Morning all
I attended the NoGo Gondola meeting at Braithwaite last night. It was quite an interesting evening, held to discuss the current timetable and the campaigns being planned. I know many are following this, but thought it might be useful to summarise here.
The next draft of the LDNPA plan is to be released, on their website, on Friday (1 March), and this will be the executive's preferred plan. It is anticipated that this will include the gondola.
On 6 March LDNPA are meeting with NoGo and, separately with the local councils.
On 11 March there is a meeting of the Strategy and Vision (what vision!) committee which handles the plan, prior to it being put to the full 23 member executive on 20 March. After that there is an 8 week consultation period after which the Sec of State will either approve or reject the plan. Everyone who cares about this should be taking action asap - time is running out.
NoGo are planning to release proforma letters, to be edited by the sender (or not), and email addresses of the 23 members of the executive committee so that as many people as possible can register their displeasure. I think anyone who hasn't already done so needs to register with NoGo through their website, in order to receive these communications.
There is also a planned demonstration on the 20th at Kendal - there are buses being laid on from Braithwaite. Again - NoGo are asking people to register to attend. The group also has some other, not as yet definite plans, to attempt to demonstrate the impact of the infrastructure on the locality and on the views from all surrounding fells. They are also discussing the issue with other pressure groups around the Lakes.
One of the things which was also discussed was why the LDNPA are, effectively, acting as gamekeeper and poacher here - after all they are responsible for planning approval, and yet are putting forward their own plan. There was a great deal of cynicism regarding Leafe et al, and their vested interests. Apparently a study has shown that foreign visitors spend a deal more cash per head per week, than UK visitors. However, foreign visitors generally do not venture north of Dunmail Raise, and this gondola is seen as an attempt to encourage them to do so, in order to turn Keswick into a new Windermere/Bowness. There was discussion of the intention to build a skyline restaurant at Hospital Planation - half way up Grisedale Pike for god's sake!
The meeting was pretty well attended, and I was made to feel very welcome, I was even offered a hug for driving so far to attend!
There is more on the NoGoGondola.org site.
Paul