Our town is famous for Pride and Prejudice but our peace and quiet is going to be RUINED with developer plans
RESIDENTS in a town famous for Pride and Prejudice say that their peace and quiet is going to be ruined because of developer plans.
Locals are not happy after plans were submitted to build a huge new car park at a National Trust property in Cheshire which featured in the hit show.
The Lyme Park site was used as the backdrop for filming the BBC dramatisation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice which starred Colin Firth as Mr Darcy.
One of the most popular walks around the gardens is the reflecting lake where Mr Darcy met Miss Bennett in the 1995 production.
The famous lake scene inspired similar sequences in Bridget Jones’ Diary and Bridgerton.
And the mansion, which sits in 570 hectares of deer-park, with views across Manchester and the Cheshire Plain, became ‘Pemberley’ in the adaptation.
But now, plans have been submitted to create a 1,065 space car park and replace the much smaller existing 395 space car park.
Residents have launched a petition to try and stop the new car park from being built, with over 500 people having already signed.
Organiser Anthony Sheridan said he was a regular visitor to Lyme Park and he wanted as many people as possible to be aware of what was being proposed for the historic site.
He said the new car park would “destroy peaceful walking and cycling routes into the park”.
And he questioned how the car park could be justified with parking spaces already not regularly filled out.
Speaking out against the car park plans, Anthony Sheridan told Cheshire Live the plans went against the aim to reduce the impact of cars in green spaces.
“Thirty one per cent of households in Greater Manchester have no access to a car, yet the plans do nothing to make visiting Lyme easier for these people.
“Lyme’s own vehicle entry figures submitted with the application show that for the majority of the year it barely comes close to filling its existing 395 permanent spaces. How can it justify building out such huge capacity just for a handful of days?
“Relocating some or all of the car park to reduce its impact on the setting of the Grade I listed hall is an admirable aspiration, but this should not be to an area even further from the A6, which would cause even more disruption to enjoyment of the park.”
He slammed the proposed plans as a “permanent visual blight” on the beautiful surrounding countryside.
Andrew continued: “The proposed location of this super-sized new car park makes no sense for anyone. It would destroy peaceful walking and cycling routes into the park, be a permanent visual blight from the surrounding National Park moorland, and require all visitors to walk half a mile with steep hills — or use a minibus — to access the actual house.
“Though the Lyme has briefly referenced the plans on its social media, there are no notices on-site whatsoever informing people of the planning application.
“I’m concerned many people who love this place, or may live locally and already have traffic concerns, have no idea what may be about to happen – it’s so important they have their say.”
Responding to the petition, a National Trust spokesperson said: “The proposed project aims to maintain the current number of visitors who arrive by car, and not increase car parking spaces.
“We’ll continue to work with individuals and partners to find more sustainable ways that people can visit Lyme now and in the future.
“The proposed project aims to help us adapt to the future by improving resilience to restoring the historic views of the house and upgrading our facilities.
“We’re in desperate need to upgrade our facilities to ensure that the 300,000 visitors we welcome to National Trust Lyme each year have a great experience with us, while lessening the impact of busy days on our neighbours.“