Huge sigh of relief. Thank you, MoD, and thank you, Grough for keeping us informed and the links which enabled us to protest against such an unsuitable development.

Mike Turner, managing director of Treetop Trek, said on Tuesday: “We have this week withdrawn our planning application for the Thirlmere activity hub with immediate effect.

“We made it clear from the beginning of this process that we would not propose a scheme that was not supported by the MoD. To date we have received two contradictory communications with the MoD; one supporting the scheme and the other opposing the scheme.

“The MoD’s internal investigation into Thirlmere and into what they would be happy with at Thirlmere is ongoing and unlikely to be resolved in the next eight weeks, so on that basis we are withdrawing the application.

Of course it is, I mean you've not tried to be economical with truth so far have you?

Interestingly, another application for a zip wire has gone in for Honister. It includes the double use of the wire for both leisure and industry. Who's betting it never gets used for the industrial part. Health and Safety would have a fit.

A victory for common sense - only brought about in the face of insurmountable opposition though. - And a case of Mike Turner now trying to save face if you ask me!

Both of the MOD's response letters are available to view amongst the planning application documentation.

The first one, whilst imposing some MOD requirements, did not specifically "object" to the application. But it certainly did not "support" the application either!
That letter was written in June 2017, long before the planning documentation & drawings had been fully finalised and submitted. Additional planning documentation was still being received by LDNPA as late as December 20th 2017.

The MOD's second letter, (dated 18th January 2018), obviously written after they had had sight of the additional planning documentation & drawings, is absolutely categoric in its objection to the application.

The monumental opposition to this scheme was never about Nimbyism, as some are trying to make out.
It was about what is, and what is not, appropriate as a commercial venture within open countryside in a National Park.

Likewise, it was not about being against zipwires per se. It was simply about being against zipwires when those specific zipwires are being proposed in a wholly inappropriate location.

We can have zipwires anywhere - we only have one Lake District national Park, and it needs to be managed with a degree of respect and sympathy for its inherent qualities that will see it sustained and enhanced - for future generations.

Wait until you see my proposal for a log flume down Ullock Pike, with a splashdown finale in Bassenthwaite...

There was NEVER a need for these inside The National Park..

Placing them on the edge so as to encourague folk to visit is a much better Idea...

Placing in such a postion gets visitors to the the Zipwire without having to drive through an area with small windy roads(in some areas). It allows them to then see the beauty of the area and spark that interests to come back at a later date to explorer properly. All without riuning an area.

I am ALL for anything that promotes an area but it should not be at the cost of the beauty and tranquility that the area offers..
I take hundreds of folks(50% at least NEVER visited before) into the lakes every year and have never found that they wanted or needed more than what is already there to offer.

A Zipwire on the edge willl only promote and encourage more folks to visit... One in the lakes just destroys and ruins an area... All that is gained is PROFIT and may be that would be only for a short time before it died a death due to lack of interest...

On every level this was a bad idea. Thing about a zip wire in the Lakes is that is what people are coming for so it wouldn't necessarily attract them back to the Lakes as a place or establish a connection with the landscape. Contrary to Treetop Trek PR, it won't get people 'out on the fells' but simply up in a 4x4 to a jump off point. It doesn't really offer much adventure in the true sense of the word either, again contrary to some of the spin. I would have liked to see it go to the LDNP as there is a sniff of nepotism in this whole process. Outside the Lakes as Andrew says well, yes absolutely. Great idea, especially as Terry Abraham says in areas of Cumbria that need tourism and investment. But over Thirlmere was outrageous and so I'd have liked to have seen the idea thrown out and a precedent set, esp for something on this scale / these types of locations. I can only hope the press release about the MOD and not enough time for agreement doesn't mean they re-submit another request in the future. This was only ever about profiteering in my view, not about enhancing the Lakes.

Hmmmm, having first just required the top of any structure to have a warning light affixed, the main objection from the MoD actually comes down to the possibility of the wires 'getting in the way' of the planes..........WHAT !!!!!, do these high tech fighters have 90's TOM TOM navigation systems fitted, or do any potential foes, merly have to install a zip wire to cripple any potential assault from our RAF,
"Pilots would not be able to readily identify the wires and safely navigate away from them."

And, joy of joys, one of the most noice, and environmentally polluting machines ever to enter the Lake District, is lauded as the saviour in this crusade.

And in the midst of all the champers and party poppers, LDNP et al.,, please don't ignore the things that even the objectors thought there was a need for, better fascilities at Swirls, and some thought given to the install of a safe cycle track, for which there was an overall thumbs up.

PHEW! The Thirlmere zip-wire proposal was a crazy idea and totally unacceptable for a whole plethora of reasons and that's why I submitted my personal objection as well as signing the on-line petition organised by Simon Noble.

I should add that in my objection to the LDNPA I mentioned that had they approved the Honister zip-wire proposal a few years ago the Thirlmere nightmare would never have arisen. I'm a Lake District obsessive and keen walker of the Lakeland Fells but this did not stop me supporting the original Hoister zip-wire application - a far better location, linking to Honister Slate Mine and the via ferrata and harking back to the times when there were wires running down the face of Honister Crag to transport slate down to the mine buildings. Interesting the hear that a new application has been submitted, I'll have to check it out.