A SITE has been found for a proposed ‘green’ business park that developers say would create hundreds of high-quality jobs in South Lakeland - but it is within the boundaries of the Lake District National Park.

Ashford Associates Properties Ltd, the developer behind the business park scheme, has joined forces with South Lakeland farmer/entrepreneaur John Geldard - owner of Plumgarths - to construct an initial 7,000 square meter site.

The scheme - which developers claim will create around 300 jobs - will revolve around ‘clusters’ of businesses involved in the research and development of environmentally friendly technologies.

It is also claimed that green features, such as ground source heat pumps, photovoltaics and an anaerobic digester will produce ten per cent of Kendal’s power requirements.

The scheme also promises to help alieviate Kendal’s traffic woes by incorporating a park-and-ride facility for the town and the Lake District serviced by electric buses.

A visitor education centre and local food sourcing centre are also planned.

“Our vision is to develop business clusters with significant environmental capability and the ultimate goal of establishing the region as not only a place to visit, but also with a reputation for harnessing environmental innovation and providing real world solutions to an international market place,” said Mr Ashford.

Mr Geldard, owner of the land for the proposed site, adjacent to the A591 and Crook Road, said: “The venture provides the ideal opportunity for South Lakeland District Council and the Lake District National Park to work together towards enhancing the sustainability of Kendal and the Lake District’s economy...

“The plans for this low carbon economy out-of-town business park are extremely visionary and will help to meet both the business and environmental challenges of those future generations.”

However, residents living near the proposed site have expressed concerns about the plans One resident, who did not want to be named, said: “My first reaction is shock and horror.

"It is a huge development. It is a horendous attack on Lake District National Park land and it is the first view of the Lake District that people get as they come down the A591.”

The park has received political support from both Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, and Gareth McKeever, prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate.

Mr Farron said: “I am determined that we buck the trend here and fight back against the recession, that’s why we all need to get behind this project.”