PLANS for a zip rail ride in a Tamar Valley woodland have been refused as the “economic benefit would not outweigh the environmental harm”.

Zip World, who operate the world’s fastest zipline amongst their adventure activity sites in England and Wales, had put forward a £2m proposal for the Tavistock Woods.

They said the four interconnected zip wire rides would give an “adrenalin-fuelled feeling of gliding down through the trees” and would boost tourism.

While Gulworthy Parish Council on the Devon side of the Tamar had concerns about the project, the council also saw the potential economic benefit of the scheme and had agreed to support the planning application.

But Calstock Parish Council had objected, and residents on both banks of the river had mounted strong opposition.

The plans submitted by Zip World included a circuit of zip wires using a suspended rail, either attached to trees or supported by steel masts, and accessed via steel walkways.

The company had said that the installation would be ‘entirely reversible’ and leave no trace afterwards ‘save for marks on tree bark’.

The scheme, which also included quadrupling the car park area for up to 145 vehicles, would have entailed the removal of some 30 trees from the woodland.

In her report to West Devon Borough Council, planning officer Clare Stewart said that the ride experience, the intensity of use, the associated noise effects and loss of trees would be detrimental to the conservation and enhancement of the Protected Landscape and its special features, especially its tranquility.

The scheme would result in the loss or deterioration of an irreplaceable habitat, and the application “failed to demonstrate that the proposed development conserves, protects and enhances the landscape and scenic beauty of the Tamar Valley National Landscape”, and was therefore contrary to both national and local planning policies.

Planning officer Louise Barattini with Tamar Valley National Landscapes (formerly the AONB) drew attention to how the facility would be open seven days a week, with up to 80 rides per hour taking place. The AONB management plan had identified the valley as “an oasis of tranquility, valued by local people as a place to relax and enjoy the scenery”. The impact of the zip ride could not simply be assessed in terms of noise output, she said.

Speaking in an individual objection outside of his parish council role, John Wells said that Zip World’s claims about access to the site by bus, or on foot or bicycle up the narrow, steep, and unpavemented roads, “stretched credibility”.

Albaston resident Iris Crawford had supported the local council in researching documents and monitoring developments with the planning application, keeping local people and interested parties updated.

“I think we are all delighted and relieved,” she said.

“I think it would have done a lot of damage to the valley and the things people value. The kind of tourism we have here already supports the history and the wildlife of the Tamar Valley, which is relatively unspoilt. Once you’ve destroyed it, you don’t get it back.”