Stickle Tarn, one of seven properties put on the market by the Lakes authority

Stickle Tarn, one of seven properties put on the market by the Lakes authority

A Lake District MP is continuing his fight against the national park authority’s plan to sell off a mountain beauty spot.

Liberal Democrat Tim Farron made an 11th hour plea to Lake District bosses to drop plans to sell off Stickle Tarn, which nestles below Pavey Ark and the popular scramble route Jack’s Rake.

The authority has set a deadline of 12 March for offers for the site, which it has valued at between £20,000 and £30,000.

The tarn and surrounding land have been put on the market by the Lake District National Park Authority in a £½m sale of assets in the face of 30 per cent cuts imposed by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition Government.

When the sell-off was revealed, the authority’s head of resources Mark Hoggar said: “The properties advertised for sale are part of the Lake District national park’s ongoing sales and acquisitions review to make sure our properties are managed effectively within the current financial climate.

“In line with this, and following consultation, we have agreed that the properties advertised are no longer required for our property needs and are suitable for sale by formal tender.

“We have put measures in place to ensure the responsible disposal of these properties, all of which are subject to the planning framework of the Lake District National Park.

“We have safeguarded and strengthened public access where it already exists and included other special conditions to protect the special qualities.”

But Mr Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said: “There is still time for the national park to drop this plan to sell Stickle Tarn.

“No matter the assurances they secure or offer – for me it’s the principle of the matter. When I voted against the Government on the sell-off of our forests, it was because I believed that we should not sell the family silver. The same principle applies to Stickle Tarn.

“I will keep making the case that it should not be sold off, but I am also working with local community groups and campaigners to try and put together an 11th hour bid to keep the tarn where it belongs, in the people’s hands.”

He has tabled an early day motion in the House of Commons supporting the Langdale Valley Association’s bid to have Stickle Tarn registered as a community asset under the Localism Act, which would effectively put the sale on hold for six months to give the association chance to raise funds to buy Stickle Tarn.

However, the EDM has attracted only one further signature, that of fellow Liberal Democrat David Ward, MP for Bradford East.

A spokesperson for the Lake District National Park Authority said today that its position had not changed and it had nothing further to add.

Some articles the site thinks might be related:

  1. Walkers urged to report illegal off-roaders
  2. Walkers gather to highlight access problems after woodland sell-off
  3. MSP tells Alexander: it’s time to scrap mountain rescue VAT
  4. Friends of Lake District: Thirlmere zipwire plans are ‘litmus test for national parks’