PLANS for a controversial 150 space car park near Cat Bells have been withdrawn in the final moments before it was due to be decided by a planning comittee. 

An original proposal the car park at Ullock Moss, complete with toilet block and a shuttle bus turning facility at Cupboard Field, was rejected by the Lake District National Park Authority on December 1, 2021. 

The application hoped to address traffic congestion issues surrounding the Lake District beauty spot. 

The reason for the original refusal stated that the landscape and visual effects of the application 'harm the extraordinary harmony and beauty of the Lake District landscape'. 

The most recent amended planning application, put forward by the Lingholm Private Trust, Portinscale, was lodged with planners at the Lake District National Park Authority in 2022. 

The application was pulled from the agenda of the Lake District National Park’s development control committee in which a decision was due to be made on March 1, 2023. 

On the planning portal, Steven Abbott Associates LLP on behalf of Lingholm Private Trust, said that the applicant was 'disappointed' the Lake District National Park Authority had recommended the application for refusal. 

"The applicant has taken the decision to withdraw the current application, in order to allow time for additional work to be undertaken in relation to matters raised by the Lake District National Park Authority, ahead of the submission of a new application.

"The applicant is disappointed that the Lake District National Park Authority recommended the application for refusal, particularly in the face of considerable local support from people who experience issues on the roads in the local area on a regular basis.

"The applicant remains committed to addressing the ongoing highway safety issues in the local area, which have been highlighted by Cumbria County Council, as highway authority, and in the numerous letters of support for the application," they said.