THE National Trust has, we suspect, been somewhat surprised by the level of opposition to its plans to split up High Yewdale Farm at Coniston.

The tenant farmer who currently occupies the farm is due to retire later this year. The trust says that it has looked long and hard at the 160-hectare farm and concluded that simply finding a new tenant is not the best way forward.

It cites the changing nature of agriculture, including reforms to the farming subsidies system, as reasons why High Yewdale, as it currently sits in the context of the valley (which has five farms), is not viable.

Instead it plans to divide High Yewdale's land between each of the four neighbouring trust-owned farms, re-let the house and rent out the other buildings as homes or for commercial use. It stresses that not one inch of farming land will be lost and, visually, the farmstead will remain in its iconic, beautiful setting.

But the decision has sparked an outcry from local farmers and from some other members of the public. They say High Yewdale is the corner-stone of the Coniston fells and has productive land which, given some funding help, could be very viable.

They also say that the trust is not taking into account the importance of the system of farming heafed sheep, which involves sheep grazing the same land over generations developing a homing instinct, which means they tend not to stray.

They argue that dividing farms like High Yewdale undermines the Lake District's cultural landscape, tearing the heart out of the social fabric of our community', as one contributor to The Westmorland Gazette's Letters and Opinions pages put it last week.

Some of the strength of the public outcry may be down to the fact that the farm was donated to the National Trust by children's writer and early conservationist Beatrix Potter, who evokes huge loyalty among her fans.

There also seems to be a feeling among some people that the trust does not understand the land as well as locals who have farmed it for years.

Whatever the root cause, there is a great deal of consternation out there. Despite this, the trust this week re-affirmed its plans to split up High Yewdale.

We would argue that it should take time to look again at its decision in the light of the strong public feeling. There are clearly experienced farmers who believe the organisation has got it wrong in this instance surely reason enough to step back and reconsider.

It is clear from the major upheavals faced by farming in recent years that agriculture is changing. A correspondent to this paper this week suggests that another option could be to let High Yewdale to a new tenant but seek funding to set up a research project into hill farming, based at the site.

Such research could prove invaluable in discovering new ways to maintain hill farms such as High Yewdale, and also ensuring they remain viable.

It's an imaginative idea, which deserves to be explored further. In the meantime, the trust should put a hold on its plans and keep talking to local people to find a more mutually acceptable way forward.