-road connectivity provisions:

Public footpath passing the site, which forms part of the 10k Derwentwater route running to Cat Bells and around Derwentwater shore;
Both Sustrans’ 71 cycle route and the C2C pass locally, and we hope to contribute towards achieving the local Derwentwater Cycleway aspiration;
An optional shuttle bus linking Ullock moss and Cupboard field will help walkers access Cat Bells (seasonal);
Bus layby to improve existing bus facilities;
Provide financial contribution to extend local traffic regulation orders to discourage on-street parking within the immediate area of the car park access;
Connect to the existing traffic regulation orders at the Swinside and Newlands Valley junction;
Provide safe pedestrian crossing point from the car park to the start of the off street pedestrian footpath.

Thank you for taking the time to view our proposal for Ullock Moss, Portinscale.

This consultation closed on Monday 03 August 2020.

We really appreciate the comments made during the pre-consultation. We will be working hard to review all responses, and will ensure that our proposal reflects the overall community voice. Our next steps are to continue our engagement with the statutory consultees, in order to progress and shape the proposal, and we hope to update this website with our progress.

In the meantime, we have produced a ‘FAQ’, which will hopefully go some way to answering the key themes of the pre-consultation responses.

Link to ‘FAQ’

We are still open to receiving any further comments or questions, which can be submitted using the consultation email address: ullockmoss@crosbygrangerarchitects.co.uk. The comments we receive will inform and shape our proposal going forward. We want this to be a community positive project and welcome all views.

Consultation on the proposed Car Park at Ullock Moss

Lake District National Park