MILLIONS of pounds could be generated and thousands of new jobs created on the back of the Lake District gaining World Heritage Status.

Now recognised as a cultural landscape of international significance, the area has joined the likes of the Taj Mahal and the Great Barrier Reef in its significance.

The announcement has been met with widespread celebration, with claims that it could bring in an additional £81.6m to the national park and support 2,900 new jobs.

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Rob Johnston, chief executive of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said that the status would help attract a new audience of high-spending overseas visitors.

“It’s a tremendous accolade but this is about more than kudos," he said. “Research carried out for the government by the accountant Pricewaterhouse Coopers suggests that inscription as a World Heritage site brings an increase in visitor numbers of up to three per cent.

“That doesn’t sound much but, given the sector was worth £2.72bn to Cumbria last year, three per cent is an extra £81.6m. That’s not to be sniffed at, and would potentially support another 2,900 jobs.”

However, although he has welcomed the news, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has warned that the new status must not stifle growth by 'gold plating' planning rules.

"What people fear is not that it will bring new planning rules but it will mean that the rules we already have become gold plated," he said.

"We should be aware that there could be a danger where there is a 50/50 decision on building social rented homes in somewhere like Coniston and they (the LDNPA) have the spectre of UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) on their shoulder. They may decide to err on the side of caution and say 'no.'"

Using an early day motion he has called for government to consider introducing direct elections to the national park to ensure that the views and interests of local communities are not overlooked.

The bid was put together by the 25 partners that make up the Lake District National Park Partnership, chaired by Lord Clark of Windermere. The Lake District becomes the UK's 31st UNESCO world heritage site and the inscription is in the ‘cultural landscapes’ category. This reflects the three themes that underpin the bid which are identity, inspiration and conservation.

The announcement was made in Krakow, Poland, and the LDNPA's chief executive, Richard Leafe, was anxiously watching a live feed in the Murley Moss offices in Kendal with his communications team.

"We popped a cork and celebrated," he said. "And we were delighted and felt really really good about it.

"It means that we're on a globally recognised list of about 1,000 places that are really significant in terms of the evolution of human history."

And despite Mr Farron's concerns, Mr Leafe said that ensuring the Lake District remains an affordable and vibrant place to live and work remained a top priority.

"Making sure that we provide affordable homes for locals has long been a priority for the national park and we've had a plan in place for a few years to construct 900 affordable houses in the national park in the next few years," he said. "I'm pleased that UNESCO has recognised that."

A number of those involved in the tourism and hospitality industry have welcomed the news, including Cumbria Tourism chairman, Eric Robson.

"World Heritage Status means that the Lake District becomes one of just over 1,000 exclusive sites with this special stamp of recognition," he said. "Being a member of this exclusive club is a fantastic opportunity to communicate with new visitor markets across the globe and to raise awareness of the Lake District’s cultural and environmental assets."

And Nigel Wilkinson, managing director of Windermere Lake Cruises, said it will be a great way to help reach new international markets.

"We face stiff competition from across the UK to attract overseas visitors, so World Heritage Status is another opportunity to build the reputation of the Lake District internationally," he said. "We think it will be a great way to help encourage international visitors to venture outside London and highlight the Lake District Cumbria as the favoured destination to prospective visitors from a wide variety of countries around the globe."

Mr Leafe said the hope was that the status would encourage people to stay longer in the area as opposed to increasing numbers.

"We already have 18 million visitors to the national park so what we're hoping for is that it will keep us competitive in an international market," he said.

"If just one per cent shift to cultural tourists we know that they tend to stay longer and spend more and that could be an extra 20 million into the economy."

However, some business owners have expressed reservations. Henry Wild, director of Skelwith Folk caravan park said that the Lake District was 'thoroughly deserving' of its status but the wider implications needed to be considered.

"If, as is likely, the number of visitors to Cumbria is set to increase, then provision must be made to cater for them," he said. "This means adopting a sensitive but realistic strategy to ensure that our roads, parking resources and other areas of infrastructure are able to cope."

"I would also suggest that we need to address how to manage even more effectively the incoming visitors. Encouraging trips throughout the four seasons, rather than just in summer, is one way. Another would be to highlight the appeal of destinations in the Lake District other than its best-known tourism honeypots."

Sarah Williams, manager of Kendal's Business Improvement District, echoed his thoughts. She believes the status will help bring more visitors to towns on the periphery of the Lake District, like Kendal.

"Hopefully if statistics are to go by there will be more people coming in to the Lakes and this area because of it," she said. "And therefore we will then have an opportunity to capture those people and bring them into Kendal."

The decision has also been welcomed by the Cumbria branch of the National Farmers' Union, despite vocal opposition to the bid from Guardian columnist George Monbiot.

Mr Monbiot claimed in a reaction piece that the 'designation protects sheep farming, and nothing else'.

"Sheep, by nibbling out tree seedlings and other edible species, are a fully automated system for ecological destruction. They cleanse the land of almost all wildlife," he wrote.

"Our national parks are wiped clean, our natural heritage erased for the sake of an ersatz farm fantasy. And there is nowhere to turn."

However, the NFU Cumbria chairman David Raine said that agriculture had an 'important ongoing role in maintaining the basic fabric of the landscape'.

"It is important World Heritage Site Status allows the area to flourish and not fossilise, and recognises the role farmers play in developing the cultural landscape," he said. "The logo used throughout the bid process has been that of a Herdwick sheep, a breed of Nordic influence that dates back thousands of years. This is how long farming has been making a positive contribution to the Lake District and I’m heartened that UNESCO has seen fit to recognise that."