Coniston road gridlock through lack of car parking

The tourist hotspot is a favourite with visitors to the Lake District, a fact that helps Coniston to thrive during the summer months, but the lack of car-parking spaces is an ever-increasing problem, according to one local businessman.

Phil Johnston is a beneficiary of the boom in tourism as he owns the Coppermines Lakes Cottages in the area, providing holiday accommodation.

But he lost an appeal to the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) to turn his field on Yewdale Road into a seasonal (March - September) 200-space car park, which would have served the whole village.

'No viable alternative' - Businessman dismayed at car park closure

To alleviate the problem, LDNPA allow landowners to open their fields for cars for 28 days, but Mr Johnston said: "I was asked why I didn't open my field for 28 days - we've had to put all the topsoil back on, which makes the field unable to support vehicles.

"Cumbria Tourism figures show that number of people coming to the Lake District is going up five per cent every year, whether there's a recession or not.

"There will always be a time in the year where it's going to get very, very busy.

The volume of cars at Lakeland 100

"I'm aware that LDNPA's policy is to have a low-carbon Lake District, and don't want any more car parks, as that will encourage more cars.

"They want farmers to open fields for 28 days of the year but that is surely acknowledgement of the fact that people are going to use cars, and a main tenet of National Park policy is to be a vibrant and world-class visitor economy.

"Additionally, public transport outside the Lakes now seems to be unreliable, trains are frequently on strike, so if you book a ticket, you've no idea whether you're going to get there or not.

"When the Lakeland 100 and Lakeland 50 races were on, the public and competitors used the fields on the other side of Lake Road, going down to the Lake, and it turned into a quagmire, as it rained on Saturday night.

Waterlogged field after Lakeland 100

"I know at least one business in Coniston has already said their footfall has dropped due to the lack of parking, and the village can be gridlocked because people are driving around and around trying to find a spot - last year when our car park was there it wasn't. 

LDNPA's policy states: "We want fewer visitors arriving to and moving around the Lake District by private vehicle. 

"We want people to park their vehicle for the day and use sustainable travel opportunities if they arrive in a private vehicle, to reduce visitor movement pressures and pollution."

Tracey Coward, chair of Coniston Parish Council, said: "It was really a perfect storm for parking issues at the weekend - it's the middle of the summer holidays, the weather was hot, we had a large swimming event on in the lake, and it did cause some chaos, but from what I could tell from my perspective, it was mainly centred on access to the lake rather than the village itself.

"The main issue is emergency services not being able to gain full access to the lake when there are cars everywhere, though the police did a great job in trying to manage the traffic flow.

"We are a small town, and as a parish council, we are consultees, not decision-makers, but we generally manage quite well with the space that we have, but at a certain few times in the year, it does become a problem.

"Long-term, the LDNPA does need to plan to make summer parking more sustainable, as we want tourism to thrive."

READ MORE: Dates announced for Lakeland Country Fair 2022