Opposition to National Trust Morston visitor centre plans

Parish councillors at Morston, near Holt, heard most of those opposing the National Trust's proposals for the village's quayside were locals or had local connections.

At a meeting in the village on Wednesday night, councillor Rob Metcalfe said: "There is no evidence of a significant anti-NT bandwagon or an orchestrated campaign.

"By far the majority of comments came from people with a local connection, and by far the majority used their own words."

The NT has so far stuck by its guns and said it does not intend to withdraw the plans.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Metcalfe added: "The scale of the response has been overwhelming, I guess reality has got to kick in at some point." 

The proposed design of the new visitor centre at Morston  (Image: National Trust) The NT says its proposals are intended to replace outdated toilets and provide visitors and its staff with more modern facilities.

They include a single storey building housing replacement toilets, a new visitor welcome point, and a space for staff and volunteer welfare. 

But the parish council has labelled the plans "abhorrent" and says the NT's sole aim is to commercialise the harbour.

It says the size of the proposed building and its impact on its "beautiful natural surroundings" are not acceptable to the council or local people.

The visitor centre row is the latest dispute the NT has become embroiled in over the way it manages sites it owns along the Norfolk coast 

Earlier this year, a row blew up in Brancaster after locals accused it of trying to "monetise" the harbour with new rules.

And the charity has also been at the centre of a long-running row over replacing a bridge on the marshes at Stiffkey.

In recent years it has also been the focus of criticism from a national campaign group called Restore Trust, set up by supporters of the NT who are concerned about its policies and accuse it of being driven by "modish, divisive ideologies".