Urban Splash chosen for ‘sensitive’ Lake District regeneration scheme

Windemere

The National Trust has appointed Urban Splash as the development partner on a regeneration project in Windemere, the Lake District.

The area involved includes land around Windemere train station, a car park and bus terminal, Booths and Lakeland stores and nine hectares of National Trust investment land.

It’s also next to Thwaites Lane, which has been identified for ‘mixed-use’ development by the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) in their draft Local Plan.

Behind the plans is the Windermere Gateway Project Steering Group, a consortium made up of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), South Lakeland District Council (SLDC), National Trust, Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA), and retailers, Booths and Lakeland.

The vision for the site includes transforming steeply sloping land – with a Grade 2 listed farmhouse – gifted to the National Trust as investment land, into one that meets local needs,

Mike Innerdale, the National Trust’s regional director for the North said: ‘We are at a very early stage of establishing what sort of development is viable on this challenging site. It will be informed by discussions with the local community and key stakeholders.

‘It is also dependent on the proposed allocation for our land being part of the Local Plan for the Lake District, the subject of recent consultations and up for public examination later this year,

‘This is a unique opportunity for us to make a difference in Windermere through a gift that supports our conservation work. It means developing land next to the station in a sensitive way to provide housing for locals, meet employment needs and provide a world-class entry point and transport hub to the Lakes.

Urban Splash director Nathan Cornish added: ‘It is an outstanding opportunity to take forward a rare development site in arguably the most beautiful part of the country.

‘Urban Splash has transformed many listed buildings and sensitive sites across the country, and we will need to use all of our skills and experiences to deliver something befitting of this important gateway site to the Lake District.’