Honister Pass, the site of the proposed zip wire, which would have run from the crags on the left. Photo: Alan Faulkner CC-BY-ND-2.0

Controversial plans for a tourist zip wire in the Lake District have been withdrawn.

Honister Slate Mine owner Mark Weir’s proposals to build an aerial slide at his site on the side of Fleetwith Pike were due to go before national park planners next month.

The plans would have seen a 1,200m wire ride, dubbed the Lancaster Aerial Flight, run from near the top of the 648m (2,126ft) mountain to the mine at Honister Hause.

In a statement, the Lake District National Park Authority said: “The planning application for a zip wire and retrospective consent for an extension to the existing via ferrata at Honister Slate Mine has been withdrawn by the applicant and will no longer be considered at the November meeting of the Lake District National Park Authority’s development control committee.

“During the consideration of the application we identified significant issues in relation to landscape and nature conservation interests.

“The applicant has decided to withdraw the application at this time as he wishes to explore a solution to the issue of nature conservation.”

The Friends of the Lake District, the charity dedicated to preserving the Cumbrian countryside, welcomed the withdrawal of the plans. The Friends’ planning officer Richard Pearse said: “We can only speculate as to why the application has been withdrawn at this point, but suffice to say that many share our view that the development would cause significant damage to an internationally important landscape.

“The proposal raises significant conflicts with the Lake District National Park Authority’s planning policies. Natural England has also voiced significant concerns over the damage to the rare wildlife habitats present at the site. Hopefully this will be an end to the matter, but we will continue to monitor the situation, should the applicant decide to resubmit at some point in the future.”

The Friends of the Lake District said they had significant concerns over the impact of the wire, and the type and level of activity it would bring to the Honister valley, an area of the national park it said is internationally recognised for its outstanding landscape and tranquillity.

The zip wire would fundamentally change the area, passing very close to walkers using the popular Wainwright route to Haystacks, the charity said.

The Friends said they were also concerned about the development generating additional traffic into the remote valley, where there is very limited public transport.

Mr Pearse added: “This is just the wrong place for a visitor attraction that would be aiming to attract large numbers of people.

“The national park exists to protect the fells from development so that people can enjoy their amazing landscapes. We were concerned not only about the impact of the development itself if it were approved, but also the precedent this would have set for future development in the area.”

Honister Slate Mine said Mr Weir was away and no-one else could comment when grough contacted the company.