Dear Crosthwaite Camper, I am pleased to let you know that we have now received planning approval for a camp next year. However, it is not great news as there are quite onerous conditions attached to the planning approval. As you will be aware from my last email, each year we have to apply for planning approval to operate the camp a process which is usually very straightforward but has been very protracted this year due to excess nutrients in the local Derwent and Bassenthwaite Lake catchment area which means Natural England require that all new developments be nitrate and phosphate neutral. This means that the planning approval, that we finally got last Friday (December 16th) requires that before we can operate the campsite we have to submit, and get approved by the Lake District Planning Authority, a waste water management strategy. In essence we will not be allowed to deposit any waste water into the foul sewers, as we have done in previous years, but will have to store it and have it taken away by road tanker for disposal. At camp 2022 we generated around 5,000 gallons of waste water a day from the toilet blocks, wash basins, showers, washing up sinks etc. Storing and disposing of such a quantity of waste water is not going to be easy, and will also be expensive. It will also be essential that we look at ways to reduce our water use. At this stage we have not yet worked out the implications for camp 2023, or indeed if it will even be feasible to operate a camp, but we do know that it will involve a number of changes. These may include some or all of the following: • A requirement that campers use products for personal washing and washing of dishes that are phosphate free; • All camper waste water from tents, caravans and motorhomes to be disposed in storage tanks and not via the field soakaways; • All camper cassette toilets to be disposed in storage tanks; • Possible restrictions on shower use by limiting hours of operation of showers and / or frequency per person; • Possible recycling of shower water to flush toilets; • Possible closure of toilets / showers during times of daily waste storage tank emptying; • Reduction in the overall size of camp. The costs involved with transporting waste water away from the campsite have yet to be determined but they are expected to be significant and this will have to be reflected in the campsite charges. If anyone has any expertise or knowledge in the area of waste water management and disposal we would welcome your involvement as we move forward. For those interested I include a couples of links to the Lake District Planning Authority site explaining nutrient neutrality and the details of our planning application decision: https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/planning/planning-for-nature-recovery/nutrient-neutrality https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/swiftlg/MediaTemp/78919-465321.2022.2217_DelRep.pdf If you have any initial comments please email them to me. We continue to trust God in this process although the team are naturally disappointed in the decision. However, as stewards of the camp it is our duty to do all we can to facilitate the changes needed to enable a camp to operate. Please continue to pray for the planning team.