Planners in the Lake District have rejected the idea of promoting one of its remotest areas as a wilderness.

Members of the Lake District National Park Authority say they do not want to see a ‘Wild Ennerdale’ brand created, but do want to improve access to the area.

The authority’s recreation and tourism advisor Helen Houghton said: “Ennerdale forms part of the wider cultural landscape of the Lake District, which may be put forward for World Heritage Site Inscription. The conservation and enhancement of this cultural landscape should be an explicit guiding principle.”

In a nutshell, the authority wants to carry on with the area as it is, working with other bodies such as the National Trust, United Utilities – the water company, English Nature and the Forestry Commission. Its aims are to (in best jargonese): encourage natural regeneration and natural processes; reduce human intervention and grazing pressures; and promote integrated forest and fell management.