Yorkshire Wildlife Trust withdraw Nidderdale wildlife centre application for further consultation

The application for the Wildlife Centre has been withdrawn so further consultation can be carried out

Supporters of plans for a new wildlife centre near Gouthwaite Reservoir have been left flabbergasted after they were withdrawn over consultation objections.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s proposal for Colt House Bridge Car Park near Ramsgill was withdrawn after concerns from residents and organisations were raised over a lack of public consultation.

No dates have been set but another round of consultation will be held on the plans. Despite this supporters including the Mayor of Pateley Bridge, Chris Hawkesworth, who serves on the Gouthwaite Reservoir Trust Board have been left disappointed.

Coun Hawkesworth said: “This could a big opportunity that is being missed, I am flabbergasted if I am honest that anyone could be against this. The more visitors we get to the area the better it is for the economy. People these tend to make visits for days instead of weeks, if we do not offer a variety of attractions we could be losing out.”

A previous consultation was held at Ramsgill Village Hall, where approximately 40 people were recorded as attending on February, November 23. Information from this meeting was then made available at Nidderdale Plus in Pateley Bridge until Sunday, February 26 when it was moved to the Nidderdale AONB office

However resident Pat Bean flagged concerns that she believed the community had been bypassed, saying they were not aware of the application until the Herald reported the plans last month.

Mrs Bean said: “We don’t know how it happened but we felt as if the community has been bypassed. I know I felt shock and anger when we saw the plans have been in development for years. There are a lot of issues but the main one is a lack of consultation.

She added: “This road cannot supporting another influx of traffic , there is already a problem with parking across the Dales already. Since the Tour de Yorkshire it has been a real problem. There has been a real lack of consideration.”Ownership and project management of the centre will be taken on by the Trust if plans are approved.