Public to have say on Peak lane traffic ban

The move comes after a long-running legal battle over the status of Chapel Gate, near Edale, which has become rutted and deeply eroded by the vehicles.

Later this month the Peak District National Park Authority will launch a six-week consultation over the possibility of permanently excluding motor traffic from the route, which they say crosses “landscape of the highest international importance for its wildlife and natural beauty”.

This comes after the authority’s audit, resources and performance committee decided to seek the public’s views on a proposed permanent traffic regulation order (TRO).

Jim Dixon, chief executive of the Peak District National Park Authority, said: “Chapel Gate is an important recreational route which runs through a special area of conservation, a special protection area and a site of special scientific interest.

“It’s our statutory responsibility to protect the national park from adverse impact on its natural beauty, which includes the landscape, wildlife and heritage, and on the amenity value for people to enjoy it.

“We welcome people’s views on the use of Chapel Gate by recreational motorised traffic so that authority members can make an informed decision in the future.”

No date has been set for the start of the consultation as yet, but details will be posted online at www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/consultations

Previously, the authority suffered a High Court defeat over a ban on motor traffic on Chapel Gate.

Back in June 2011, an experimental traffic order (ETO) was made which banned such traffic for an initial period of 18 months.

However, the ETO was quashed in November after a successful High Court challenge by the Trail Riders’ Fellowship.