Relax 10mph speed limit to help recovery of tourism industry, marina boss urges
The manager of Windermere’s largest marina is to appeal directly to Prince Charles over the controversial 10mph speed limit on Windermere on the fifth anniversary of its introduction.
Jason Dearden, manager of Windermere Marina Village, will be one of a group of local businesspeople that meet the Prince tomorrow as he visits the area following the devastating floods earlier this year.
The speed ban was introduced in 2005 by the Lake District National Park Authority to “bring calm” to the area and remove conflict between the lake’s users.
But Dearden wants the byelaw relaxed to aid the recovery of tourism in the area, which was hit hard following the ban as many boaters moved further north to Loch Lomond or west to North Wales.
“If there is conflict between people using the lake, all we need to do is commit to looking at what those conflicts are and finding out how they can be managed – so we end up with a system which allows everyone to enjoy Windermere,” he said.
“We have to get out of the mindset of treating the lake like a village millpond and that legislation somehow makes it quiet. Windermere is the biggest and most popular lake in the area. If people are seeking total tranquility, there are 15 other lakes that offer it.”
