Terry Abraham I applaud you. Thank you for spelling out so clearly some of the issues over this appalling development idea. Treetop Treks and in particular, Mike Turner the director, have a lot to answer for. I hope the truth will come out about the way he operates before the planning committee makes it's judgement.
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It's interesting that Mr Abraham singles out Cumbria Tourism' position for his scrutiny. But is it not clear why a charity which includes LDNPA as a trustee/partner would wish to remain neutral and silent on a live and yet undetermined planning application - that it will determine? There is a risk of them being seen to prejudge the application, leading to risk of applicant appealing based on unfair treatment and then the decision being taken out of their hands and probably approved by an inspector. Rather than the carefully considered decision they will hopefully make.

Secondly, while the purpose of the charity is clearly conservation. It will deliver this by raising funds from visitors via the tourism industry. It's not a great idea to alienate your core audience. While there is split opinion on the development among all visitors, it would be a bit like Tesco saying they were pro-Brexit and alienating all Remainers. It would be crazy for them to do this. Mr Abraham clearly didn't understand this, so I'm not sure he was a great choice as a trustee in the first place.

Sadly I fear Mr Abraham has hijacked the relaunch of a charity doing good work for his own self-promotion.

The usual thing. People on more than one board for the purpose of getting their snouts in the trough.
This should not even be something any of the NP bodies consider for an instant. Anyone who serves on these bodies who backs the proposals should be thoroughly ashamed.
Mr Abraham should be thanked and admired for his stance. I only fear that his honourable action in resigning is unlikely to be mirrored by those who who insisted on his silence.

Whilst I applaud Terry Abraham for his decision I'm disappointed that he would allow a company to pressure him into deleting a video where he expresses his views.

I applaud Terry's stance. He has protected his personal integrity - a good example to others.

I also wonder how the zip wire being funded. A quick look at the socio-economics assessment implies United Utilities are putting up a lot of money for refurb of the area (http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/swiftlg/MediaTemp/68365-265734.pdf). Great, it's land surrounding Thirlmere and needs protection and management.

That said, why does it appear that UU are involved in funding the zip wire? Naively, why is money I've paid through my water bills being used to fund a zip wire I would have to pay to use? I'd expect every UU customer should get at least one free ride a year! Grough team, I think you should look into this further.

The Wainwright Society has today stated it is against the proposed zip wire development

https://www.wainwright.org.uk/articles/2017/thirlmere-zip-wire-objection.html

Persons holding positions with Cumbria Tourism (which supports the proposal) and The Wainwright Society should now publicly declare their personal positions on the matter.

The following document was prepared for United Utilities by Regeneris and although it was for internal use, it is now in the public domain.

--------------------------------

1. Thirlmere Activity Hub: Accompanying Socio-Economic Note
1.1 This note has been prepared for United Utilities to provide additional guidance and signposting to the assumptions and business planning material used by Regeneris Consulting in developing the Socio-Economic Need and Benefits infographic. It is an internal note for United Utilities project partners.
Investment – Economic and Ecological Impacts
1.2 A total investment of £1.7m was derived from the following components within the United Utilities business model:
• £311,000 cycleway refurb & construction costs
• £184,000 car park refurb & construction costs
• £1,000,000 zip line infrastructure construction, adaptation of Swirls toilet block, and operational set-up costs
• £64,000 underpass construction at Raise Beck
• £130,000 in other project spend and set-up costs
The plan for the development includes provision for ecological impacts including further investment in wildlife conservation in the immediate area for protected species.
Jobs and Gross Value Added (GVA) – Economic Impacts
1.3 The assessment of gross jobs has been built up from a number of different sources and are presented in the infographic as total jobs:
• Employment at the zip line facility has been estimated by Zip World based on their business planning
• United Utilities Ranger jobs were provided in the United Utilities business model
• The car park operation job was estimated after conversations with Mike Turner at Zip World and taking on board discussions at earlier meetings. It is likely to consist mostly of additional hours from existing employees.

2
1.4 The breakdown of jobs is detailed in Table 1.1:
Table 1.1 Employment Estimates
FTE Jobs* Total Jobs Zip Line Facility 25 50 United Utilities Rangers 2 2 Car Park 1 1 Total 28 53 Source: United Utilities; Zip World; Regeneris Consulting Note: Full Time Equivalent Jobs
1.5 Evidence from the Zip World facility in North Wales demonstrates that the majority of employees are recruited locally with around 93% of the staff residing in the local areas of Gwynedd and Conwy.1 The proposed facility is likely to draw on a similar pool of local labour in Cumbria given the similarities in terms of rurality and the seasonal variation in leisure and tourism based employment opportunities in the area. This suggests a high retention of employee expenditure available to be captured by local business and service providers.
1.6 Estimates of annual employment income of £600k have been derived using information from similar facilities and data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Evidence from Mike Turner on salary ranges and employment types for the zip line facility based at the existing Treetop Trek facility in Brockholes, averaged out at a similar figure to ONS regional wage data in the North West for the ‘Arts, Entertainment and Recreation’ industry of £20,500 and as such this regional benchmark is used as the average for zip line facility staff.2 Typical salaries for United Utilities Rangers were estimated at around £34,000 per year by United Utilities. The average regional salary for the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation industry is also used for Car Park staff as they are likely to be the zip line facility workers, when needed.
1 Zip World, Assessing Zip World’s Impact on the North Wales Economy, 2017
2 Annual Survey of Hours & Earnings, Median Annual Earnings by Industry, 2016

3
1.7 To estimate total direct GVA3, all workers (including United Utilities Rangers) are classed under the ‘Arts, Entertainment and Recreation’ sector. GVA per FTE job has been estimated from ONS regional data and then used to estimate the total direct GVA based on the total number of FTE jobs supported by the development.4 We estimate the project has a total direct impact of £1.3 million per annum.
1.8 Using evidence from a range of BIS and HCA guidance documents, we have applied combined indirect (supply chain) and induced (expenditure by workers creating additional jobs and GVA in the economy) multipliers to estimate the indirect and induced GVA and job impacts supported in Allerdale and Cumbria as a result of the project.5 We estimate an additional 6 jobs in Allerdale and 7 jobs across Cumbria through multiplier effects and, although not reported in the infographic, indirect and induced GVA amounts to around £290,000 to the Cumbrian economy and £170,000 to Allerdale annually.
Visitor Benefits
1.9 Based on evidence from existing sites, United Utilities estimate that the activity hub will attract approximately 127,000 additional visitors per year, consisting of:
• 50,000 zip line riders
• 50,000 visitors accompanying riders
• 27,000 additional visitors (cycleways/walkers)
1.10 These visitor numbers are then used by United Utilities to estimate an on-site annual spend of £3m based on the cost per ride on the zip line. It is this expenditure which supports the on-site employment at the facility. Visitors are also expected to contribute additional local expenditure outside the activity. This could be part of day visits to the area as a result of the new attraction, or from existing visitors to Cumbria/LDNP who decide to extend their stay or who decide to spend more given the improved quality of the visitor offer. However, as discussed, given the lack of market insights at this stage (i.e. regarding types of visitors, demographics, visitor catchment etc) it is not possible to disentangle the additional economic contribution attributable to the proposed development.
3 Direct GVA is created on-site and contributes directly to the local economy so these impacts are the same at the Thirlmere, Allerdale and Cumbria level
4 ONS, GVA by industry, 2015; BRES, Employees by Industry, 2015
5 Multipliers of 1.15 and 1.25 were used for Allerdale and Cumbria, respectively

4
Wider Benefits
1.11 Health benefits are likely to arise as a result of the cycling and walking infrastructure being improved for both local residents and visitors. Medical studies have shown commuter cycling to considerably reduce the risk of heart failure, obesity and premature death.6
1.12 The refurbishment of the cycle and walkways will also improve safety conditions for visitors and local residents, addressing hazards associated with existing routes.
1.13 There are also plans to connect the cycleway to bike buses through the ‘corridor travel planning’ initiative from See More Cumbria and the Lake District.
6 London School of Economics, The British Cycling Economy, Gross Cycling Product

-----------------------------------

First of all, it appears that most of the funding for the proposed development would come from United Utilities, the owners of Thirlmere and a patron of Cumbria Tourism.

Secondly, the projected visitor figures suggest an average of 136 zip wire riders per day/per year. That's a lot of 'whooping and screaming'

Thirdly, and most interestingly is this paragraph under Visitor Benefits;

'However, as discussed, given the lack of market insights at this stage (i.e. regarding types of visitors, demographics, visitor catchment etc) it is not possible to disentangle the additional economic contribution attributable to the proposed development'

In other words, the developer has no idea how much the local economy would benefit from the proposed zip wire and cycle way development and I would hope that this will be addressed by LDNPA when it considers the application.

I understand and agree with Terry’s point of view however I struggle to understand why he decided to use a neutral charity that has no influence in the decision to get his point across. The charity has raised thousands of pounds for projects like Fix The Fells and Terry’s influence would have been useful to help conserve the Lakes. It’s a shame that these conservation projects will undoubtedly be effected by Terry’s action to launch his campaign at the charity opening event. A real shame.

In reply to Marks Comments: It is clear to Me, that the bottom line in all this is 'money', that same old story - we need more money to be able to continue doing all the good work we do.

In reply to Jeremy Graham;
As far as I can see, Terry Abraham has not 'launched a campaign', he has simply made public his views on the proposed zip wire development and I doubt very much that his resignation will affect the income stream of The Lake District Foundation, especially when it has been promised financial contributions from the likes of United Utilities which owns Thirlmere.
For me, taking a neutral stance on issues such as this is not really an option for an organization which states its aims are ‘promoting the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment and cultural heritage of the Lake District....'
The LDF would receive more respect, and probably more donations, if it got off the fence and stated publicly whether it supports or objects to the proposed development.

#Jeremy Graham
Terry says in his article it was ultimately an impulsive decision, but that: -
QUOTE
“The charity’s trustees include the national park authority, National Trust and Cumbria Tourism. I had been told prior to the launch I was not allowed to express an opinion publicly opposing the plans proposed by Treetop Trek at Thirlmere in association with the charity. I could only do so as an individual.

“This didn’t feel right for me both personally and supposedly as an ambassador for a conservation charity. I found this neutral stance to be at extreme odds with what the charity claims to represent.
UNQUOTE

Those two paragraph describe precisely why he chose to resign and "get his point across".

#Ian Tupman
QUOTE
For me, taking a neutral stance on issues such as this is not really an option for an organization which states its aims are ‘promoting the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment and cultural heritage of the Lake District....'
UNQUOTE

Well said Ian - If only more of these bodies would openly and wholeheartedly stand by the principles they purport to uphold, this application would have been dead in the water before it ever got to this stage.

The Sandford Principle, i.e. : -

"If it appears that there is a conflict between conservation and development, the National Park Authority shall attach greater weight to the purpose of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area".

must be seen to prevail. - If it does not, then the entire National Park ethos is lost to commercial greed.

Every individual who loves the Lake District should search their conscience and decide whether a profit driven commercial scheme is worth more than the values our National Parks stand for.
If you decide it does not - then write in with your objections!
Write to: -
planning@lake-district.gov.uk
and Cc to - thirlmereactivity@lakedistrict.gov.uk
Attention of Kevin Richards, Case Officer.

Agreed. You need to get a tweet share button on here.