CAMPAIGNERS have protested over controversial plans to build a new £100m holiday resort in Furness.

The Save Roanhead campaign group gathered outside Barrow Town Hall yesterday (August 26) and handed over their 7,000-signature petition with more than 3,300 objections to Barrow's mayor Chris Altree.

Some 450 lodges are due to be built at Roanhead Farm alongside sports and leisure facilities if plans are approved by councillors.

There have been strong objections to the plans submitted from key conservation and wildlife organisations including Friends of the Lake District, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Cumbria GeoGonservation, The Woodland Trust, The RSPB and Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.

The campaign group also noted that several of the council’s statutory consultees have objected to the planning applications.

Campaigners said they had been told a decision on whether to approve the plans will not be made until at least 2024.

Kelly Holland, founder of the Save Roanhead campaign group, said: “On behalf of our ever-growing 7,000-strong petition and 4,500 Facebook members we would like to publicly thank the conservation and business experts who have objected.

“We believe the council has no option but to listen to all of the objections from their residents, local businesses, and statutory organisations and reject this planning submission.

“We urge Westmorland and Furness Council to do the right thing and turn down this proposal."

Another campaigner, Sara Warburton, said: “The numbers opposed to this development is unprecedented for the Furness area.

“Our own fact based objection letter carries a very simple message – wrong Size, wrong type, wrong Place."

The company behind the development have insisted the resort would mitigate against a potential impact on wildlife and that it would provide a major economic boost to the area.

The ILM Group claims the resort will generate 279 new jobs and bring in nearly £200 million to the local economy over its first decade in business.

The company also says that wetland habitats would ‘increase substantially’, providing foraging opportunities for birds, and breeding habitats for natterjack toads, and also argue that the existing woodland will be ‘retained in full’ with new areas also being planted across the site.