AN AMBITIOUS  scheme to turn an abandoned filling station in Upper Redesdale into a multi-million pound tourist attraction has been shelved.

Objections from the  Environment Agency and Northumberland National Park Authority have caused developers Tri-pyramid to withdraw the application for a fishing lake, holiday lodges and shops at the disused Border Park filling station near Byrness.

Tri-pyramid director Eric Balki said: "The development was going to bring a much-needed boost to the local community, which has been hit hard by the recession. 

"We feel the context behind the application has been lost by the various agencies. 

"The application was being made at a derelict site which has been an eyesore for a considerable period of time."

He pointed out there was an existing  planning consent granted on the site for 14 lodges and a larger café building secured by a different developer, which had been put on hold by the recession. 

Mr Balki said: "I have been living in this area for over 12 years and we have worked very hard, and at a considerable expense, to revive this project. We think it will attract tourists to the area which are much-needed in Northumberland

"We believe that our application has not been looked upon proportionally and in an unbiased way considering what could have already been on the site given the circumstances." 

Northumberland National Park Authority planners have said the development would be "inappropriate" for the national park, while the Environment Agency also objected, citing the risk of pollution to the River Rede, which holds one of the few remaining populations of freshwater pearl mussels in the country.