Lake District planners have rejected a water ski centre's plans to diversify ahead of the introduction of the speed limit on Windermere next year.

The Low Wood Water Ski Centre, near Ambleside, is facing an uncertain future with the 10mph limit due to be imposed on March 29 next year, effectively ending its water skiing business.

In response to the limit the centre's owners, the Low Wood Hotel, applied for permission to replace the two existing T-shaped jetties with a large floating jetty to cater for bigger yachts and motorboats.

The structure would have projected 36m into the lake and then turned 90 degrees and run for 70m parallel to the lakeshore.

The plans included a pumping station for emptying toilets and another jetty would have provided refuelling facilities.

The national park authority's chief principal planner David Buylla said the proposed jetty was considerably bigger than the existing ones and could lead to large boats being moored there permanently.

He said that the use of the lake by larger, slower boats was appropriate but that there were more suitable places for such facilities than this largely undeveloped area of the lake.

"The key issue is whether a development of this scale would be acceptable in this location," he said. "It's a quiet part of the lake. It's quite dissimilar to the more urbanised parts of the lake. On balance I recommend refusal. It is just too much, too big, too urban."

He added that the development would be a "visually intrusive, urbanising and harmful year-round intrusion" into the quiet rural character and appearance of this part of the lake and would harm the popular view across the lake.

Authority chairman Michael Bentley, a keen sailor who has been singled out for criticism by anti-speed limit campaigners, struck a more conciliatory tone. He proposed a site visit so members could help the Low Wood in finding an appropriate solution.

"Whilst the current application may not be acceptable, the current configuration of jetties at Low Wood is not conducive to the new conditions on Windermere and we must recognise the need for a change."

He said that rather than a "blanket refusal" they should try to find a solution to the applicant's problem and should hold a site visit to look at the current application and think about what might be acceptable.

However, other members felt this was the wrong approach and the committee voted by seven to one to reject the plans.