From our correspondent, Planning Officer, Andrew Wood

   "A Local Plan Examination is a piece of theatre that is only of interest to the cast. For those of us around the table it's a combination of a very technical process, analysing numbers and the wording of policies to see how well, or badly, they reflect our interests; and also a role-playing exercise. The housebuilders make no bones about their motives to extract more development land, environmental and community groups make counter-arguments, and the local authority sits like a rabbit in the headlights, defending the years of work that have already gone in to trying to hit the right compromise between competing demands. To a member of the public wandering in to observe the process, it will seem exclusive and arcane: no wonder people often feel that planning is done to them rather than for them.

In recent years this theatre has taken on a new and depressing dimension, in that central Government looms large, an absentee elephant in the room, and the main requirement of the Plan, above all else, is compliance with their diktat, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF); and to be more specific, the number of new houses to be planned for. This further stifles the ability of local authorities and local communities to plan for the places they wish to create.

This sets the scene for the first week of the High Peak Local Plan Examination. The Council opens proceedings by describing the unique geography of the Borough and the work it has done to produce the plan. The developers then begin to dig away at the aspects of the Local Plan they believe constrain their freedoms to build what they want, where they want. In most of the hearing sessions that follow, Friends of the Peak District is the only voice arguing that more specific constraints are needed, that affordable housing should take priority over market housing, and that the character and function of settlements and the countryside are at least as important as the need for housing.

On a positive note, we seem to have passed a few hurdles that might have hijacked the Local Plan process, as has happened in other authorities. Some Local Plans have been sent back to the drawing board after the first couple of hearings of their Public Examination, resulting in further damage to communities' confidence in the planning process. I don't sense that this is going to happen in High Peak, which is good news because the Borough is desperate to have an adopted Local Plan, and any further delays would be disastrous.

As often happens, though, the most interesting conversations at these events take place off the record, in the wings. For example, "the government doesn't actually care about increasing housebuilding or tackling the housing crisis, it just wants to give the impression of doing....." I tend to agree, and the fact that local authorities are under such pressure to allocate greenfield housing sites and review their Green Belts on the basis of such a hollow national objective is something we need to fight tooth and nail".

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The announcement of the proposed A628 corridor upgrade at three locations along the route with a short bypass of Mottram, climbing lanes in the Peak District National Park and dualling of the A61 in South Yorkshire is the old story of a motorway by stealth – piecemeal upgrades that will lead to demands for more and more upgrades. It also ignores the rail investment that the North desperately needs.

The A628 Woodhead route passes straight through the heart of the Peak District National Park which has the strongest protection in the country. Government proposals for upgrading the route and making it more attractive to through traffic would cause immense damage to well-loved landscapes and European nature conservation sites.

The short bypass of Mottram will free up congestion at the Longdendale bottleneck, but it will also open up the corridor and invite traffic to divert off the M62 and take the shorter journey. Once this happens the traffic jams, air pollution and traffic collisions will quickly return.

Climbing lanes in the National Park and opening up the route for long distance traffic go against Government policy. There is a strong presumption against any significant road widening in a National Park, and any investment in trunk roads should be directed to developing routes for long distance traffic which avoid the Parks.

Connectivity between Manchester and Sheffield can be significantly improved without building new roads, as shown by research from the Metropolitan Transport Research Unit (MTRU).

A package of measures routing HGVs via the M62, active travel for local people and slower speeds would free up road space for longer journeys and contribute to wider sustainability and health objectives in the area.

A new trans-Pennine rail link for passengers and freight, as proposed in ‘One North: A proposition for an interconnected North’ published by the Northern Powerhouse of Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield cities is also needed. Unlike the Government, One North recognises that the environmental constraints, i.e. the National Park, which exist between Sheffield and Manchester prohibit the development of a new road link.

Click here to read the MTRU report.

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Research finds new figure for housing capacity on brownfield sites.

Amidst new political focus on the potential of brownfield land, a report from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) published today shows that local authorities have identified the capacity for at least 1 million new homes on suitable brownfield land in England. The report also makes a series of recommendations that would make brownfield land more attractive to developers and encourage local authorities to do more to identify suitable sites. [1]
 

With estimates for brownfield capacity previously ranging from 200,000 to 1.8 million, the report provides the first comprehensive figure for brownfield capacity since the end of mandatory local authority submissions to the National Land Use Database (NLUD) in 2010. [2]
 

Based on research conducted for CPRE by the University of the West of England (UWE), the report, From Wasted Space to Living Spaces, concludes that a minimum of 976,000 new homes could be built on identified brownfield sites. But the researchers note that even this figure underestimates suitable land as it only identifies land already derelict or with planning permission; it does not include currently underused land that could be used for housing, such as car parks, or new brownfield land that will become available. [3]
 

Within the 976,000 figure, the report finds that brownfield land with either detailed or outline planning permission is ready to accommodate more than 400,000 houses, while currently vacant or derelict land without planning permission could accommodate more than 550,000. Nearly half of this vacant space is located in the south east, the east of England and London, which itself could house 146,000 homes.
 

UWE conducted its analysis with data collected from a survey of local planning authorities. Before 2010 local authorities submitted data on available land to the NLUD, which consequently provided a national picture of brownfield land available for housing. Planning data from the 82 local authorities that provided figures for 2011 and 2012 indicate that in the period 2010-2012 the total amount of suitable brownfield land actually increased by 67 hectares despite 1658 hectares being redeveloped. 
 

Paul Miner, planning campaign manager at CPRE, comments: “This research demonstrates the huge existing capacity for housing on brownfield land. At a time when there is great pressure on our green spaces, utilising this land through a brownfield first policy would protect our countryside and regenerate urban areas.

"We want this new, authoritative evidence to lead to a sustained focus on suitable brownfield land. We can and must do more to get these sites redeveloped, whether it be reviving the National Land Use Database or implementing strong local plans to deal with multiple landowners on difficult sites.”
 

Housing and Planning Minister Brandon Lewis comments: “We welcome this report, which illustrates the scope for building new homes and protecting the countryside at the same time. 
 

"This government wants to see the maximum amount of brownfield land being used to build new homes, whilst also maintaining protections for our beautiful countryside. That is why our planning reforms encourage councils to use brownfield land for new buildings, free up disused public sector land for redevelopment and why we’ve invested £235 million into bringing 80,000 long term empty homes back into use since 2010.”


Notes
[1] From wasted space to living spaces is available online with a foreword by Richard Rogers. The more detailed regional and local breakdowns will be available online shortly.
[2] The National Land Use Database, owned by the Homes and Communities Agency, aims to provide national and regional trends in the availability of previously developed land (PDL), and is compiled from information on individual sites supplied by local authorities across England.
[3] As an example of calculations including underused land and future brownfield land, the 2014 Further Alterations to the London Plan states that brownfield ‘opportunity areas’ in the capital could provide 300,000 new homes alongside 568,000 jobs (see paragraphs 2.58-2.60).

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We are objecting to new proposals for 26 houses on the former Dairycrest cheese factory site at Hartington. This supports the Parish Council’s objection to the proposals.

A larger scheme for over 40 homes plus some employment premises and community facilities was dismissed at appeal in 2011. A few weeks ago the developer put in a new application, which is arguably lower impact due to having fewer houses, but in some ways the new scheme is worse: the workshops have gone, the community facilities have gone and there are just 4 affordable homes and 22 luxury homes, many of which are 5 or more bedrooms.

Andrew Wood, our Planning Officer, says, "Hartington is now being offered a development that is just a drawbridge short of creating an exclusive enclave on the edge of the village, with no connection or contribution to the local community. What we have is a brownfield site left behind by what used to be the major employer. Some market housing might be needed to help finance the development, but what is needed is affordable housing and some small-scale business premises."

We are of course keen to see the appropriate restoration and redevelopment of a substantial brownfield site that is presently a blot on the landscape. We are also in no doubt that the objective of cleaning up such sites does not justify permitting the wrong development. A community that has lived with a derelict site for some years invariably has the patience to wait for the right proposal to come along - and this is not it.

The Park Authority is welcoming comments on the planning application until the end of November, so it is not too late to add your voice to the objections, quoting application reference NP/DDD/1014/1045.

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We have joined with other countryside campaigners to condemn the call by the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg for improvements to the A628 Woodhead Pass as part of a package to improve connectivity between Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds. The raft of measures, currently being investigated by the Highways Agency and the Department for Transport (DfT), would cause significant damage to national park landscapes and European nature conservation sites.

We commissioned research from the Metropolitan Transport Research Unit (MTRU) that shows connectivity can be significantly improved without the need for damaging new road building. However MTRU’s proposed alternative demand management package including routing HGVs via the M62 and other ‘smarter choices’ measures has been rejected without proper testing by DfT officials, contrary to the Government’s own WebTAG guidance.

“We are solidly behind measures that will improve journey times across the Pennines but the best way to do this is by considering road and rail holistically” said FPD Director Andy Tickle, “Resurrecting this tired and unsustainable road scheme will do little to help whilst causing immense damage to the Peak District National Park”.

The Campaign for National Parks has added its voice to the criticism of proposals. Ruth Bradshaw, Policy and Research Manager said: “This proposal completely goes against the Government’s own policy on road building in National Parks and would cause huge damage to England’s oldest National Park.”

The current policy on presumption against development is set out in the UK Government Vision and Circular for English National Parks and the Broads 2010 which states that ‘there is a strong presumption against any significant road widening or the building of new roads through a Park, unless it can be shown there are compelling reasons for the new or enhanced capacity and with any benefits outweighing the costs very significantly. Any investment in trunk roads should be directed to developing routes for long distance traffic which avoid the Parks.’

The full MTRU report is available on request or can be downloaded here.

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John Lambert took up the role of our Chair on 1st November, succeeding Isabella Stone, who held the job for three years. John has been a Board Member for the last year, having previously been Chairman of the Save Longstone Edge Group. John is a former Senior Civil Servant, and was the first Director of the Sheffield First Partnership in the 1990s. He has lived in the Peak District for nearly 30 years.

On his appointment, John said, "It is a particular privilege to be taking up this role in our 90th Anniversary year. We played a key role in establishing both Green Belts and the Peak District National Park, and there is important work to be done in protecting our precious and much valued countryside against over-development. At a time when our Northern Cities are rightly getting their act together it is important that we regard our countryside as a priceless asset rather than as an obstacle to improved communications."

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If you’re passionate about our green and pleasant land, help support the work of Friends of the Peak District as we celebrate our 90th anniversary, by attending this special lecture given by Dame Fiona Reynolds. 

The lecture will describe the inspiration behind the countryside conservation movement and the challenges we face in protecting our beautiful landscapes for the future. 

Dame Fiona reversed 430 years of tradition when she became the first female master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge in September 2012. She was previously a Director General of the National Trust, held posts at CPRE and the former Council for National Parks, and is also a very keen walker.

Fiona’s lecture will describe the campaign for beauty which has shaped the conservation movement in Britain, born out of the clash between beauty and industrialisation. The campaign led to the establishment of National Parks, nature and countryside protection, the safeguarding of historic buildings and monuments, and the gradual ‘greening’ of farming and forestry policy as these industries, too, industrialised in the 20th century.

Today there is as stark a choice as in the nineteenth century, as politicians compete for credibility on the economy, making the things we care about but can’t put a material value on vulnerable once again.

In a world now facing climate change, the lecture promotes ‘beauty’ as a way of looking at the world that can help us find solutions to living more sustainably, valuing and protecting the things we depend on that money can’t buy.

On Saturday 25th October at 6.30pm for 7pm start

** Refreshments (canapés and wine) included in ticket price **

Tickets cost £10. Click here to buy online.

Student and unemployed tickets cost £5. Click here to buy concessionary ticket online.

Or contact Julie Gough on julie@friendsofthepeak.org.uk or call (0114) 279 2655 for more information.
 

For directions to the Cantor Building, visit the Sheffield Hallam University website http://www.shu.ac.uk/university/visit/find-us/city.html

Location: Sheffield Hallam University
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Our alternative options to achieve the objectives of the study

Friends of the Peak District and CPRE South Yorkshire have campaigned for sustainable trans-Pennine travel since the 1970s in the face of plans for a motorway through Longdendale, then a dual carriageway and finally a bypass of the western villages. All these schemes were rejected because of their impacts on the Peak District National Park.

However alternative solutions to address the problems along the route have not been progressed and the A57/A628_developments/A616 trunk road, which connects the M67 in Manchester and the M1 in South Yorkshire, has retained its reputation as one of the most notorious and longstanding road hot spots in the country.

This year the Department for Transport and the Highways Agency have once again been reviewing the problems along the route through the Trans-Pennine Routes Feasibility Study. The aim of the study is to improve connectivity between Manchester and Sheffield.

The key problems that need addressing are (a) congestion through Mottram Hollingworth and Tintwistle, (b) air and noise pollution and (c) safety issues along the whole route. As a result of generous funding from Lush the Friends of the Peak District were able to present a solution for consideration.

We appointed Keith Buchan of MTRU to develop a deliverable, affordable package of sustainable transport measures that would meet all the study objectives, allow the Friends to engage as stakeholders in the study and address the problems along the route. A viable package that meets all these criteria has been shown in the report to provide economic and environmental benefits, including traffic relief on the roads through the Peak District National Park.

The proposed measures include:

• Smarter choices – improved public transport, cycling and walking - for local journeys
• Re-routing of through traffic by heavy lorries onto the motorway network surrounding the Peak District (M1/M62/M60/M6/A50).
• With reduced car and lorry traffic on the route, traffic restraint measures such as slower speeds and average speed cameras would be applied and road space would be re-allocated for active travel and public transport.

This package of measures has an estimated BCR (Benefit Cost Ratio) of 15.1 over 10 years which compares favourably with that of the most recent road building option presented in 2007 (the Mottram Tintwistle bypass) which had a BCR of 2.25.

The estimated £2 million cost of the package also compares favourably with the £300-400 million costs of the road schemes currently being worked up through the study.

The report is now with the Department for Transport and the Highways Agency who have to date appeared unwilling to consider alternatives to major road building. We await their response with interest.

To read the full report, you can download it here. 

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"Failure to meet unrealistic land supply targets" is cited as reason for development in 72% of appeals

A new research paper from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) shows that steep targets for the amount of land councils must allocate for housing are opening the door to major housing developments in the countryside.

These targets are leading directly to the problem of ‘planning by appeal’ which has seen damaging developments such as the North Road and Dinting Road sites in Glossop decided by the Government’s Planning Inspectorate, against the wishes of the local authority and local communities.

The paper, Targeting the countryside, studies the appeal decisions on applications for major housing developments on greenfield land across the country between March 2012 and May 2014. It finds that planning inspectors overturned the decisions of local councils in 72 per cent of cases where there was no defined land supply. 27,000 houses were granted planning permission in this way – which is around 8.5 per cent of all houses planned across the country in that period [1].

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires local councils to demonstrate a five year land supply for housing in an attempt to boost house building. Councils without a local plan are powerless to decide where developments should go in their area, but only 17.6 per cent of councils have had plans approved by Government. This is often due to the onerous criteria in constructing viable plans [2].

Furthermore, those who have not managed to meet their targets face the punishment of finding an extra 20 per cent of land as a ‘buffer’ to ensure ‘choice and competition’.

Targeting the countryside is based on research which looked at 309 planning appeal decisions across England between March 2012 and May 2014 where local councils had rejected applications for developments of 10 or more houses on greenfield land. The research also shows that one in six local refusals was overturned by a planning inspector even when a council was meeting its targets. 

Andrew Wood, planning officer at Friends of the Peak District, comments: “Local councils are being pushed to supply too much land in pursuit of unrealistic housing targets. This puts the Local Plan process under great strain, and any council that can’t demonstrate a 5-year land supply, based on these inflated targets, then faces the likelihood of losing planning appeals. High Peak is suffering badly from this problem.

It tends to be controversial sites, such as those at North Road and Dinting Road in Glossop, where this is happening. The result is that the decisions local people most object to are being made by central Government. This makes a mockery of the Local Plan process, destroys people’s faith in planning and encourages unnecessary house-building in the countryside.

The Government should remove the automatic presumption for development where there is no five year land supply. It should immediately stop demanding an extra 20 per cent housing land requirement from councils already struggling to meet targets. And it should enable local councils to resist speculative planning applications on controversial sites before the Local Plan has been completed.”
 

ENDS

[1] Targeting the countryside: the impact of housing land supply requirements on green spaces and local democracy is available here: http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/housing-and-planning/housing/item/download/3729

[2] These criteria include finding the required land to meet demanding short-term housing targets, discarding recent house building rates, and compensating for ‘under delivery’ of housing in the past even if those previous targets had been agreed with and approved by Government.

[3] The regional breakdown of appeals examined is as follows:
East Midlands: 54
East of England: 23
National Parks: 1
North East: 9
North West: 52
South East: 60
South West: 59
West Midlands: 33
Yorkshire: 18

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We were dismayed to learn that the Gladman application for 107 dwellings at Linglongs Road, Whaley Bridge has been approved by High Peak Borough Council.

There were some powerful reasons why the scheme should not have gone ahead, and these were glossed over by the Council in making their decision. The Council argued that the site’s contribution to a 5-year supply of housing would outweigh environmental impacts but, setting aside subjective judgements as to whether the landscape impacts would be significant or not, there are three big problems with the decision.

Firstly, it comes hot on the heels of permission being granted on appeal for housing schemes in Glossop at North Road and Dinting Lane. It is no coincidence that these are all sites where the local community has fiercely contested their allocation in the Local Plan, and it is a travesty of local democracy that the fate of such sites is being determined before the completion of the Local Plan. We have consistently argued that decisions on contested sites should be deferred until the Plan is completed. Some delay in providing new housing is better than providing it in the wrong places.

Secondly, the Highway Authority (Derbyshire County Council) noted that “the site is not particularly well-located to local services and facilities, and therefore future residents would travel by car”. This simply does not square with a Local Plan policy that new development should ‘reduce the need to travel by car’. The proposal has been judged on whether it affects the operation of the road network, but not on whether the additional traffic will have a cumulative, chronic impact on local communities through noise, congestion and pollution, not to mention encouraging unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles. This issue has been raised by Friends of the Peak District and by hundreds of local residents, yet it has been roundly ignored.

Finally, the new housing will be at a low density that cannot support viable public transport services. In our view, public transport is essential to quality of life, and sites that are suitable for high density developments – ie close to the centres of our towns and cities – should be developed first. At the moment the exact opposite is happening, with green sites on the edges of settlements coming forward first, not only damaging the countryside but also undermining public transport and the character of towns and villages.

There is still a battle to be fought at Linglongs Road when the details of the scheme are put forward, but the permanent loss of this greenfield site is now sadly inevitable. Let us hope that the Government’s obsession with quantity over quality in new housing can be tamed before more of High Peak’s beautiful countryside suffers the same fate.
 

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On Saturday 25th October at 6.30pm for 7pm start

If you’re passionate about our green and pleasant land, help support the work of Friends of the Peak District as we celebrate our 90th anniversary, by attending this special lecture given by Dame Fiona Reynolds. 

The lecture will describe the inspiration behind the countryside conservation movement and the challenges we face in protecting our beautiful landscapes for the future. 

Dame Fiona reversed 430 years of tradition when she became the first female master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge in September 2012. She was previously a Director General of the National Trust, held posts at CPRE and the former Council for National Parks, and is also a very keen walker.

Fiona’s lecture will describe the campaign for beauty which has shaped the conservation movement in Britain, born out of the clash between beauty and industrialisation. The campaign led to the establishment of National Parks, nature and countryside protection, the safeguarding of historic buildings and monuments, and the gradual ‘greening’ of farming and forestry policy as these industries, too, industrialised in the twentieth century.

Today there is as stark a choice as in the nineteenth century, as politicians compete for credibility on the economy, making the things we care about but can’t put a material value on vulnerable once again.

In a world now facing climate change, the lecture promotes ‘beauty’ as a way of looking at the world that can help us find solutions to living more sustainably, valuing and protecting the things we depend on that money can’t buy.

Buy your tickets now...

Tickets cost £10 (includes light refreshments). Click here to buy online.

Or contact Julie Gough on julie@friendsofthepeak.org.uk or call (0114) 279 2655.

For directions to the Cantor Building, visit the Sheffield Hallam University website http://www.shu.ac.uk/university/visit/find-us/city.html
 

Location: 9130 Main Lecture Theatre, Cantor Building, Arundel Street, Sheffield Hallam University
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The event is a chance to catch up on the work of the Branch in 2013. We’ll be electing a vice-chair and reviewing the year’s work and our financial situation. This year’s AGM is an opportunity for members to review our further progress towards a more financially sustainable organisation that can still fulfil our core objectives of countryside protection across the Peak District and South Yorkshire.

After the formal business, we are very excited to welcome Christopher Pennell, a distinguished landscape champion who has just been awarded an MBE for his work on heritage conservation in the East Midlands. He was also a trustee of our organisation in the early 2000s and remains a great advocate for our work. In part, he will be reflecting on our 90 years of work in the Peak District and the future for us and the national park. We expect the evening to end by 9pm. This is a public event, so if you’d like to bring a guest, they will be very welcome too.

Click here for more info...

• 2014 AGM Agenda
• 2014 Member's motion on Recruitment
• 2013 AGM Minutes

Light refreshments will be available.

Location: Victoria Hall, 37 Stafford Road
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Once again the trans-Pennine trunk route through Longdendale, between the M67 in Greater Manchester and the M1 in Sheffield is on the Highway Agency's agenda. So once again our beloved Peak District National Park and the stunning countryside around it are threatened with bisection by a band of tarmac and speeding traffic.

The A628 corridor, one of the ‘most notorious and long-standing road hotspots in the country’ is now the subject of a feasibility study to investigate the problems along the route and is in danger of becoming a dual carriageway or even a motorway if local councils have their way.

A vast amount of work has been done on the trans-Pennine routes over the last 20 years but sadly the majority adopted a ‘predict and provide’ approach towards traffic growth (which has failed to materialise), failed to address freight movements, local journeys or visitor trips to the Peak District National Park, and failed to look at a comprehensive suite of measures or to examine synergy between a number of measures.

We would be prepared to welcome yet another study of the issues but this one is unclear about what it is trying to achieve – is it trying solve local congestion in Mottram Hollingworth and Tintwistle, reduce accident numbers or connect the connurbations on other side of the Pennines with a fast all weather route?

Despite traffic on the A628 interacting significantly with the M62 only 12 miles further north, the M62 is excluded from the study. But most heinously the Highways Agency has virtually ignored the major environmental constraint, the National Park, which has lead the Chief Executive of the Park to express his extreme disappointment.

It is because of the National Park that small scale sustainable measures have to be shown to fail before any grandiose schemes for highways can come into play. To date very little has been done to improve conditions along the route. What is needed is implementation of measures that address the fundamental problems. Every day local car commuters meet long distance lorries within the western villages and create a traffic jam of 36,000 vehicles on the A57/A628 trunk road.

Smarter choice measures that get people using the buses and trains or walking and cycling for short journeys would do much to relieve traffic flows, 30% of which are locally generated. These, coupled with a weight restriction of 7.5t along the route to divert lorries onto the motorway network around the Peak District or a low emissions zone over the whole of the Park, would free up road space. In order to prevent it re-filling with cars some form of restraint based on traffic signals, slower speeds, or average speed control would be required. The £100million earmarked by Greater Manchester for the area would go a long way to covering the costs of all this. And if a fast all-weather route connecting Manchester and Sheffield is the aim then the planned upgrade of the Hope Valley railway line is a more realistic solution.

Hiding the traffic in the Victorian railway tunnels is one suggested option but this would deliver only three underground miles whilst the cost of ‘cutting and covering’ the remaining 10 miles in the Park would be prohibitive.

Over 40 years Friends of the Peak District have fought for the right solution to these traffic problems. With our allies we have seen off a motorway, a dual carriageway and a bypass. We have lobbied for small scale measures before any consideration is given to road building. The Peak District is worth so much more than a few minutes saved by each driver on a faster road.

But we do not need more road space – we need to manage existing road space better with people travelling by more sustainable means.

Anne Robinson, Friends of the Peak District & CPRE South Yorkshire

 

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Friends of the Peak District will submit its responses to the High Peak Local Plan consultation on Monday 23rd June.

We have spent the last few weeks hard at work on a detailed evidence paper that will support our responses to the draft plan and also set the scene for our work on the Public Examination that will follow later in the year. The central message of our paper is that the proposal for 7,200 new homes in the High Peak by 2031 is unsustainable and not justified by the evidence. Even if the total number is correct - which we don't think it is - then the biggest problem is that most of the new homes will be open market houses. They will be built on sites around the edges of Glossop, Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Whaley Bridge, encroaching into the countryside. They won't meet the housing needs of local people, and the planned housing provision is totally out of scale with the employment forecasts.

Instead they will attract commuters and people retiring from Greater Manchester. The effects will be to create lots more traffic congestion and suburban sprawl, damage the landscape, use up land that could be used for affordable homes and possibly push the price of market housing even further out of reach of most local people. The additional traffic will also scupper any chance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

To be fair, this is not really the fault of High Peak Borough Council: it is the Government's obsession with numerical housing targets and their blind faith in the private housebuilders to fix the housing crisis that are causing the problem. The draft Local Plan sets out a long list of objectives that we could support, and would make the Borough more sustainable, and then throws in a housing supply policy that blows all the other policies apart. The Council recently published an Equality Impact Assessment, which echoed this concern that the housing supply policy may worsen social and economic inequalities. We believe that the Council should stand up to Government and tell them their housebuilding policies simply won't work, especially in an area that stands right on the cusp between a major conurbation and beautiful, precious landscapes, and whose needs for economic regeneration can never be met by commuters. We are also working with national CPRE to lobby central Government on this issue.
 

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Friends of the Peak District condemns two decisions by the Government's Planning Inspectorate to allow almost 250 houses to be built on the edge of Glossop as evidence that localism is dead.

An application for 93 homes at Dinting Road, that will narrow the gap between Glossop and Hadfield, had been refused by High Peak councillors last year amid fervent campaigning by local residents. Soon afterwards, again following a vocal campaign by the community a further 150 homes at North Road were refused due to impacts on wildlife.

In both cases, the developers appealed to the Secretary of State, and in both cases a planning inspector decided that the need to build hundreds of new homes in High Peak outweighed other concerns. Both schemes are now set to go ahead.

"In Glossop, as in so many other places across the country, we see the coalition Government's promise to give local people more control over the planning decisions affecting them was completely hollow," said Andrew Wood from Friends of the Peak District. "House builders now know that whenever a local authority refuses a planning application, they just have to appeal and they'll probably get their way. So much for localism. These decisions prove that controversial planning decisions have been nationalised."

The decisions come at a time when High Peak's residents are being consulted on the draft Local Plan. "Not only have these appeal decisions pre-empted the Local Plan," continued Andrew Wood, "they have also strengthened the hand of house builders who persuaded Government that building on greenfield sites will fix our housing crisis. This is not true: all it will do is create more sprawling suburbs, more traffic congestion and more damage to the countryside. Meanwhile, communities are increasingly alienated by planning being done to them, rather than for them."

The High Peak Local Plan consultation closes on 23rd June. There is another speculative planning application, at Linglongs Road, Whaley Bridge, which people can object to now by visiting www.highpeak.gov.uk, and there will be more to come. You have been warned!
 

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Isabella Stone, our current Chair of Friends of the Peak District and CPRE South Yorkshire, will be stepping down in July. So we’re looking for someone to help us safeguard the landscapes of the National Park and South Yorkshire.

We’re looking for someone who is comfortable in an ambassadorial role; is strongly committed to the charity and its objectives; and has the time to commit to conduct the role well.

In terms of experience, we’d like someone with experience of operating at a strategic leadership level with a successful track record of achievement through their career and experience of external representation, delivering presentations and managing stakeholders

If you would be interested in working with us, and would like to know more, please contact our Deputy Chair, John Lambert, on 07967 149215 or john.s.lambert@me.com
 

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We recently campaigned strongly against a proposed housing scheme at North Road, Glossop by Gladman Developments, and we are awaiting the outcome of an appeal in that case. Gladman have recently also submitted an application for 107 dwellings at Linglongs Road, Whaley Bridge, which is also generating much local opposition.

Many local authorities are under pressure, because the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires them to demonstrate a 5 year supply of sites for housing, and if they can’t do so then the housing supply elements of their Local Plan are deemed to be out of date. This triggers a ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ – though of course this is very much open to subjective interpretation. Gladman has a reputation, here and elsewhere in the country, for what has been described as aggressive speculation. They appear to be identifying plots of land in areas without a 5-year housing land supply, and pushing for outline planning permissions. If refused, they appeal, and they are confident of a high success rate at appeal.

To the rational observer it's obvious that this is no way to do planning. For Gladman and for the landowners it makes good business sense, because outline planning permission for housing massively increases the value of a site, but really they are the only winners. The local authority loses, by not being able to focus new housing onto the sites it wants to see developed, and by having to fight appeals at every turn. And communities lose, because they get the wrong development in the wrong places.

The Linglongs Road case shares some crucial similarities with the North Road case. They are both sites that are proposed for housing allocations in the draft High Peak Local Plan, which is currently open for consultation. In both cases, the proposed allocation is highly contentious, with strong objections from local communities, and a recognition by High Peak Borough Council’s own evidence that development of those sites would have significant landscape impact – arguably more so at Linglongs Road, because the site is on the side of a broad slope of the Goyt Valley, that makes it highly visible for miles around.

Very importantly, NPPF states that the greater the ‘unresolved objections’ to a site’s proposed allocation, the less weight its proposed status should be given in the planning process (NPPF para 216) – in other words, until a new Local Plan is adopted those sites should not be considered to be suitable for development. All too often we are seeing these most hotly contested sites coming forward now, pre-emptively, well ahead of much less controversial sites: that’s why, in our view, no planning applications should be determined on those sites until the new Local Plan has been completed.

In any case, the proposals for Linglongs Road contravene a number of other policies in the existing Local Plan that cannot be argued to be out of date. In particular, there is Policy GD4 which requires development to be sympathetic to the character of the area and to the wider landscape: it is inconceivable that a large new housing estate in this visually prominent spot would not have a detrimental impact. And then there are three transport policies, TR1, TR4 and TR5, which require that new developments should reduce the need to travel and should not present problems of highway safety. Linglongs Road joins onto the narrow, busy Macclesfield Road close to a bend, and either crossing the road as a pedestrian, or negotiating the junction as driver, is not for the faint-hearted. Adding a large volume of additional traffic to this junction would, very simply, be dangerous.

Finally it must be remembered that this is an outline planning application: this only establishes the principle of developing the site for housing, and leaves all other relevant matters, including layout, design and affordability, open to renegotiation at a later stage. Consequently the proposed layout, including open space provision, and the declared intention to provide 30% affordable housing, must be taken with a large pinch of salt. Really the application is purely asking two questions:
1)    Can the site accommodate 107 dwellings sustainably?
2)    Is the proposed single point of vehicular access via Linglongs Road acceptable?

In our view, the answer both of these questions is ‘No’.

Our full submission to High Peak BC on this application can be viewed [HERE], and you can still lodge your own objection by visiting http://planning.highpeak.gov.uk and quoting application reference HPK2014/0119.
 

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Friends of the Peak District and National Park leaders have welcomed a Government exemption for English national parks from proposals to allow barn conversions without planning permission.
The announcement was made by Planning Minister Nick Boles MP on the day he visited the New Forest National Park (March 6). The Peak District and all other English national park authorities had appealed for exemption from the proposal to allow farm buildings to be converted or demolished to make way for up to three houses, a school or nursery without planning permission.
Lesley Roberts, who chairs the Peak District National Park’s planning committee, welcomed the move: “I’m very pleased that national parks – the green lungs of this country – will be protected from the creeping suburbanisation that this move would have brought.
“Traditional farm buildings are an integral part of our landscape and heritage which we were set up to safeguard, and which bring huge benefits for tourism and local jobs.
“It’s not that we oppose the re-use of redundant farm buildings – we have through the current planning system approved many conversions to houses and business units where appropriate and sustainable. I’m pleased we’ll be able to continue to consider these on a case-by-case basis, and the doors have not been opened to uncontrolled development in national parks.”
Peak District National Park chief executive Jim Dixon added: “We are delighted that Planning Minister Nick Boles MP listened to the strength of the argument we made from the national parks and has reflected our special role in guiding good development in the landscape.
“We are keen to work with farmers and landowners to seek positive opportunities to help develop the rural economy.”
The exemption will cover national parks and officially designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
-end-
Media inquiries to: Barbara Crossley, communications officer, Peak District National Park Authority, 01629 816389 or barbara.crossley@peakdistrict.gov.uk

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Support the Friends!
With thanks to University of Derby students, we're offering three fantastic routes at our annual fundraising Magnificent Walk event. All routes will start in Buxton at the University's outdoor education centre: Oaklands Manor (on the A5004, old Manchester Road).

Our MAGNIFICENT walks:

• Fabulous Four - 4 miles
  A gentle stroll in the woodlands around Buxton with (optional!) nature based activities for younger walkers and families. Registration: 9.30-10.30am.

• Excellent Eight - 8 miles
  We'll bus you to Pym Chair, from where the route stays high with spectacular views of three counties. Along the ridge to Shining Tor, down Stake Side ridge to Errwood Reservoir, round Bunsal Cob and along a dismantled railway with a panoramic view across the Goyt Valley, then back via The Beet. Registration: 9am-10am.

• Tremendous Twenty - 20 miles 
  This challenging walk will take you through interesting and varied landscapes in three Counties, much of it at high level with extensive views: via the Goyt Valley, Errwood Hall, Shining Tor, Cat & Fiddle, Three Shire Heads, Gradbach, Danebridge, Lud's Church and the Roaches, ending at the Winking Man pub for transport back to the Centre. Registration: 8.30-9.30am

Cost: £10 for adults (£12 on the day). Children (under the age of 16) free. But please feel free to donate more!

Join a group: if you want to walk in a group with a leader on the Tremendous Twenty mile walk, just let us know.

Coffee/tea and breakfast butties (£2.50 each) will be available at the beginning of the walk, and coffee/tea and cakes at the end.

All proceeds will support our work to protect the magnificent Peak District.

For more information call 0114 279 2655 or email julie@friendsofthepeak.org.uk
 

For Top Tips and what you'll need to bring, click here.

For somewhere to stay while you're in the area: www.visitpeakdistrict.com

With special thanks to James Mitchell and his team at the University of Derby.

Location: Oaklands Manor, University of Derby, Buxton
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~ Letter to Planning Minister Nick Boles MP.

Ten charities, including FPD, have sent an open letter to Planning Minister Nick Boles MP, urging him to exempt National Parks from proposals to allow redundant barns to be converted into housing without planning permission. The Government is expected to make a decision imminently on proposals which have attracted widespread opposition from the National Park sector.

The open letter was co-ordinated by the Campaign for National Parks and is also signed by all nine of the Friends’ groups who campaign locally to protect and enhance the National Parks of England. Signatories are deeply concerned that uncontrolled development could lead to significant harm to the natural beauty and special qualities of National Parks which contain a high number of redundant agricultural buildings. For example, there are around 4500 field barns in the Yorkshire Dales National Park; many of which are in locations where residential use would require intrusive and unsightly new access routes and power lines. The letter argues that the new permitted development rights should not be introduced anywhere, but most importantly, not within National Parks.

Anne Robinson, Chairman of the Campaign for National Parks, says: “These proposals would undermine the Government’s existing commitments to protect National Parks and could lead to pockets of suburbia in areas which are much loved for their open space, natural beauty and tranquillity. We recognise that National Parks are living, working landscapes and fully support the appropriate change of use of old buildings but it is essential that this happens in a managed way through the planning system. This proposal is also contrary to the Government’s support for localism as it undermines the policies which National Park Authorities have developed in consultation with their local communities.”

The letter also highlights the potential impact on wildlife. Many redundant agricultural buildings, including modern structures, are home to wildlife such as bats, which are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The proposed changes will remove the ability of National Park Authorities to alert those undertaking conversions to the requirements of this Act so that they can undertake wildlife surveys where appropriate. Allowing demolition and rebuilding on the same site means an even greater threat to protected species and habitats.
 

Read the open letter to Nick Boles.

ENDS
For enquiries regarding this press release, please contact Ruth Bradshaw at the Campaign for National Parks. Email: ruthb@cnp.org.uk, Tel:  07949 665 023.

Notes for Editors:
The Campaign for National Parks is the only national, voluntary sector organisation campaigning to protect and promote the 13 National Parks of England and Wales. Established for over 75 years, it is an umbrella of nearly 50 environmental and amenity organisations, and aims to give the voluntary sector a shared vision and voice on all National Park issues. Read the Campaign for National Parks’ response to the consultation.

The open letter to Nick Boles was signed by the Campaign for National Parks and all nine of the National Park Societies in England (Broads Society, Dartmoor Preservation Association, Exmoor Society, Friends of the Lake District, Friends of the Peak District, New Forest Association, North York Moors Association, South Downs Society and the Yorkshire Dales Society). National Park Societies are independent voluntary organisations whose members help to look after the National Parks.

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~ Friends of the Peak District have spoken out against a housebuilder in Glossop who is riding roughshod over the planning process and the wishes of local residents.

Gladman Developments recently appealed against High Peak Borough Council's decision to refuse them planning permission to build 150 houses on green field land at North Road, just outside Glossop. The inquiry appeal opens in Glossop on February 11th. Yet Gladman have also submitted a second, almost identical planning application that will be considered by High Peak's Planning Committee on 17th February.

"This is a classic 'twin-tracking' tactic designed to bully the local Council into approving the second application to avoid fighting the appeal on the first one," said Andrew Wood, Friends of the Peak District's Planning Officer. "It's perfectly legal, but it's a nasty way to do business and we hope that the Council gives it short shrift it deserves."

"The site at North Road is being considered for future housing development through the new Local Plan, and allowing a planning permission now would undermine the Council's lengthy consultations with High Peak residents on the pros and cons of different sites," Andrew Wood continued.

"It's the wrong development in the wrong place," said Elizabeth Strek from the North Road Residents' Group, who recently organised a large public meeting to share local people's worries about the scheme. "It would allow Glossop to sprawl out into the countryside, it's too far from the shops and services and it would generate a lot of extra road traffic. And because the land is high the new houses would really loom down on the adjoining housing on Heath Road."

"We feel like we're up against a developer who is happy to exploit the system to get what they want," continued Elizabeth Strek, "and that's not something local residents can understand or compete with".

Locals may still object to the second application, reference HPK/2013/0648, by writing or emailing to High Peak Borough Council. They can also ask for the North Road site (known as G6) to be removed from the Local Plan, as this is part of an additional consultation that is open until 10th February.

 

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~ We launched our ‘Take Back the Tracks’ campaign three years ago when an increase in 4x4, trail bike and quad bike activity was endangering vulnerable Peak District landscapes including Rushup Edge and Stanage. At that time our policy was to promote better management through consensus rather than apply restrictions to routes which had legal rights for motorised vehicle users. Only on the most environmentally sensitive routes did we campaign for closure. 

However, due to escalating damage on an increasing number of routes it became clear that current legislation is ineffective to control the situation. Consequently, we have now changed our policy to campaign for a change in the law to make all off-roading by motorised vehicle users in the National Park illegal.

Despite welcome changes in rights of way law within the CRoW Act (2000) and NERC Act (2006), off-road vehicles continue to use routes (both legally and illegally) which, due to their location and condition, cannot sustain such use. The adverse physical condition of some routes can make them impassable to walkers, horse riders and cyclists. If they can still pass their enjoyment is marred by noise and conflicts between them and off-roaders. There can also be serious impacts on wildlife, soil erosion and land management, particularly where irresponsible off-roaders drive off tracks and onto open moorland. 

Tools for addressing these impacts range from repairing and maintaining damaged routes to applying traffic restraint orders (TROs) that limit vehicle use to a more acceptable level or ban their use completely. Within the National Park the Authority can instigate TROs on the grounds of improving amenity and/or protecting the environment. However in the six years since the Authority has been able to apply TROs only two have been pursued to completion. The only highway authority initiated permanent TRO in the National Park on a lane where the vehicular use has been considered unsustainable is one that limits width on Washgates. Instead the duty to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of vehicular and other traffic prevails and the route is repaired. Both the bureaucratic procedures for TROs and recurrent maintenance are resource hungry and costly, and to date have not addressed inappropriate use of sensitive routes. As the damaging impacts of vehicle use and conflict between users are escalating we now believe that in the National Park all unsealed rights of way (Byways Open to All Traffic and Unclassified County Roads) should become Restricted Byways and lose their rights of way for motorised vehicle users. When an opportunity arises the Friends will seek to change the law, as it applies within the National Park, such that all off-road motorised vehicle use is made illegal.

Until the law changes as it applies to the National Park, and outside the National Park in High Peak and in South Yorkshire, our policy remains one of addressing the most sensitive routes and preserving the majority of routes for ‘quiet enjoyment’ by foot, horse or bike, depending on the status of the right of way.
 

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~ A fascinating evening with Dave Turnbull, BMC Chief Exec.

Dave took up climbing in 1985 and has been BMC CEO since 2002.  He has climbed in 20 or so countries and is perhaps best known for his exploratory new routes in Scotland and South West England.  In 1997 he made a free ascent of the Longhope Route, Orkney with John Arran and in 2011 he climbed a 7 day route on Gojung (6300m) in Nepal with Mick Fowler.  His recent trip to the Fitzroy / Cerro Torre massif with Stuart McAleese and Dan Donovan in January this year, coincided with one of the best spells of good weather Patagonia has seen in a decade - and he has the photos to prove it.

£5 entry

Check out BMC's interview for the low-down on "Captain Dave".

Location: The Lescar, Hunters Bar
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~ CPRE has spoken out against house builders' demands to develop swathes of Green Belt land around Rotherham.
 
At the Rotherham Local Plan Examination in Public, which closes today (Friday), big housing developers including Taylor Wimpey and Ackroyd & Abbott have repeatedly called for 'big and early' releases of sites from the Green Belt, that would allow large-scale house building in the countryside in places like Dinnington, Wickersley and Treeton.
 
CPRE's planning officer, Andrew Wood, said "We may need more housing in South Yorkshire but it must be in the right places. This means concentrating on brownfield sites and achieving much better public transport. Letting new housing sprawl out into the countryside just makes matters worse, by not recycling derelict sites and housing people further and further away from public services."
 
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council needs to plan to build 14,500 new homes by 2028, and some of these will need to be on greenfield sites. However, CPRE has called for a 'phased approach' that ensures brownfield sites in Waverley and central Rotherham are developed first, and greenfield sites are only developed if and when they are really needed. Representatives of the house building industry have lobbied for just the opposite: a big and early release of greenfield sites that will inevitably eat into the countryside and reduce Rotherham's focus on recycling its former industrial sites.
 
"The house builders claim that building in the Green Belt will fix the housing crisis," Andrew Wood said, "but in reality they simply have their eyes on juicy development sites. The real crisis is in affordable housing, and these proposals do very little to address that."
 

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Locals and visitors alike enjoyed a green weekend on 12-13 October when buildings across the Peak District opened their doors to the public as part of the Friends of the Peak District’s Green Buildings Open Up Weekend.

In spite of rain, mist and fog, hardy visitors turned up at green venues across the Peak District to find out what all the fuss was about.

They were treated to tours and presentations by farmers, home owners and community members, all of whom had been involved in innovative green buildings projects.

Combs Village Hall provided a focus for the ‘quarry corridor’ of the Peak District, showing how a village hall and infant school could lower their bills and save precious natural resources by embracing green technology. Meanwhile, Over Haddon Village Hall showed off its range of green technologies including photovoltaic tiles, air source heat pump, water collection, and state of the art heating control system.

In the central Peaks, visitors were wowed by small scale hydro schemes in Ashford in the Water, Alport and Calver. For a few minutes, water stopped running over the renovated mill wheel at the old corn mill in Calver, and visitors were able to explore the mechanism and underground workings of this fantastic green renovation project undertaken by Professor Bill Speirs and his neighbour.

Hopton Hall also welcomed scores of visitors from across the Peak District who were interested in biomass. Installed by Purple Energy, the biomass scheme at Hopton Hall has helped significantly reduce the estate’s carbon footprint. Purple Energy were present on the day to answer questions and advise visitors as to the best green technology to suit their needs.

Other highlights from the weekend include the Torrs Hydro scheme in New Mills, a community owned archimedean screw which was open to the public on both days, and which even had musical accompaniment from a local school choir on Sunday afternoon. Another highlight was Big Fernyford Farm, a National Park property which has been renovated in a manner sensitive to both the environment and surrounding landscape.

Profiles of all the green buildings involved in the Open Up Weekend can be found online at www.green-buildings.org.uk
 

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HSBC staff recently swapped their comfy office for a blustery day outdoors helping to raise awareness of the Friends of the Peak District by delivering 4,000 leaflets door to door in the heart of the Peak District.

HSBC provides all employees in the UK with one day's annual leave entitlement to volunteer for the Bank's national charities or their charity of choice. "We all wanted to get involved as we genuinely care for the Peak District countryside and we want to help protect it." said HSBC staff co-ordinator, Caroline Surplice.

Team members involved in the mail drop commented: “What rain?  It was great to be outdoors for the day, although we'd forgotten how many steps and hills we’d have to climb! But it was less hilly that last year (we got Matlock!), we had a great day and the Eyam tea rooms are an excellent stopping point!"

The Friends of the Peak District is the only charity dedicated to caring for and protecting the Peak District countryside. It is an area enjoyed by millions of visitors each year but remains vulnerable to damage and a number of threats. “We’re only a small charity” said Friends Director, Andy Tickle, “and rely heavily on volunteers to help us get our message across. This support from HSBC is fantastic and hugely appreciated."

"It feels good to be involved in something close to home but very important for our local countryside" said Caroline, "The people we met during our day were all really friendly and very supportive of what we were doing. And the local cafes were wonderful too - which was another bonus!"
 

Location: Hope Valley
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Call to arms for a new charter to stop destruction of the English countryside

In a recent analysis of emerging and adopted Local Plans CPRE has found that at least 500,000 new houses are planned on greenfield sites.

‘Precisely at the moment when we should be defending the countryside, and making it more accessible because it gives us all what we need more freely than anything else under the sun – we are at grave risk of losing it. It is time to stand up for the countryside, to replace the developers’ charter with a people’s charter’ - CPRE President Sir Andrew Motion.

As the evidence mounts that Government planning reforms are not working the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) have launched a three point charter to ‘Save our Countryside’. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was intended to simplify planning and get houses built but the reforms have not delivered the housing people need, and are instead causing harm to communities and landscapes.

CPRE believes that unsustainable and increasing pressure is being placed on the countryside, and sensible planning is undermined by short-sighted pursuit of economic growth at any cost.

CPRE’s charter demands are:
•    Don’t sacrifice our countryside - Our open spaces are being destroyed unnecessarily. Previously developed brownfield land should be re-used first to protect the beauty and tranquillity of our countryside and breathe new life into our towns and cities.

•    A fair say for local communities - Local people are increasingly unable to stop the destruction of their towns and countryside. The cards are stacked in favour of powerful developers. We want a democratic planning system that gives communities a much stronger say in the future of their area.

•    More housing, in the right places - The country urgently needs more affordable homes for our rising population, including in villages and market towns.  But they must be sensitively located; with excellent environmental standards and high quality design that enhances local character. 

Successive governments have failed to protect the countryside. Since 1989, on average, 67 square kilometres of undeveloped land, or an area larger than the city of Southampton, has been lost every year to development.

In a recent analysis of emerging and adopted Local Plans CPRE has found that at least 500,000 new houses are planned on greenfield sites. If these houses were built at the average densities of recent years it would result in the further loss of over 150 square kilometres of green fields. This is at a time when it is estimated that there are brownfield sites available for over 1.5 million homes.

CPRE recognises that we need more houses, including affordable housing in rural areas, but to be sustainable they must be in the right places, rather than granted planning permission regardless of the environmental consequences.

‘A beautiful countryside, better places to live and economic prosperity all rely on good planning, which in turn depends on giving people a proper say in what development should go where.

‘Ministers must listen to the anger of communities who currently feel ignored, and so we will be asking our local MPs to support to our charter and show that they understand the very real concerns of the electorate.’  

Sir Andrew Motion concluded:  ‘I hope everyone who loves England’s beautiful, unique countryside - our great inheritance - will support CPRE’s charter to Save our Countryside. 

Speak out for the countryside, sign our Charter now.
 

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The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has published visualisations of High Speed 2's (HS2) construction and operational impacts [1]. The charity is using them to highlight the need to work harder to minimise damage to the most unspoilt parts of the countryside.
 

Maps available at: www.hs2maps.com
 

Ralph Smyth, Senior Transport Campaigner for CPRE says: 'Current noise and compensation laws [2] focus just on the impact to people's homes. While this is very important it means less attention is given to reducing the impact of new infrastructure on more sparsely populated areas of our countryside. Tranquil areas are important to people and nature; we need to defend them.
 

'CPRE's new HS2 maps show how HS2 could intrude on peaceful parts of countryside. Protecting these special areas may simply mean filling a gap in noise barriers between two villages, so that footpaths benefit as well as back gardens. But it may mean thinking again about the height and alignment of the route.'
 

CPRE is highlighting three sections of the route as examples.

• Waterton Park, West Yorkshire: the eastern arm of phase 2 would pass on  a viaduct and embankments, near the site of what is believed to be the world's first nature reserve, as well as popular reservoirs.
• Trent Valley, Staffordshire: the western arm of phase 2 would pass on long viaducts within earshot of the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
• Danes Moor, Northamptonshire: the section of phase 1 with the heaviest noise footprint would pass near the site of the Battle of Edgecote Moor, a turning point in the War of the Roses. 

CPRE will be demonstrating its new mapping to rail minister Simon Burns, MP, on 20 August [3] to make the case for better protection of the countryside.
 

Smyth concludes: 'Our maps will be able to show you what the impacts along HS2's route [4] may be if you were walking or living in the countryside in August 2023 when HS2 is being constructed, or even in 2033 when it would be operating. They show that much more needs to be done so that the process of constructing HS2 does not disrupt rural communities and destroy country roads.  They also suggest how the final design of HS2 can be improved so that the new railway, if it is built, is  something the country can be proud of in decades to come.'
 
Notes
[1] ITO World Ltd (ITO) is UK company based in Ipswich that specialises in the production of stunning maps and visual effects for better understanding and analysing complex transport data.
[2] The 2002 Environmental Noise Directive calls for 'the protection of quiet areas in open country' but the relevant part of it has not yet been implemented. CPRE is concerned that unless action is taken now to future-proof HS2 to ensure it meets environmental laws likely to be in force when it trains are proposed to start running, it will be too late to make the necessary design changes.
 [3] CPRE has been given 15 minutes to present the new maps when meeting the minister at the HS2 Ministerial Roundtable, of which CPRE is a leading member. More information about the meetings is available here: www.hs2.org.uk/developing-hs2/forums/environment-forum
[4] Detailed information is not yet available for phase 2 of the route as the Government is currently consulting on the alignment.
 

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A major project to put overhead power cables underground and enhance the landscape around the village of Edensor has been completed in a joint project between Western Power Distribution (WPD), the Peak District National Park Authority and Friends of the Peak District, with assistance from the Chatsworth Estate.

Over 2km of power lines have been removed and replaced with underground cables, restoring the beauty of the area.
 

The works are being funded through a government backed initiative  to enhance our protected landscapes, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks, by removing electrical infrastructure like overhead lines. 

WPD has worked closely with steering groups with representatives from the National Park and Friends of the Peak District to identify suitable sites for consideration.
 

Christian Hjelm, Consents and Wayleaves Manager for Western Power Distribution said: “Working with the groups  has been helpful to pinpoint high priority schemes and enable the limited funds to be spent as effectively as possible.”
 

Jane Chapman, assistant director for land management in the Peak District National Park, said: "We appreciate the work of the electricity distribution companies to enhance the Peak District landscape by undergrounding cables and we are very pleased to be able to provide advice and support.  Visually intrusive lines and poles are now being removed and I hope residents and many thousands of visitors will enjoy this significant improvement to the views in this beautiful area.”
 

Andy Tickle, Director of Friends of the Peak District said: “This is a great initiative – it continues to receive strong support from the public and working in partnership with Western Power and the National Park Authority means a real win-win for our precious landscapes and locals alike”.
 

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The National Park Authority has banned off-roaders from the Roych - success! This route, which forms part of the magnificent Pennine Bridleway, has been seriously damaged by offroading, and was one of our three big campaign objectives in our Take Back the Tracks campaign. The others are Chapelgate and Long Causeway.

See also the NPA's press release: http://collateral.vuelio.uk.com/RemoteStorage/peakdistrict/Releases/1057/Release.doc

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Broadcaster Simon Groom says “Friends of the Peak District’s annual charity walk is the perfect way to celebrate a magnificent landscape!”

Supporters of the charity that began in Sheffield almost 90 years ago have the chance to take part in a walk with Simon Groom, who began his broadcasting career as a ‘Blue Peter’ presenter, and now works behind the camera as a Producer/Director. There will also be a special tour and treasure hunt around the gardens of stunning Thornbridge Hall at this year’s Friends of the Peak District Magnificent Walk.

“It’s so easy to take the beautiful Peak District for granted and forget how the area is so fragile and vulnerable. Its unique location as a National Park, situated between so many major towns and cities, puts huge pressure on its space, land and wildlife.

Friends of the Peak District is the only charity dedicated to caring for and protecting the Peak District countryside. They have asked me to join them at this year’s event and I encourage anyone whose has an appreciation or enjoyment of the Peak District to take part in one of their three walks and help the charity in protecting these beautiful landscapes” said Simon, Vice-President of the charity.

There is a choice of three different walks, so everyone can take part:

·         The Magnificent Marathon – a 25 mile whistlestop tour through some of the Peak District’s finest countryside, including Chatsworth Park, Derwent Valley, Baslow and Curbar Edges and Frogatt Wood.

·         The Great 8 Miles - a more leisurely walk that takes in some different and truly stunning views of Monsal Dale.

·         The Three Cake Challenge - a short relaxing walk, suitable for even the smallest of feet, with three cake stops on route. Taking in the Monsal Trail and exclusive access to the gardens of Thornbridge Hall, for a treasure hunt. 

“I’m absolutely delighted to be joining Friends of the Peak District’s Magnificent Charity Walk on 13 April. I’m so keen to support the vital work that the charity does in making sure that the Peak District is nurtured and protected for everyone to enjoy – now and in the future,” added Simon Groom.

Friends of the Peak District’s Magnificent Charity Walk is on Saturday 13 April at Thornbridge Hall, near Ashford in the Water. To find out more, please go to www.friendsofthepeak.org.uk or phone 0114 279 2655.

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Stop plans to run Manchester Airport relief road next to national park.

We are urging the Department of Transport to throw out plans for a new relief road from Manchester Airport running to the A6 at Hazel Grove on the outskirts of the Peak District National Park,

Plans are currently being assessed by the Department for Transport for creating a dual carriageway link road from Manchester Airport to the A6 Buxton Road near Hazel Grove, on the western boundary of the Peak District.

Anne Robinson, Vice President of Friends of the Peak District says “These plans would have hugely adverse affects on the national park and surrounding countryside. It actively encourages increased car and lorry freight journeys through a national park whose countryside and residents are already badly affected by high levels of traffic.   If this scheme goes ahead then the A619 and A623 would become attractive alternative routes between the M1 and the M60, M56 and M6. There would also be potentially further increases in traffic on the A619, A623, A624 and A57.

No attempt has been made to examine the impact this increased traffic flow would have on the special qualities of the Peak District National Park. This is despite the fact that increases of up to 33% in 2017 and up to 54% by 2032 are forecast on the A6 Buxton Road which at points is only yards away from the National Park.”

Anne Robinson says “Until we have seen a full examination of the impacts the increased traffic will have on residents and the countryside and how the authorities propose to mitigate against it, we object to these plans. The scheme clearly intends to encourage cross-national park car and lorry commuting to support economic growth in the Manchester City region. Economic growth would be much better achieved through urban regeneration and investment in public transport.”

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Sign our e-petition to keep them safe.

We are joining forces with the Campaign for National Parks to call on the Government to remove a clause from their proposed Growth and Infrastructure Bill which proposes a five year suspension to some of the protection afforded to National Parks.

The Government has recently presented the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, which includes proposals to suspend some of the protection afforded to National Parks for the installation of broadband infrastructure, mainly through the installation of overhead telecoms cables, for a period of five years. The availability of high speed broadband is now vital to the livelihoods of so many businesses and residents based in the Peak District and other rural areas. Our charity is fully supportive of initatives that improve access to this for rural communities. 

The Government claims that the current protection afforded to National Parks is delaying the installation of broadband, but they have failed to demonstrate that this is the case. On the contrary, there are plenty of examples of how superfast broadband is being delivered to the most remote locations in ways that are sympathetic to the environment and our most precious landscapes. 
 

The Bill proposes to allow the installation of communications infrastructure, including overhead telecoms cabling for broadband, without the need for prior approval from the planning authority, for a period of five years

Friends of the Peak District is joining the Campaign for National Parks in calling on the Government to remove Clause 8 from the Growth and Infrastructure Bill.  The proposal represents a dangerous precedent, and implies that protective designations are only for when times are good.  We believe that during the tough times, those of pressure and uncertainly, that the protection of National Parks is more important than ever. The Bill is progressing quickly through the parliamentary process, already in the House of Lords, and we need your urgent support to ensure new laws removing National Park protection are not passed.  We want to stop the installation of unnecessary and unsightly overhead telecoms cabling in National Parks.

Communities have worked closely with regulators over many years to fund and implement programmes to underground unsightly overhead power lines.  Ofgem has recently announced £500m to underground electricity transmission lines in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and £60m has already been allocated to putting electricity distribution lines underground.   The Government’s proposals are a false economy.  Resources saved now represent huge costs for future generations to repair the damage.

If you feel the same way we do, please sign the e-petition here.

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0114 279 2655

Friends of the Peak District
Victoria Hall
37 Stafford Road
Sheffield S2 2SF

Our emails are the same.

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We are urging The Peak District National Park to move forward with a permanent ban to stop vehicles at Chapel Gate after a legal challenge by a trial rider group against the temporary ban was successful.

 

Chapel Gate is a very special ancient packhorse route, rising over the Mam Tor ridge from Edale. It runs through a Special Area of Conservation, a Special Protection Area and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.~

 

Its poor track surface has led all users to avoid the hollow-way and pass over the environmentally sensitive land beside it, causing unacceptable collateral damage and compromising use of the route by all users. In 2011 an 18 month experimental order banning 4x4s and trail bikes from using Chapel Gate was instigated in order to monitor the condition of the route without the impact of motorised vehicles.

A group of recreational trail riders mounted a legal challenge to this experimental order on six grounds, five of which were rejected by the Inspector. However the Judge ruled that the precise wording used in the reasons for the order did not reflect fully the experiment being carried out and so quashed the order, which took immediate effect three months before it was due to end.

Since this ruling in November 4x4 and trail bikes have been legally able to use this route again. The Peak Park is now consulting with local groups on the future management of the route. We have responded and continue to call for the implementation of a permanent order banning all motorised vehicles from using this sensitive route.

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And make a note for Sunday 13 April!

Our Magnificent Walk and Three Cakes Challenge are back again, due to popular demand.

Contact Danny for more details.

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We think that planning Minister Nick Boles’s call to increase the urbanised area of England is provocative and unnecessary - and casts a shadow over at least 25% of our undisturbed countryside.
 
He is calling for an increase in the area of built up land in England to 12% from what he claims is the current figure of 9%. Yet Government figures show that 12% of England’s land area is already built on – the third highest figure in Europe after Belgium and Holland. Research by CPRE has shown that this level of urbanisation has impacts well beyond this area, to the point where only 50% of English countryside is currently perceived to be truly undisturbed by urban intrusion.
 
We agree that we need to build more houses, and that the quality of new house-building should be improved. But we disagree that using more and more green land for house-building will solve current problems with the housing market.
 
There are enough previously developed ‘brownfield’ sites already available for 1.5 million new homes. Mr Boles should forget about unrealistic think-tank schemes to concrete across the countryside, and make it his priority to do more to redevelop these sites, to reuse empty homes for affordable housing and to pressure house-builders to get on with putting up the 400,000 homes for which they already have planning permission.

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Sorry!

Our own supplies of Christmas cards are sold out.

You can still buy them at:

• Chestnut Centre Conservation Park
• Cromford Mill
• Outside Hathersage
• Outside Calver
• Bakewell Tourist Information
• Castleton Visitors Centre
• Moorland Centre
• Upper Derwent Visitors Centre
• Totley Rise Post Office
• Fulwood Post Office
• Stewarts of Bakewell

We've still got some lovely sets of postcards (like the one above) for sale - great for the new year.

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We are celebrating the decision to throw out an appeal by developers to build a water bottling plant at Cowdale Quarry. The Planning Inspector has dismissed Express Park Buxton’s appeal against previous planning decisions made by High Peak Borough Council. The Council rejected the developers’ plans to build a five-hectare factory and distribution centre on the popular greenfield site near Buxton in early 2010 and again in 2011.

We fought both applications along with local people, which were unanimously rejected them because they would be “unsustainable” and “harmful to character and visual appearance of the countryside and special landscape area.” The Council also had concerns about the impact the building would have on the National Park. We've been mobilising support against the developers’ appeal this year.

So we are all letting out a huge sigh of relief that this much loved local green space has been saved once again from development. Plans for a huge factory in the middle of beautiful countryside was refused twice already, so we are absolutely delighted that good planning sense has prevailed again.

The appeal was dismissed on four grounds, including the effect that a new access road would have on the remains of early twentieth century limestone quarry and lime works, which are classified as a scheduled monument.

It is a little bit worrying  that the reasons for refusal other than the harm to the scheduled monument were outweighed by the supposed economic benefits of the water bottling factory. If the scheduled monument did not exist, the Planning Inspector may well have permitted the development. We think that the Planning Inspector’s summary shows that with the Government’s new planning system and drive for economic growth, far less regard is being taken of the damaging effects of development on high quality landscape, ancient woodland and countryside. 

Local people are waiting to see if this is the end of the saga at Cowdale. Express Park Buxton could decide to apply to English Heritage for consent to harm the history quarry and lime works.

The ball is now in the developers’ court. But we hope that they will just give up and leave our countryside alone. We will be keeping a watching brief.

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Good news for our Take Back the Tracks Campaign.

Our lobbying, together with partners such as Rocking the BOAT, Peak District Green Lanes Alliance, the British Horse Society and Peak Horsepower, means that Peak District National Park Authority members have decided that a total ban on all bikes and 4x4s at all times on Leys Lane next to Chertpit Lane near Great Longstone, will be the appropriate option to put out for public consultation.

We also agreed that a partial ban at Brushfield, near the iconic Monsal Dale, with permits allowing occasional use, was worth trialling.

The full consultations are expected to go live soon, so watch this space.

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We've still got tickets left for our great Audience with David Blunkett and Marina Lewycka on Thursday 22 November.

The two famous Peak District fans are meeting to talk about their love of the National Park.

“The one thing that certainly unites men and women of all backgrounds and persuasions, past and present, is the joy of the Peak District. It is the lung which helped so many people to survive though the industrial revolution and beyond, which bring enormous pleasure to millions. I hope to combine a light hearted look at my life with my own genuine love for the glories of walking, talking and breathing God’s air in the Peaks,” said David Blunkett. 

"David Blunkett and I are both passionate about the Peak District, and strong supporters of Friends of the Peak District's campaigns to protect it for everybody. I'm sure we'll have a lot to say, and it'll be hard to stop us once we get going," said Marina Lewycka.

We are absolutely thrilled to have these two local icons supporting our work. It promises to be a fascinating conversation about culture, life and the countryside, and will include a chance for people to ask questions too.

Tickets are £12 and include mint tea and pastries from local caterers Absolutely CousCous. 

Book your ticket now.

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Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who took part in the Peak District National Park Authority's consultations about closing Long Causeway and The Roych to off-roaders. We hope that the results of the consultations will mean that these precious areas are saved from future damage. We don't know the date for the final outcome yet - but will keep you posted. 

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Please don't forget!

You've got until 5pm this Friday 2 November to say yes to the Peak District National Park Authority’s consultation about stopping motor vehicles such as quad bikes, trail bikes and 4x4s driving at the Roych and Long Causeway.

We know that recreational drivers have organised themselves and sent in loads of objections. So numbers count! If you haven’t already supported the proposal, then please email you comments to long.causeway@peakdistrict.gov.uk or roych@peakdistrict.gov.uk
If you have already done this, thank you.  Please will you:
- Ask your friends to email and say yes to the consultation
- Make a donation to Friends of the Peak District so we can continue our work caring for this beautiful place.

Join us in fighting to save these precious places must be saved from off-roading damage.

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The Peak District National Park Authority is consulting on whether trail-bikes, quad bikes and 4x4s should be permanently banned from two key green lanes.

A six-week public consultation is running until November 2 on proposed Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to exclude motor vehicles from the Long Causeway (a 3.6km route between Sheffield and Hathersage) and the Roych (a 3.5km stretch of the Pennine Bridleway near Chapel-en-le-Frith).

Both are former packhorse routes. The Long Causeway crosses the spectacular Stanage Edge, following a route between Redmires and Hathersage. The Roych track is part of the Pennine Bridleway, a national trail dedicated principally to horse-riders, but is also used by cyclists and walkers.

Both are extremely environmentally sensitive areas that have been damaged by off-roading activity. Because of this, we have been campaigning to get them closed to traffic.

The National Park Authority is making the proposals due to damage to the areas through which the routes run, and the effect on other users such as walkers, cyclists and horse-riders and on people who live nearby. They follow a lengthy period of monitoring and attempts to manage vehicle use on the routes.

It has already consulted with the highways authorities, parish councils, recreational user groups and environmental groups – including us. Like us, the majority of these favoured permanent bans.

We are expecting off-roaders to organise thousands of people to say no to the proposals - so It is really important that you let the National Park Authority know that Long Causeway and the Roych should be closed.

View the documents and make your comments now. 

You can see the documents at the Peak District National Park Authority HQ, Aldern House, Baslow Road, Bakewell, DE45 1AE, and send comments to the Rights of Way team at that address.
 

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Our campaign to get the ten miles of overhead wires and pylons that deface Longdendale – one of the grandest valleys in the Peak District – put underground is cranking up a gear.
The regulator OFGEM has just finished consulting on how much electricity consumers should pay for undergrounding over the next eight years, via a “willingness to pay” survey. It has agreed to set up a fund - on a use it or lose it basis - to address the impact of 352 miles of high voltage transmission lines in protected landscapes.

This is great, but so far OFGEM has been ultra conservative and suggested a figure of only £100 millon. This cannot usefully be applied when undergrounding schemes cost between £10 - 25 million per mile. So we are urging OFGEM to think again and increase the allowance significantly.
We have joined forces with CPRE, the Campaign for National Parks and the John Muir Trust to lobby OFGEM to put enough money aside to make widespread pylon removal a reality. We are basing our arguments on evidence from a report prepared by Richard Cowell, an expert academic at Cardiff University.
Applying the fund and choosing where to spend it is also taxing OFGEM. We believe - as do electricity bill payers - that the fund should be spent on those lines nearing the end of their useful life and in need of refurbishment. National Grid has a shortlist of these which include the Stalybridge to Woodhead overhead line in Longdendale.
OFGEM’s consultation has now closed. It will publish its decision on the amount the fund will contain in December 2012.
 

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The Public Inquiry into plans for a water bottling factory at Cowdale Quarry near Buxton has finally finished. The Inquiry initially opened in June, but had to be postponed until September so that all the developer’s witnesses could all be heard.
Express Park Buxton submitted plans to build the factory in 2009, 2010 and 2011. We joined local campaigners in fighting all applications. High Peak Borough Council unanimously rejected them because they would be “unsustainable” and “harmful to character and visual appearance of the countryside and special landscape area.”
Developers then appealed to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate against High Peak’s decision on the second application, resulting in the Public Inquiry.
Our planning officer John King joined local people to give evidence about the terrible impact this ten-hectare water bottling plant and distribution site would have on much-loved countryside on the edge of the National Park. Our thanks also go to everyone who turned up to give their support.
We hope that the appeal is refused on planning grounds as an unwarranted intrusion into the countryside, severe damage to ancient woodland and a scheduled monument, and because it would be built in an area of special landscape adjacent to the Peak District National Park.
However, the development is also being proposed at a time when the Government is pushing for growth and economic benefits are now given more weight in new national planning policy.
The Planning Inspectorate is expected to make a decision in mid November.
 

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The ongoing restoration of Chatsworth, recently covered in the three part TV mini series on Derbyshire's most famous stately pile, is now potentially in conflict with preserving local landscapes.

The Chatsworth House Trust is now consulting on a proposal to re-open an old quarry in Burnt Wood above Beeley. This is to supply replacement stone for the house over the coming years.

We support small scale quarrying for heritage restoration, and where the impacts on the landscape can be controlled - see our small scale quarrying policy for details. We'll be looking at the full planning application when it is made in the autumn.

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The Peak District National Park Authority has announced its intention to use Traffic Regulation Orders to close Long Causeway at Stanage Edge and The Roych near Chapel-en-le-Frith.

We are absolutely delighted. This is what we’ve been fighting for with our Take Back the Tracks campaign. The National Park Authority is doing exactly the right thing in pursuing TROs for these two lanes. It’s the highest level of restriction you can get – the full bells and whistles! This will mean that no vehicles at all can drive on these precious tracks, and that these sensitive landscapes will finally be protected.

There will now be a six week consultation period before a final decision can be made about the TROs becoming law.

We urge people to tell the National Park Authority that we definitely need TROs for Long Causeway and The Roych. We know this is something that local people and visitors support. We were at Hathersage Gala last week and in the space of an afternoon, nearly 200 people came and signed our petition calling for TROs at Long Causeway. 

Our Take Back the Tracks campaign is lobbying for key green lanes in the Peak District to be closed to traffic.

So while we are overjoyed that Long Causeway and The Roych are potentially saved, we have our sights on other tracks too including Chapel Gate near Edale. There’s a temporary TRO there, and we are fighting for that to be made permanent too.

The consultation period will start soon - so keep an eye here, on our Facebook page or on the Peak District National Park Authority's website.
 

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The Peak District National Park Authority is meeting on Friday 20 July to announce its intention to close Long Causeway at Stanage Edge and The Roych near Chapel-en-le-Frith to all traffic. 
 
The National Park Authority has already consulted with key interest groups about the option of issuing Traffic Regulation Orders which would make it illegal for any vehicles to use the tracks. After the meeting on Friday, there will be a six week consultation period before a final decision can be made about the TROs becoming law. 
 
We think this is great news, and something we have been fighting hard for with our Take Back the Tracks campaign. We identified Long Causeway as one of our priority tracks. It runs through one of the Peak District’s most iconic and sensitive places – Stanage Edge – and has been ravaged by 4x4 drivers and trail bikes. Closing it permanently to traffic is the only way to ensure this important area is protected for the future.
 
Our Take Back the Tracks rally at Long Causeway last summer highlighted the need for action to save the lane from off-roading. As a result, the National Park Authority allocated extra resources to the problem, and pledged to take action. 
 

It’s very clear to us that both Long Causeway and The Roych should be closed to traffic, and we’ve argued for this in our response to the first phase of the consultation. We’ll be there at the meeting on Friday, passionately arguing again for TROs to save these precious green lanes. Please come down and support us. The meeting starts at 10am and is at the Peak District National Park Authority's offices at Aldern House, Bakewell.
 

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High Peak Borough Council is currently preparing its Local Plan - and it is calling for people to get in touch if they know of any land for housing, employment or any other type of development or protection that should be included in it.

High Peak’s Local Plan is replacing its Core Strategy, which has now ceased. This reflects the changes to planning that have come in as part of the Localism Act and National Planning Policy Framework and the introduction of neighbourhood planning which places a new emphasis on the role of communities in shaping development in their areas.

Like the Core Strategy, the new High Peak Local Plan will provide strategic planning guidance on matters such as housing, employment, the natural and historic environment, transport and retail. In addition, the new High Peak Local Plan will now also include details of specific sites identified for future development or protection and related guidance.

High Peak planning dates

September and October 2012

 Local Plan options public consultation to include:
• Borough and sub-area housing targets
• Potential allocations for housing
• Potential land requirements for other developments of significance

February and March 2013

Local Plan preferred option public consultation

September and October 2013

Submission version of Local Plan published – comments invited

May 2014

Local Plan to be examined by an Inspector

To find out more, contact John King - or for more information and to get on High Peak Planning Policy Newsletter mailing list email ldf@highpeak.gov.uk
 

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We are welcoming the Independent Panel on Forestry’s final report, and want to see the Government put all the recommendations into action as soon as possible.

It’s an excellent report setting out an ambitious vision for our woodlands. We know that national parks have got a lot to offer in terms of championing forests and creating new woodland. For instance, here in the Peak District there is a lot of scope for developing clough woodlands and extensions to existing woods in the uplands.

We’re particularly pleased that the Panel has recommended that the public forest estate should remain in public ownership, and that the Government has quickly endorsed that call. Swift action is now needed to increase access to those public woodlands, and to private woods too, as advocated by the Panel.

The real test now is how the Government will act to take forward these ambitious recommendations. Ministers will rightly take time to consider the report, but the six month timetable they have set themselves is long enough. We need to maintain momentum on this issue.  The hundreds of thousands of people who protested against the original sell-off plans will want to see a positive new vision for woods and trees that will guarantee their future for generations to come.

Friends of the Peak District will be championing Peak District woodlands, and working to ensure that any new wood-based economy is in keeping with our distinctive landscapes. Increased woodland management could lead to a less tranquil rural scene and involve development to support it, including: new access roads, saw mills, sheds for storing wood fuel. New buildings in wood may also challenge traditional and vernacular design, and would need to be designed to enhance local identity. We will be making sure that these things are done in a way that is sensitive to the National Park setting whilst supporting opportunities for rural diversification.  
 

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Sorry that rain stopped play and Cliffhanger was cancelled...

Thank you so much to Cotton Grass Theatre, Alpkit and Heason Events for trying to make it happen.

We're just about ready for our story telling teepee at Cliffhanger this Saturday 7 and Sunday 8.

Thanks to all the volunteers, actors and authors who are coming down to support us - and to Alpkit for lending us the teepee.

The tents are up and the haybales for sitting on will be there soon.

Do come down, hear a story, buy one of Saskia's cakes and say hello.

Story telling teepee running order

Saturday

12 noon  Cotton Grass Theatre telling stories

1pm       Cotton Grass Theatre telling stories

2pm       Sarah McNaught

3pm       Berlie Doherty and Alan James Brown

4pm       Mark Wallington

5pm       Sam Priestley

Sunday

12 noon  Cotton Grass Theatre telling stories

1pm       Cotton Grass Theatre telling stories 

2pm       Pauline Chandler

3pm       Phil Coggins

4pm       Linda Lee Welch

5pm       Stephen Booth and Simon Beckett
 

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The Planning Inspectorate decided to cancel the appeal hearing into the scheme for developing Hartington Cheese Factory at very short notice.

Earlier this year, the Peak District National Park Authority refused planning permission for the residential redevelopment of the closed factory. This decision was appealed by the developer who also requested a hearing. This is an informal process managed by an inspector, who will ask questions of the planning authority, applicant and members of the public.

The hearing should have happened today, and would have taken one day. However, the Inspectorate decided that the case requires a more formal examination of the scheme through a Public Inquiry. We think this is potentially good news as it will give a chance for everyone to have a say and for a thorough look at things.

No date has been set yet, but Friends of the Peak District will be there to give evidence to the Inspector about why the scheme should be refused as it stands.  
 

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The latest news from our planning officer John King about the Cowdale Public Inquiry is that it seemed to go well last week – but that this one is going to run and run… probably until September. 

The Planning Inspectorate had set aside seven days for the Inquiry. It took four days last week to hear from High Peak Borough Council, us and the 16 other objectors to plans for the inappropriate bottling plant. Many thanks to all the people who gave evidence about the terrible impact it would have on our much-loved countryside at Cowdale Quarry near Buxton. Thank you also to everyone else who turned up to give their support.

Now the developers, Express Park Buxton, are bringing on ten witnesses to give expert opinions on issues such as the economics of the water industry. With only three days left, the Inquiry will have to resume in September so that all they can all be heard. We think this is unnecessary, both in terms of the content and the number of witnesses.

A decision isn’t expected now until the autumn.

For more information, contact John King.

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Come down and tell the Planning Inspectorate to throw out plans for the water bottling factory at Cowdale Quarry near Buxton once and for all - at the Public Inquiry starting next Tuesday 19 June!

We will be there, and passionately arguing against these plans for an enormous bottling plant in the middle of beautiful countryside on the edge of the National Park. It would be great if as many people as possible turn up to show their support, and tell the Planning Inspectorate how important Cowdale is to them. We have high hopes that compelling evidence combined with a show of local strength will get this appeal rejected.

The Planning Inspectorate will hear evidence and then make a decision whether to accept or reject an appeal from developers to build the ten-hectare water bottling plant and distribution site on the greenfield site.

Express Park Buxton submitted plans to build the factory in early 2010 and again in 2011. Local residents and campaigners including charity Friends of the Peak District fought both applications. High Peak Borough Council unanimously rejected them because they would be “unsustainable” and “harmful to character and visual appearance of the countryside and special landscape area.” The Council also had concerns about the impact the building would have on the National Park.

Developers then appealed to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate against High Peak’s decision on the second application, resulting in the Public Inquiry next week.

The Public Inquiry will hear evidence from a range of people including local residents, parish councils, High Peak Borough Council, the developers, and campaigners including our own John King. It is expected to last for about seven days.

Anyone can attend a Public Inquiry. If you wish to speak, then you must arrive at 10am on Tuesday 19 June to inform the Inspector who will then arrange a timeslot.

The Public Inquiry is at the Palace Hotel, Palace Road, Buxton SK17 6AG.

We are ready for this Public Inquiry. It will give the opportunity for a really thorough examination of the scheme. We want to see it kicked out, and Cowdale saved once and for all!
 

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We are really pleased that the Peak District National Park Authority has just announced that two of the key routes we identified as part of our Take Back the Tracks campaign are being prioritized for restrictions.

The Park Authority is consulting about whether there should be traffice restrictions placed on Long Causeway (between Bamford and Sheffield) and Roych Clough (near Chapel-en-le-Frith).

The  National Park Authority has written to statutory bodies and recreational user groups - including us - to get our views during a 28-day consultation. We think there is strong evidence that motorized use is unsustainable and detracts from most user groups’ enjoyment of the National Park. So we’ll definitely be urging these routes are closed to stop further damage and disturbance.

Once all the relevant bodies have been consulted members of the National Park Authority’s audit, resources and performance committee will consider the issue on 20 July.If they decide some sort of restriction should be considered a proposal and draft order will be prepared. A public consultation will then be held to get the views of individual members of the public during the autumn.The current consultation is potentially the first stage of a lengthy legal process.

We've been lobbying the National Park Authority and Derbyshire County Council to do more to protect our most sensitive green lanes as part of our Take Back the Tracks campaign - and this work is part of the National Park Authority’s recently agreed policy that sets out on managing the use of green lanes by recreational vehicles. The plan focuses on managing 24 priority routes used by recreational vehicles in the Derbyshire part of the national park. Sixteen of these routes have action plans with proposals for their future management. You can see these at www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/priorityroutes

The authority is currently spending an extra £100,000 over two years to deliver the improvements contained in these action plans, tackle illegal use of the countryside by vehicles and improve communications to all users about the issues of managing green lanes.
 

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We are so chuffed - two of our key supporters have won prestigious Octavia Hill Awards from the National Trust.  

Our president Julia Bradbury is the winner of People’s Campaigner Award – a prize that celebrates a person in the public spotlight who has championed an issue or cause.

“I’m thrilled that programmes such as Countryfile and The Great British Countryside have inspired people to get out there and have provoked an interest in our landscape and our truly unique countryside,” said Julia. “The countryside played a huge part in my growing up, and Friends of the Peak District’s work to protect the Peak District is very close to my heart.”

And our trustee Yvonne Witter is runner up of the Inspirational Hero Award which celebrates someone who is inspiring and nurturing the next generation of countryside enthusiasts. Yvonne is also a volunteer Community Champion with the Campaign for National Park’s Mosaic project, which has successfully built links between black and minority ethnic communities, and national parks.

“Many people do not think the outdoors is for them, but I want to encourage everyone. Being a volunteer Mosaic Community Champion and also a trustee with Friends of the Peak District has helped me open up a whole new world to people with visits to beautiful places – especially in the Peak District.” said Yvonne.

We are absolutely over the moon! We are so fortunate to have such brilliant, enthusiastic support from both Julia and Yvonne, so we’re extremely glad their contribution to the countryside is also being recognised by others.
 

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We're celebrating the Peak District National Park Authority’s planning committee's decision today to give permission for two new “super-green, super-screened” houses in Youlgrave.  

The houses will be built into the side of Bradford Dale on the edge of the village. They will be screened from view by the slope of the Dale and by trees. Their design includes modern sustainable features including efficient insulation, passive solar heating, photo voltaic cells, green roofs, and rain water harvesting.

The Authority’s planning committee gave the go-ahead for the earth sheltered dwellings against the recommendations of its own planning officers. The people applying to build the houses already live in the village – and this caused some controversy because the National Park Authority’s planning policies state that new houses can only be built for, and occupied by, local people in need of housing.

Our planning officer, John King, spoke at the committee meeting. 

He argued that although we know this is potentially a tricky one, it means that four local needs dwellings will be added to Youlgrave’s housing stock. The applicants already live in Youlgrave and they want to move into the new houses. But they are willing to sign a legal undertaking to say that the two new houses - and the two houses that they are moving from – will comply with the National Park Authority’s local occupancy rules. So building these two new houses will reap four properties ring-fenced for local people in the future.

The scheme is supported by other people in Youlgrave including the Parish Council, and there were no objections to it.

We think this is a great scheme. The houses have brilliant green design features, and they won’t have any significant impact on the landscape. But best of all, it means more houses for local people, so we think the National Park Authority has made the right decision.

As the proposal is contrary to the Peak District National Park Authority’s planning policy which prevents new dwellings if the occupier isn’t in need of accommodation - the decision must be ratified at the next full Authority Meeting.

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Derbyshire County Council has just announced that Long Causeway is to be legally classified as a Byway Open to All Traffic, or BOAT. The historic three-mile track is part of a centuries-old former packhorse route. It has never been classified before and has therefore always been legitimate for motor use. This new status will continue to give off-roaders the legal right to use it.

Long Causeway crosses Stanage Edge and spectacular moorlands that are highly protected areas for wildlife. It is one of four priority Peak District routes that we have identified as needing the most urgent action.

In some ways this is good news, because it means that the whole question of protecting this iconic green lane is being raised. We can’t argue with the new classification – clearly Long Causeway has been used by horses and carts for centuries so unfortunately, vehicles today have rights there too. But we want this changing! Recreational 4x4 drivers and trail bikers are ripping up this lane, as well as ruining the peace and enjoyment of other people.

We held a protest rally at Long Causeway last summer, demanding that both Derbyshire County Council and the Peak District National Park Authority took action to close the Peak District’s most sensitive tracks to off-roaders. Both authorities are responsible for managing green lanes in the National Park. As a result the Peak District National Park Authority will be looking at vehicle regulation for Long Causeway later this year. We want Derbyshire County Council to follow suit.

Long Causeway should be closed to off-roaders for good. Derbyshire County Council has the power to serve a Traffic Regulation Order here, and that’s what needs to happen.

We have also been lobbying Derbyshire County Council to close Bradley Lane at Pilsley and School Lane at Great Hucklow. Instead of this, the Council has repaired the surface of the lanes. We are really very disappointed about this. It’s a short term and unsustainable solution and we think it's throwing good money after bad! There are compelling reasons for closing them, and we hope that Derbyshire County Council will do the right thing in the long term for all our of our precious green lanes.

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We've got until Thursday 26 April to make comments to the Planning Inspectorate about the appeal for plans to redevelop the former creamery at Hartington.

We joined local people in celebrating when the Peak District National Park Authority unanimously refused planning permission for a development of 39 new houses on the site at Stonewell Lane in January. We successfully argued that this number of new buildings would spill out on to greenfield land beyond the original area of the cheese factory site, and would dominate Hartington.

However the developers, Cathelco of Chesterfield, then appealed to the Government against this decision. The Planning Inspectorate will now make a final decision at an informal hearing, probably in the summer. The Planning Inspectorate is taking comments about the appeal until Thursday 26 April.  

We’re disappointed that Cathelco is carrying on with its plans. Back in January we were part of a terrific groundswell of local opinion against this development because it is so out of scale with this Peak District village. The developers may be making an appeal, but nothing has changed!

We want to see the scheme scaled down, integrated better with the rest of the village and including more affordable houses for local people. A village survey showed that a large majority of residents opposed the scheme but would support up to 20 houses with community facilities.  

We’ll make sure that we will be at the hearing - and fighting for this scheme to be refused. But we need as many people as possible to let the Planning Inspectorate know before 26 April how badly it will damage the landscape and character of Hartington - so please comment at the Planning Inspectorate's website searchng for appeal number 2172196.

 

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THANK YOU so much to over 200 of you who put your best feet forward to raise funds for our crucial work protecting the Peak District yesterday.

180 adults and 50 children joined our Magnificent Charity Walk starting at Thornbridge Hall near Ashford in the Water on Sunday 15 April. This year there was a choice of 3 walks: the 21 Mile Challenge, the Magnificent 7 Miles and the Three Cake Challenge.

Nearly 100 people took part in the Three Cake Challenge, a toddler-friendly route of three miles and including three stops for cake. We handed out over 400 pieces of cake which had been donated by local companies and well-wishers.

Taking part in the Three Cake Challenge were twins Macie and Olivia Hills, aged 2 (above). The twins came from Chesterfield with their grandparents Mary and Steve.
“They absolutely loved it! They walked three-quarters of the way there, and half the way back. There was so much for them to see, and we couldn’t get them back in their pushchair,” said Mary.

The first person to complete the 21 Mile Challenge was David Selkirk, aged 67, who came back in an impressive five hours and 15 minutes.
“I jogged the downhill bits, but I’m not really a runner. As probably one of the oldest people on the walk, I am quite proud of this. I will try and run more next year!” he said.

Mark Tock came in second with a time of five hours and 52 minutes. 

David (left) and Mark (right)

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Do you care about the countryside?
Do you have the skills to be our treasurer? 

This is an exciting opportunity to bring your financial expertise to a highly regarded local environmental charity as part of the team of volunteers who provide governance and direction for our work. Like all charities, we are facing challenging times and need skilled and committed people to work together to secure our future.

Friends of the Peak District and CPRE South Yorkshire campaign to protect, enhance and care for the countryside of South Yorkshire and the Peak District. Our vision is to see our precious landscapes safeguarded and for people to be inspired to love the countryside, so that it always remains beautiful and distinctive.

You will need to understand the role of trustees and have the skills, experience and commitment that will help us achieve our objectives.To find out more about the role please download our information pack or contact Carol Robinson for a chat.

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We're cheering plans published on Friday to save Peak District green lanes from off-roading damage. The Peak District National Park Authority has committed to work on 27 routes in the National Park, including making repairs on some and consulting on road closures on others. 

This is great news! We’ve been campaigning for the National Park Authority to get on with protecting our most sensitive and damaged lanes, so it’s really heartening that it has listened to local people’s concerns and is putting its money where its mouth is. In particular, the action plan identifies five lanes where it will consult with the public about what it calls “vehicle regulation”:

• Long Causeway at Stanage Edge
• Cherpit Lane at Great Longstone
• The Roych near Chapel-en-le-Frith
• Brough Lane above Bamford
• Brushfield, near Monsal Head

Long Causeway and the Roych are the current top two lanes we’ve been lobbying to save as part of our Take Back the Tracks campaign. Work on these is really urgent because the damage is so terrible, and the landscapes here are particularly environmentally sensitive. However, the action plan does not specify what kind of vehicle regulation the National Park Authority will be consulting on.

The National Park Authority may suggest a number of options including seasonal restrictions or just making lanes one-way. We want bold action – and the most sensitive lanes closed to all recreational vehicles for good! Our precious green lanes need saving properly, and permanently.

Individual route action plans for routes identified as being in most urgent need of improved management are now available on www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/priorityroutes

This is by no means a done deal. If you care about your countryside, please look out for the consultations and have your say.

The consultations are due to start this summer.
 

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One of our brilliant volunteers, Rachel, and her son Bruce, are gearing up for our magnificent fundraising walk…and eating cakes in the Peak District.

Rachel Rennie has volunteered with us for about a year, giving invaluable help with fundraising and events. She grew up in Litton, and has moved back there with her three year old son Bruce. Rachel recently graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a degree in Geography and Town Planning

“I moved to the Peak District when I was five years old and I have loved it ever since. I love the way the landscapes change so dramatically in different weather and seasons. I never take the beauty of this area for granted and I got involved with Friends of the Peak District because I wanted to help protect the Peak District from threats to the countryside and its communities,” she says.

Rachel and Bruce are taking part in our annual Three Cakes Challenge on Sunday 15 April. The three mile route along the Monsal Trail includes three cake stops, and ends with a treasure hunt and chance to explore the gardens of Thornbridge Hall.

“Bruce is a good little walker, so the three mile route should be a doddle for him. He is very excited about finding the treasure at Thornbridge Hall! I’m looking forward to seeing the gardens, and some beautiful scenery, not to mention the cakes!” Rachel adds.

The Three Cakes Challenge is open to people of all ages and abilities, and all money raised will go to our crucial work protecting the local countryside.

“The walk is going to be great fun. Last year, parents and grandparents came along, and the kids all had a great time. Everyone enjoyed the beautiful countryside, so what makes the walk really special is that all the money raised goes towards looking after it for the future.”

TheThree Cakes Challenge is at 11.30 on Sunday 15 April. It starts from Thornbridge Hall, Ashford in the Water. Entry is £6, and free for under 5s. For more information ring 0114 266 5822.

The Three Cakes Challenge is one of three routes that make up Friends of the Peak District’s Magnificent Walk day. There will also be a 21 Mile Challenge and a Magnificent 7 Mile Challenge.
 

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The date for the Public Inquiry to decide the future of Cowdale Quarry near Buxton is 19 June. 

The Planning Inspectorate has extended the date for accepting comments until 26 March 2012.

Express Park Buxton submitted plans to build the five-hectare water bottling factory and distribution site in early 2010 and again in 2011. We fought both applications along with local campaigners, and High Peak Borough Council unanimously rejected them because they would be “unsustainable” and “harmful to character and visual appearance of the countryside and special landscape area.” The Council also had concerns about the impact the building would have on the National Park.

Developers then appealed to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate against High Peak’s decision on the second application.

We hope that the Public Inquiry will give the opportunity for a really thorough examination of the scheme, and that it will get kicked out once and for all!Please have your say about this valuable green space! You’ve got until 26 March to tell the Planning Inspectorate why the appeal should be dismissed. An enormous bottling plant in the middle of beautiful countryside on the edge of the National Park just won’t go!

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There is free training on offer to people interested in the future of their communities in and around the Peak District.

We are running ‘Planning and Localism: How it can work for you’ at Buxton Methodist Church on Thursday 22 March.

The timing of this training couldn’t be better for people who really want to make a difference to their neighbourhood.The Government is bringing in new ways for local people to get involved in planning, but the trouble is that not a lot of people know about what this could mean for them and where they live. The training will look specifically at how people can develop new neighbourhood plans.

Our planning officer John King is running the free, all day session, and says, “These new neighbourhood plans are potentially really important. They are written by the local community for their local community, and will actually carry the same weight as the Local Authority’s Development Plan which means that any new planning applications should comply with it. It is potentially real ‘power to the people’ stuff!”

The training is suitable for town and parish councillors, people working with community groups or anyone interested in planning issues and changing neighbourhoods for the better.

“But it’s not for NIMBYs. It is for people who really want to join in and contribute to finding solutions for their neighbourhoods. People will be able to protect their local playing fields or much-loved green spaces, but they will also need to work out where new developments should go,” John adds.

Planning and Localism: How it can work for you in at 11am – 4pm on Thursday 22 March at Buxton Methodist Hall, Buxton SK17 6HX.

Places are free, including lunch.  To book, please contact Lindsay or ring us on 0114 266 5822.

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We're chuffed to announce that Blue Peter fans have the chance to take part in an exclusive walk with much loved former presenter Simon Groom, as part of our Magnficent Charity Walk on Sunday 15 April.

Simon is our vice president and he has kindly agreed to guide a select band of ten people around the Magnificent 7 Miles route. Simon is best known for presenting Blue Peter during the 1980s. Following Blue Peter he became a documentary maker and a farmer in his beloved Peak District.

“Friends of the Peak District have asked me to walk the seven mile route with a select band of fellow supporters! I rarely get a chance for country walks because I’m so busy with work on our farm and my TV production company. So I’m really looking forward to it, and to meeting some like-minded people. I can’t promise that I won’t occasionally stop to admire the beautiful landscapes, but there will be plenty of time to chat about Blue Peter, and life after it,” said Simon.

To take part in this exclusive walk costs £50. Please contact Danny or ring 0114 266 5822 if you are interested.  

Three more magnificent routes

On top of this exclusive walk, there's a choice of three different walks so everyone can take part:
• The 21 Mile Challenge - taking in some of most the iconic places of the Peak District including Chatsworth Park, Derwent Valley Heritage Way, the Monsal Trail and Frogatt Wood.
• The Magnificent 7 Miles -  a whistle stop tour around some of the most inspiring views and places in the Peak District including Monsal Dale, Litton, Cressbrook, Little Longstone, Great Longstone and Brushfield.
• The Three Cake Challenge - a short relaxing walk, suitable for even the smallest of feet, with 3 cake stops on route. Taking in the Monsal Trail and exclusive access to gardens of Thornbridge Hall, plus treasure hunt!  
 

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The future of Cowdale Quarry near Buxton is now to be decided by a Public Inquiry. This is good news. It will give the opportunity for a really thorough examination of the scheme, and we’ve got high hopes that it will get kicked out once and for all!

Express Park Buxton submitted plans to build the five-hectare water bottling factory and distribution site in early 2010 and again in 2011. We fought both applications along with local campaigners, and High Peak Borough Council unanimously rejected them because they would be “unsustainable” and “harmful to character and visual appearance of the countryside and special landscape area.” The Council also had concerns about the impact the building would have on the National Park.

Developers then appealed to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate against High Peak’s decision on the second application. The Planning Inspectorate recently announced that the decision will be made following a Public Inquiry. The Planning Inspectorate is accepting comments until 12 March 2012.

Please have your say about this valuable green space! You’ve got until 12 March to tell the Planning Inspectorate why the appeal should be dismissed. An enormous bottling plant in the middle of beautiful countryside on the edge of the National Park just won’t go!

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A series of three new guides and events are now available to help lead you through the planning labyrinth and explain the latest Government reforms to the English planning system. The free pocket guides make it clear how you can influence the future of the area in which you live. They detail how you can contribute to both neighbourhood and local plans, and describe how to respond to planning applications. The guides are from Campaign to Protect Rural England (represented by Friends of the Peak District in the Peak District) and the National Association of Local Councils.
 
There is also a new free eLearning programme which includes short courses that examine the step-by-step processes outlined in the guides using real world scenarios. A series of local training events is being run across the country between now and the end of March.

The Guides:

How to respond to planning applications: an 8-step guide

A 61 page A5 booklet that gives an easy to follow, step-by-step guide to responding to a local planning application. For many this will be the first time they come into contact with the planning system. This guide aims to make the process simple, straight forward, and help any submissions to have the largest and most effective impact.

Planning Explained

A 69 page A5 booklet that gives an introduction to the planning system and explains why it is important if you want to help decide the future of your community. The guide focuses on the role of Local Plans, where the big decisions on planning for the future of communities and land are made. It includes an eight step guide on how to get involved and contribute to your local plan.

How to shape where you live: a guide to neighbourhood planning

A 61 page A5 booklet that focuses on the role of Neighbourhood Plans. It explains their purpose and gives a simple eight step guide on how to start drafting an effective Neighbourhood Plan. 
 

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Join us in asking Derbyshire County Council to be bolder, fairer and clearer in its updated off-roading policy!

DCC is currently consulting on its Policy for the Management of Motorised Vehicle Use in the Countryside. Our Take Back the Tracks campaign is lobbying for action to stop 4x4 vehicles and trail bikes damaging sensitive routes in the Peak District - and so we're writing o the Council welcoming the review but calling for firmer action on off-roading. 

We do really welcome the fact that DCC is updating its off-roading policy, but we have some serious concerns about these revisions and don't think they are nearly bold enough. We believe that the draft policy

• puts the rights of off-roaders way above the rights of other users including walkers, cyclists and horse-riders
• ignores DCC’s duty to protect the environment - including the Peak District National Park
• limits partnership working to the off-roading community, and largely ignores other legitimate users
• is unrealistic about how effective voluntary restraint can be in stopping damage from off-roading
• does not explain how and when DCC would close roads using Traffic Regulation Orders
• has the potential to delay DCC issuing Traffic Regulation Orders

Some of our most sensitive routes are under real threat from off-roading damage, and DCC already has the power to protect our landscapes by closing roads. We’d like to see some action now!

We also think that it is important that DCC works more closely with the Peak District National Park Authority, and supports its work protecting this special environment. 

Have your say now!

The deadline for comments on the revised policy is 14 March. Please comment now on DCC's website, asking for changes to strengthen the policy and protect our countryside. 

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