Plan for new mountain rescue base in Cumbria
The new building will be purpose-built for the needs of Coniston Mountain Rescue
Plans for a new mountain rescue base have been lodged with the Lake District National Park Authority.
If the plans are successful, the current base, located at Old Furness Road in Coniston, will be demolished and the new building will be built on the same site.
The new building will be purpose-built for the needs of Coniston Mountain Rescue. The existing site was originally built for the Lake District National Park Rangers and has had multiple extensions over the years.
However, due to the increased activities of the mountain rescue team and the growing size of rescue vehicles, such as 4x4s and ATVs, more and more room is required.
“Hand tools and drills/ breakers” will be used during the “structural” phase of the demolition, according to planning documents.
This phase follows the removal of any asbestos and the “soft strip”, “ensuring that the buildings are cleared back to the main shell” of the site.
According to planning documents, “the new building is taller and larger than the building it is replacing” and “the internal layout is designed around the new garaging to the road frontage, by having two roller shutter doors this gives greater manoeuvrability of the vehicles but also improves space for repairs and servicing on site”.
The railway heritage of Coniston has also been taken into account by the architect, as well as the “materials and colourings have grounding within the Lake District National Park”, which “provides for an attractive design solution to a functional building”.
Sustainability has also been a key focus when designing the building. Solar panels have been proposed for the southeast roof slope to both lower running costs and provide energy independence in case of a power outage.
An off-site car park located 40m away from the site is also planned which will provide “much greater flexibility” for the volunteer service and will reduce pressure on the main site.
Coniston Mountain Rescue are still waiting for approval from the Lake District National Park Authority for the demolition of their current base and construction of their new one.