Bowness Bay and The Glebe:

A location for Strategic Regeneration

Preferred Options

Consultation

September 2011

Contents Why are we allocating this site at Bowness Bay and The Glebe? 1 Why do we need improvements at Bowness Bay and The Glebe? 1 Map 1 – Key sites in the Windermere Waterfront Programme 2 How does this site allocation fit in with the Core Strategy? 3 How did we choose Bowness Bay and The Glebe for strategic regeneration location? 4 What have we done so far? 5 What is the Preferred Option? 6 What does our Preferred Option look like? 6 Map – Bowness Bay and The Glebe Preferred Option 7 Table 1 – Types of development 8 Site availability 13 Transport and movement 13 Excluded options 14 What happens after the site allocations work? 15 How do I have a say in the site allocation? 15 What happens next? 15 Appendix 1 – National Park Purposes, Vision, Strategic Objectives 17 Appendix 2 - Policy CS08: Windermere Waterfront Programme 18

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Allocations Development Plan Document Bowness Bay and The Glebe Strategic Regeneration Location 1 Why are we allocating this site at Bowness Bay and The Glebe? 1.1 We describe Bowness Bay and The Glebe as a strategic regeneration

location in our Core Strategy. Bowness Bay and The Glebe is a key part of the Windermere Waterfront Programme (map 1), which aims to deliver a world class visitor destination. The Windermere Waterfront Programme coordinates several tourism developments around Windermere lake, and linking them with sustainable transport options.

1.2 We are working with public and private partners to transform the visitor

experience at Bowness Bay and the Glebe. A site allocation enables us to link high quality private development with public realm enhancements. The regeneration proposals will bring economic benefits and additional community benefits for people living in Bowness-on-Windermere (Bowness) and in Windermere1.

2 Why do we need improvements at Bowness Bay and The Glebe? 2.1 Bowness and Windermere’s economy depends heavily on tourism. The

seasonality of the tourism industry is a challenge for businesses, and visitors demand ever better services and experiences. Bowness Bay is an established visitor destination, but it is failing to meet rising expectations2 because of some of the problems the area faces:

A poor quality and deteriorating public realm An environment dominated by tarmac, traffic and parked vehicles Some of the facilities and environment at Bowness Bay and the Glebe

are poor quality Lack of wet weather attractions Poor quality architecture of many of the waterfront buildings A seasonal visitor offer

These issues make the area less attractive for residents too. It is not meeting its potential as a recreational resource for people living in Windermere, Bowness and nearby settlements.

2.2 Bowness Bay and The Glebe does not currently provide a world class visitor

experience that supports the spectacular landscape, and it gives visitors a poor understanding of the National Park’s special qualities. There is a risk that visitor numbers to Bowness Bay will reduce as other visitor destinations in the North West, nationally and internationally upgrade the quality of their offer. Reduced visitor spending impacts local businesses and the local economy.

1 Bowness Bay and The Glebe Evidence Base Report 2010 2 Bowness Bay and The Glebe Framework Masterplan Report 2010, Evidence Base Report 2010

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Map 1 – Key sites in the Windermere Waterfront Programme (map from the Core Strategy, policy CS08)

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2.3 The Lake District’s spectacular landscape attracts over 15.8 million visitors to the National Park each year3. But recent studies4 indicate that in some locations, a lower quality public realm and a poor built environment and visitor facilities do not reflect the high quality landscape setting.

2.4 Bowness Bay and The Glebe is a popular visitor destination, and is an

important part of the Lake District visitor experience. It is a major access point to the lake for the busy settlements of Windermere and Bowness. Bowness Bay is a focus for boating and for Windermere Lake Cruises, which is the biggest visitor attraction in the North West region. On land, The Glebe and its open green space is a key feature. The Glebe was secured as recreation grounds for the benefit of visitors and residents in the early part of the 20th Century. Visitors and residents use the open space for recreation - walking and picnicking, tennis, golf, and organised events.

2.5 In her report on our Core Strategy, the Inspector states that ‘From the written

and oral evidence, I consider that the regeneration of this complex, lakeside gateway area is fundamental to achieving an aspiration of the Core Strategy; to provide a sustainable, world class visitor experience, and to deliver one of the four main themes of its spatial vision and its strategic objectives 9-12.’ Appendix 1 lists strategic objectives 9-12.

3 How does this site allocation fit in with the Core Strategy? 3.1 One of the National Park Purposes (Appendix 1) is to promote opportunities

for the understanding and enjoyment of the National Park’s special qualities by the public. Our Vision (Appendix 1) links to this – the Lake District National Park will be an inspirational example of sustainable development in action. It will be a place where its prosperous economy, world-class visitor experiences and vibrant communities come together to sustain the spectacular landscape, its wildlife and culture. Both the Purposes and our Vision are the principles that we have based our Core Strategy on.

3.2 Our Core Strategy (2010 – 2025) sets out the policies for delivering

development within the National Park. Policy CS08 (Appendix 2) – Windermere Waterfront Programme – is a coordinated programme of projects and developments around Windermere Lake that will create a cohesive world class visitor attraction. Waterbuses and other sustainable transport options will link the attractions with each other and with nearby settlements. We are working with businesses, landowners, local organisations, and other local authorities to deliver the Programme. Map 1 shows the Windermere Waterfront Programme and its key sites.

3.3 Policy CS08 describes Bowness Bay and The Glebe as a strategic

regeneration location for development to transform the visitor experience. The policy enables us to support proposals for sustainable tourism at Bowness Bay and The Glebe, with flexibility for developments that are not dependent

3 STEAM report 2009 4 Lake District Economic Futures Study, reports 1 and 2

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on a lakeshore location. The policy also requires very high design standards, incorporating visual and physical links through to the lake where possible. Importantly, CS08 enables us to deliver public realm, transport and infrastructure improvements through private contributions.

3.4 We need more detailed guidance than policy CS08 to deliver changes at

Bowness Bay and The Glebe, and to define the site boundaries. CS08 will apply only to sites at Bowness Bay that are inside the site allocation boundary. The final version of this document – part of our Allocations DPD - will define the extent of the location and provide more information on the scale and nature of development proposed.

3.5 Developments at Bowness Bay, such as a hotel, could come forward anyway,

without a site allocation. However the site allocation provides more certainty for developers, land owners, and the local community, and it is critical in enabling us to link private investment with public benefit. Developments within the site allocation boundary will need to demonstrate that they are contributing to public realm enhancements. These contributions may be through improvements that are part of the proposal, such as creating a boardwalk along the lakeshore, opening the views between the pavement and the lake, or creating physical access to the lake. Or contributions may be financial contributions to off-site improvements to the park areas on the Glebe.

3.6 In this report, we describe our Preferred Options for the location boundary and

for the potential developments within the boundary. This Preferred Options report gives you a final opportunity to influence the proposed allocation before we publish the document which will go through public examination by a Planning Inspector.

3.7 We have prepared a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) for the Bowness Bay and

The Glebe Preferred Options. You can read the SA alongside this report. The purpose of the SA is to highlight any significant environmental, social or economic effects that would result from adopting the Preferred Options. We have taken the SA into account in setting the overall site boundary and the individual boundaries.

4 How did we choose Bowness Bay and the Glebe for a strategic

regeneration location? 4.1 The Lake District Economic Futures (2006) report identifies that the tourism

industry needs to invest in quality to continue to maximise visitor opportunities and to provide visitors with the world class experiences that they are demanding. The report talks about the need for the Lake District National Park to have one or more nationally significant visitor attractions.

4.2 In 2009 we commissioned a Strategic Appraisal5 of twelve sites in the

National Park that may have had the potential to deliver a world class visitor

5 Strategic Appraisal report 2009, BDP

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experience. The consultants assessed the sites using a range of criteria including

their links to rural service centres; their capacity to accommodate change and visitor impact; their ability to enable local people and visitors to connect with nature

and the landscape. Bowness Bay and The Glebe scored well in all criteria, giving it the highest score overall. These results indicate that this is the most suitable location in the National Park to deliver a significant regeneration project, incorporating high quality sustainable tourism developments and public realm enhancements.

4.3 The study’s conclusion was consistent with our own understanding of

Bowness Bay and The Glebe, particularly in relation to high visitor numbers and the relative lack of quality in visitor experience.

5 What have we done so far? 5.1 In March 2009, with support from the North West Development Agency, we

asked consultants BDP to prepare a Masterplan for Bowness Bay and The Glebe. We wanted to see what a comprehensive redevelopment of the Bowness Bay waterfront could look like, with improved traffic management, better public access to the lakeshore and an enhanced open space on The Glebe.

5.2 We talked to a range of stakeholders and asked people for their views on how

Bowness Bay and The Glebe should be improved in April 2009. The final Masterplan is our evidence base for a site allocation, and much of the Masterplan is a result of those discussions and comments. In November 2009 we asked people for their comments on four redevelopment options for Bowness Bay and The Glebe.

5.3 People gave us a wide range of comments on the redevelopment options.

The Masterplan favours those options with more significant changes and improvements, which is consistent with our commitment in the Windermere Waterfront Programme policy CS08. There was extensive discussion at the Core Strategy Public Hearing on the benefits and disadvantages of significant change at Bowness Bay.

5.4 The Windermere Waterfront Programme steering group6 generally support an

aspiration for a high quality public realm and a high quality built environment for this area.

5.5 In December 2010 we produced an Issues and Options report which

suggested four options for the Bowness Bay and The Glebe regeneration location boundary. Each of the options offered different opportunities and different benefits for residents and visitors.

6 The steering group is a partnership of the public sector, private sector and voluntary groups with an interest in the Windermere Waterfront programme.

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5.6 We considered all of the comments we received, and in April 2011 we

published a report of the Issues and Options consultation. The report summarised the support and objections to each of the four boundary options and suggestions for other options. Option 1 received the most support. It incorporated all of the land that was originally considered in the Masterplan study area and received the most support.

5.7 Throughout the process, we have held on-going discussions with landowners

and partners to work towards delivery of the various components of the regeneration programme.

6 What is the Preferred Option? 6.1 We are supporting Option 1 as our Preferred Option. Our Preferred Option

includes: previously developed land - Braithwaite Fold car park, The Glebe,

Bowness Bay Tourist Information Centre, Shepherd’s site, Windermere Aquatic site, Rectory Farm buildings, tennis courts, pitch and putt, the amusement arcade and the other retail units along Glebe Road and Glebe Road car park

undeveloped land, which we anticipate will remain undeveloped - Cockshott Point, fields at Rectory Farm, and private houses within the Masterplan study area

7 What does our Preferred Option look like? 7.1 We want development at Bowness Bay and The Glebe to contribute to a

world class visitor experience, which will also support the local economy. By facilitating commercially viable development, the public realm will be improved through high quality design and by ensuring public access to facilities and the lakeshore. New commercial development will also contribute to funding other improvements, such as more attractive pavements or seating.

7.2 The Preferred Option means allocating a wide area for delivering a world

class visitor experience, with a good degree of flexibility. It offers various options to locate future development within the overall site, during the development plan period (to 2025).

7.3 Map 2 shows the Preferred Option for the strategic regeneration location

boundary. The site references on the map indicate the type of development that we would support at each site. Table 1 (page 9) shows the types of development that could transform the Bowness Bay visitor experience, based on the Masterplan evidence and discussions with landowners and partners.

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Table 1 – Types of development Site What are the improvements? How do we anticipate delivering it?

A The Bay

The regeneration scheme will incorporate public realm enhancements to the links between Bowness Bay and Bowness. The public realm improvement should create a clear gateway to the park area, and make the road a less dominant part of the landscape.

We will work with the private sector to deliver incremental changes. We will implement policy CS08 and require high quality design and public realm enhancements as part of developments in this part of Bowness Bay. We anticipate that improvements in other parts of the regeneration location will stimulate investment in and around site A.

B The Lawn

This is the ‘Green Glebe’. It is part of the Parks within a Park concept. We anticipate very little change here, and it will be the main area for future events.

The Lawn is part of a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid to fund much of the public realm improvements in this part of the regeneration location. If the bid is unsuccessful, we will develop a more incremental approach for improvements. We will fund the improvements through the Lake District National Park Partnership, private sector contributions, and other public sources such as Arts Council England and Sport England.

C The Meadow

There will be limited change at The Meadow. It will be an area of more informal landscape value that will mainly be a picnic area.

The Meadow is part of the HLF bid. If the bid is unsuccessful, we will develop an incremental approach as described for site B.

D The Water

Link

Bowness Bay provides the opportunity for large numbers of people to access Windermere lake, to appreciate the lake and the views beyond to the western shore and the Langdale Pikes. The Water Link is a continuation of the boardwalk associated with the hotel and commercial developments, and a promenade to the south towards Cockshott Point. The Water Link includes opening views from Glebe Road through to the lake, to enable people to appreciate that they are close to the water.

Developments at sites along the lakeshore will need to open up lakeshore access and views. We will work with the private sector, implementing Core Strategy policy CS08, to incorporate waterfront access improvements and a public walkway along the lakefront where possible. We will support high quality design that opens views from the Glebe through to Windermere lake.

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E Adventure

Play

This is the former quarry at the top of The Glebe. There is potential for it to be an adventure play area, using the topography for adventure activities and a family picnic area. The existing Glebe Road car park is not available for development into the water-based Play Park as described in the Issues and Options report. The Adventure Play site means that there is still a play area as part of the regeneration scheme.

The adventure play site is part of the HLF bid. If the bid is unsuccessful, we will develop an incremental approach as described for site B.

F Activity Zone

The Activity Zone will include a smaller, but improved, pitch and putt golf course and other activities, like tennis and basketball. There is potential for other sports and recreation activities to locate here.

The Activity Zone is part of the HLF bid. If the bid is unsuccessful, we will develop an incremental approach as described for site B.

G Arboretum

The Arboretum will include existing plant specimens and we will reintroduce other indigenous varieties.

The Arboretum is part of the HLF bid. If the bid is unsuccessful, we will develop an incremental approach as described for site B.

H Rectory Farm

The National Trust owns the land and buildings at Rectory Farm. They are proposing site enhancements based around the existing under-utilised buildings on the site, to enable their use for housing and employment. The improvements include re-use and refurbishment of existing buildings, low-key extensions and small scale sensitive new development. To deliver the proposals it may be necessary to provide a new access across National Trust-owned land to Glebe Road. New development will use sustainable design and materials.

The National Trust is one of our partners for the Bowness Bay and The Glebe regeneration project, and on the Windermere Waterfront Programme. The National Trust has plans to develop the Rectory Farm site.

I Glebe Road

Parked cars and traffic dominate the environment at Bowness Bay and The Glebe during busy periods. Traffic on Glebe Road detracts from residents’ and visitors’ experience of Bowness Bay and The Glebe,

SLDC and Cumbria County Council (CCC) support seasonal and time-restricted road closures in principle. We are proposing removal of daytime on-street parking from Easter to late September between 10am and 6pm.

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particularly during holidays. There is significant evidence that removing cars from retail and leisure areas increases the level of retail sales and turnover. In visitor destinations, towns become more popular for shoppers and tourists after pedestrianisation. We know from previous consultation comments that there are concerns about the impact of closing Glebe Road on residents’ access to The Glebe for informal recreation, and we agree that community use of the open space is important. Our Preferred Option is for seasonal and time-restricted closures to the ‘crescent’ part of Glebe Road. This will make the area more attractive for residents and visitors, and safer for pedestrians.

This will retain on-street parking when there are fewer pedestrians. We will discuss and agree details such as times, signage and access for service and public transport vehicles with CCC and SLDC.

J Cockshott

Point

This area will remain as a focus for quiet enjoyment, benefitting from better connections to the rest of The Glebe. The National Trust owns Cockshott Point and supports its status as open space within the Bowness Bay allocation. We are not proposing any development or significant changes to the activities that Cockshott Point is currently used for.

The National Trust will continue to manage Cockshott Point as they currently do.

K A cultural attraction

This site is privately owned, and the owners intend continuing their existing operations. We have retained the site as part of the overall regeneration scheme. This means that in the event that a private developer comes forward in the future, we can ensure that any proposal contributes to the public realm enhancements.

Site K is not currently available. Delivery of a cultural attraction depends on a developer purchasing the site and bringing a proposal forward. Improvements to the surrounding environment will make the site more attractive for developers. We do not consider that a cultural attraction will be delivered until near the end of the plan period, once other improvements have been made.

L Marina

This site is privately owned. The landowners are seeking to extend and develop the existing marina, providing additional boat berths. The proposal will open a link between the main pavement and the shoreline

Site L is owned by the private sector. The developer is working with us and with interest groups to submit a proposal that meets design requirements and that supports navigation requirements.

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walkway, making access to the lake obvious so that people can walk along the marina. The marina will include improvements to one of the buildings fronting the lake.

M Hotel and

commercial development

Enhanced lake access at the Windermere Aquatics site We will require any future hotel proposal at this site or other commercial development along the lakefront proposals to provide enhanced public access to the lake. The hotel site is significantly smaller than the footprint identified in the Bowness Bay and The Glebe Masterplan. The hotel must be consistent with Core Strategy policy CS08, ensuring that it includes high quality, sustainable design, and that it provides enhanced views from the public realm through to the lake. Redevelopment of commercial uses along the lakefront should include opening up the links between Glebe Road and the lake, both visual links and actual links.

Site M is privately owned. A private developer will bring forward the hotel proposal. We will implement policy CS08 to deliver the lake access enhancements and the emphasis on opening up visual and physical links to the lake.

N Courtyards

development

South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) own site N on The Glebe. The aspiration for the Courtyards site is a mix of retail, leisure facilities, a tourist information centre and public toilets. Our Core Strategy policy CS21 – Open space and recreation – provides protection for the tennis courts at this site. We will require relocation of the tennis courts for any development proposal on the site, to ensure that we retain this local recreation facility. The majority of comments we received about the tennis courts during preparation of the Masterplan indicated that the tennis courts should remain in the area if possible, but be relocated to a more appropriate place.

SLDC have carried out valuation work to assess the financial viability of the Courtyards development. In order to deliver the Courtyards development in the current financial climate, it would need to incorporate a significant element of retail. Significant additional retail outside of the Bowness Central Shopping Area is contrary to Core Strategy policy CS20 – Vibrant settlement centres. At the moment the Courtyards development is dependent on the type and scale of development at Windermere Aquatic’s existing site, site M. The Courtyards site may become financially viable in the future, or retail floorspace may be reduced in other parts

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of Bowness Bay. We have retained the Courtyards site within the strategic regeneration location so that there is the option of future development.

O Braithwaite

Fold car park

SLDC has an aspiration to develop and improve Braithwaite Fold car park, increasing the car park capacity from 400 spaces to 821 spaces. This is critical in delivering the strategic regeneration location at Bowness Bay, and will contribute to reducing traffic movements. Braithwaite Fold will be developed with a permeable surface, to avoid increases in surface water run-off. It will have capacity for more cars than it currently does.

SLDC sees improvements to Braithwaite Fold as a key element in delivering the Masterplan. They are working to include this as part of an overall development package. Improvements at Braithwaite Fold would be made at the same time as any changes to car parking on Glebe Road or at the Glebe Road car park, so that there is no net loss in car parking spaces. There will be scope to deck Braithwaite Fold in the future, if changes at Bowness Bay lead to an extended season and demand and traffic movements demonstrate that this is necessary. The Windermere Waterfront Movement Strategy will help to inform whether we need to consider additional car parking at Braithwaite Fold or nearby.

P Public realm

improvements between

Braithwaite Fold and The

Glebe

As well as public realm improvements at site P, there is widespread support for creating a new pedestrian route from Braithwaite Fold to Bowness Bay, across the current pitch and putt area. This is crucial to direct visitors to the lake from Braithwaite Fold, enabling visitors to park at Braithwaite Fold and easily access The Glebe and public transport options on Windermere lake. A footpath and/or cycleway will also give quick access from Braithwaite Fold to Rectory farm, Cockshott Point and the Arboretum.

Improvements to pedestrian access from Braithwaite Fold to other parts of Bowness Bay and The Glebe will be part of the Braithwaite Fold improvements. If successful, the HLF bid will contribute to the costs of this part of the project.

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8 Site availability 8.1 We have worked with landowners and established the Landowners

Forum to determine which sites within the boundary are available. South Lakeland District Council and the National Trust are the largest landowners, but land between Glebe Road and the lake is mostly owned by the private sector.

8.2 There are covenants restricting some land uses on parts of the South

Lakeland District Council owned land on The Glebe. Land on the green Glebe is subject to covenants, dating from when` Windermere Urban District Council’ (1894 to 1974) secured the land as ‘pleasure grounds’. Part of The Glebe is subject to a covenant held by the Church of England, and administered by the Carlisle Diocese. This covenant prevents construction of buildings other than small structures that must be connected to the use of the Glebe as pleasure grounds. The Diocese has indicated that they will consider relaxing the covenant, subject to the outcome of any negotiations about development proposals.

8.3 The National Trust holds the second covenant on parts of The Glebe,

including the pitch and putt course and Glebe Road car park. There are similar limitations as under the Church of England covenant. The National Trust supports improvements to the covenanted parts of The Glebe, as long as they enhance The Glebe as a pleasure ground.

8.4 Site K, which we want to allocate for a cultural attraction, is not

currently available. However, it may become available in the future and the allocation will enable future development of a cultural attraction.

9 Transport and movement 9.1 We do not anticipate that improvements to Bowness Bay and The

Glebe will result in a significant increase in visitor numbers. The aim is retain existing visitor numbers and to provide a better quality visitor experience for people coming to this part of the National Park. We have indentified that seasonal traffic congestion is a problem around The Glebe, and that parked cars and the traffic detract from the visitor experience.7

9.2 As part of the wider Windermere Waterfront Programme, Bowness Bay

has an important role as part of a sustainable transport hub. Our aspiration is that visitors will leave their cars at their accommodation or park at Braithwaite Fold and spend time at Bowness Bay, before accessing other attractions around the lake using water buses, bikes, or buses. In this way we are seeking to reduce traffic in and around Bowness Bay, as well as between attractions around the lake, while also enabling people to have a better day out.

7 Bowness Bay and The Glebe Evidence Base Report 2010

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9.3 Changing visitors’ movement patterns are essential to delivering a

world class visitor experience at Bowness Bay and The Glebe, and throughout the Windermere Waterfront Programme. We want to manage parking better – including reducing parked cars and traffic on Glebe Road and improving Braithwaite Fold car park. Increasing the number of Braithwaite Fold car parking spaces will replace parking spaces from the proposed seasonal closure of Glebe Road and from a change of use of the Glebe Road car park. We will work with others to provide sustainable transport options so that visitors can enjoy their day out without the frustrations of traffic congestion or car parking difficulties.

9.4 Bowness Bay and The Glebe is part of the Lake District Sustainable

Visitor Travel Beacon Area – a project designed to change how visitors travel around the South East and Central Distinctive Area. The first stage of the work for the Windermere Waterfront Programme is a Windermere Waterfront Movement Study to better understand visitor travel behaviour and demands so that services provide for existing and future needs. Once complete, this work will provide evidence to assist with delivering the changes we are seeking at Bowness Bay and The Glebe.

10 Excluded options 10.1 The Issues and Options report suggested four site boundary options,

and we have excluded options 2, 2a, and 3. The excluded options were the least supported by people who commented on the boundary options.

10.2 Option 2 did not include land at Rectory Farm or the adjoining large

area of National Trust land. We want to retain this land as part of the regeneration scheme, as less developed and providing a contrasting experience to the commercial development along the main Bowness Bay waterfront.

10.3 Option 2a was similar to Option 2 and did not include a large area of

land owned by the National Trust. As with the previous option, we want to retain this land in the regeneration scheme, as less developed and providing a contrasting experience to the commercial development along the main Bowness Bay waterfront.

10.4 Option 3 was a disjointed site boundary, and it considered only the

Masterplan development hubs. Option 3 excluded large areas of open space and Cockshott Point. We consider Cockshott Point and the adjacent National Trust land to be an important component of the regeneration project, as it gives visitors a quieter experience and provides less developed lakeshore access. There is a footpath link to additional car parking and boat moorings at Ferry Nab.

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11 What happens after the site allocations work? 11.1 We will continue to work with partners and the private sector to deliver

components of the Bowness Bay regeneration scheme. All development proposals within the location boundary will need to meet the requirements set out in Core Strategy policy CS08 (appendix 1), including high quality design. Some of the public realm improvements will be incorporated within the proposals, like waterfront access enhancements. Where proposals don’t demonstrate how they are making a contribution to the overall purposes of CS08, we will require them to contribute to public realm and infrastructure improvements at other areas within the regeneration location.

11.2 We are preparing Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid in partnership with

SLDC and CCC, to fund some the public realm enhancements on The Glebe itself. We will submit a stage 1 HLF application in August 2012, with the works to be completed by 2015. If this funding bid is unsuccessful, we will work with the Lake District National Park Partnership to deliver incremental changes over the plan period (to 2025). Such an approach would also include working with the private sector to secure their contributions and other public funding sources, like the Arts Council and Sport England.

12 How do I have a say in the site allocation? 12.1 We would like your comments on the Preferred Options that we have

presented for a strategic regeneration location at Bowness Bay and The Glebe. If you would like to comment on the site boundary or on any of the individual sites within the boundary, please fill in the online response form on our website at www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/wwconsultation

12.2 If you need a paper response form, please contact us at 01539 724555

to request one.

The closing date for comments is Wednesday 30 November 2011.

Bowness Bay and The Glebe Allocation Spatial Planning and CommunitiesTeam Lake District National Park Authority Murley Moss Oxenholme Road Kendal LA9 7RL

13 What happens next? 13.1 Please take our Core Strategy policies and the strategic objectives

(section 2.8 of the Core Strategy) into account when making your comments. We will consider your comments and summarise them in a

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report. The report will be available on our website in January 2012 www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/allocations. The next stage in preparing our Allocations Development Plan Document is the final site allocations report. Your comments may influence our decisions about the overall regeneration location boundary, or the type of development at sites within the boundary.

13.2 An independent Inspector will hold a Public Examination into the final

report, which will be held in Summer/Autumn 2012. The Examination will consider this and other site allocations, including those for employment, housing and open space for the whole of the National Park, as well as Minerals Safeguarding Sites.

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Appendix 1 – National Park Purposes, Vision and Strategic Objectives National Park Purposes National Park Purposes are to:

conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife, and cultural heritage (of the National Parks); and

promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities (of the National Parks) by the public.

In pursuing the statutory purposes, National Park Authorities have a duty to:

seek to foster the economic and social well-being of local communities. The Vision for the Lake District National Park The Lake District National Park will be an inspirational example of sustainable development in action. It will be a place where its prosperous economy, world-class visitor experiences and vibrant communities come together to sustain the spectacular landscape, its wildlife and culture. Strategic Objectives The strategic objectives are the way that we will deliver the Vision. SO9 – 12 are the strategic objectives for world class visitor experiences. SO9 – Enable development which ensures the diverse needs of visitors are met. SO10 – Encourage the continued enhancement of the public realm in settlements. SO11 – Support development which contributes to the infrastructure necessary to support sustainable tourism. SO12 – Ensure accessibility to the spectacular landscape.

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Appendix 2 - Policy CS08: Windermere Waterfront Programme Policy CS08: Windermere Waterfront Programme We will support proposals for sustainable tourism development to deliver a cohesive world class visitor destination at the key sites comprising the Windermere Waterfront Programme where it would:

incorporate the highest quality of sustainable, locally distinctive design appropriate to the character of the area, and

incorporate measures to celebrate proximity to water and to

protect and enhance water quality where appropriate, and incorporate improvements to the public realm, where appropriate,

and incorporate improvements to accessibility by sustainable forms of

transport. Where appropriate, we will seek developer contributions and management agreements to meet transport and infrastructure requirements, including investment in the public realm. We will work with partners to develop and improve sustainable transport connections on and around the lake. We will retain and enhance the character of the more tranquil areas around the lake while strengthening the opportunities for passive enjoyment, including for walking and cycling. Bowness Bay and The Glebe, Bowness on Windermere is a strategic regeneration location for development to transform the visitor experience, in accordance with the above principles, we will define the extent of the location, together with more detail of the scale and nature of development, in the Allocations of Land DPD.