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 275 1649

Friends of the Peak District
at Sheffield Wildlife Trust
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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Great news and views over at Blacka Moor. Thanks to Yorkshire Electricity (now called Northern Powergrid) the power lines are now down at this much loved land on the edge of Sheffield.

We're continuing our work identifying landscapes and villages in the Peak District National Park that would benefit from having overhead power lines putting underground.

Tell us where else!

This work is paid for using an allowance from the electricity regulator OFGEM. There's still money in the pot, so we're keen to hear from you about Peak District places you know that would be improved without power lines. Please give us your suggestions too.

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We’re disappointed and weary to see the Cowdale application rearing its ugly head yet again. It has been refused twice already, and the arguments are the same. A huge factory in the middle of beautiful countryside just isn’t on.

Express Park Buxton submitted plans to build the five-hectare water bottling plant and distribution site on the greenfield site in early 2010 and again in 2011. Both times, High Peak Borough Council unanimously rejected applications 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.

Now the developers have appealed to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate against High Peak’s decision on the second application. The Planning Inspectorate is currently accepting comments on the appeal, and will make a decision following a local hearing.

Like High Peak Borough Council and local people, we maintain that Cowdale is a valuable green space in its own right, and an important buffer zone between the Peak District and Buxton, stopping industrial sprawl, noise and light pollution from affecting the National Park. 

The plans were also rejected because the Council stated that the old limestone quarry was an “important heritage asset.”  Since the last application, English Heritage has listed Cowdale Quarry as a Scheduled Monument of national significance, giving it further protection.

This is still the wrong building in the wrong place! There's still no need for it, and it’s too close to the National Park.

Comment now

If you haven’t commented already, then go to www.planningportal.gov.uk/pcs and follow the links to search for an appeal quoting 2166189. The deadline for comments to the Planning Inspectorate is 31 January. After this, the appeal will be decided following a local hearing.
 

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Along with local people we're cheering the Peak District National Park planning committee's unanimous decision to turn down plans to build 39 houses at the former cheese factory site at Hartington.

 
The committee heard from 24 speakers, 22 of them objecting to the scheme - including our planning officer John King. After hearing all the representations and discussing the evidence members refused it on the grounds that its scale would be out of keeping with the village and damaging to the landscape and character of Hartington.
 
 
The Hartington Liaison Group of local people, councillors and officers, set up to ensure local involvement, had carried out a village survey which revealed a large majority of residents opposed the scheme but would support up to 20 houses with community facilities.  An exhibition and public meetings were also held.
 
We wrote to the Peak District National Park Authority, along with Hartington Parish Council and 123 residents to oppose the proposal on grounds of scale. Traffic issues, encroachment on greenfield land and inadequate affordable housing were also cited. One resident wrote to support it. 
 
We think that developers will appeal if they decide not to come back with an improved scheme.
 

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We'll be attending the Peak District National Park Authority’s meeting to decide on an application to develop 39 new homes on the site at Stonewell Lane in Hartington today.

We want the plans turned down because they are out of scale with the Peak District Village. The buildings would spill out onto greenfield land well beyond the original footprint of the factory. We do accept that the site should be redeveloped for houses, but with this number the development will dominate the village.

There's a terrific amount of opposition from local people. There have been 124 written representations about the application and 123 have opposed the plans. Building nearly forty new houses will significantly affect a community of this size, and people are understandably worried. So we’re joining them to tell the Park Authority that these plans are out of scale for Hartington.

The current plans only include six affordable houses, and more are needed for people in neighouring parishes as well. Also, the application is to build all the affordable houses together in one specific area. We don’t want to see an isolated estate within an estate created so we think they should be integrated into the development.
 

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We're welcoming today's call by a cross-party committee of MPs for ‘significant changes’ to improve the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). These suggested changes reflect many of our aspirations for the final policy.

The report shows a strong cross-party consensus that the role of planning is to treat economic, environmental and social needs equally, not to favour short term economic growth at any cost. The Government must now make substantial changes to its proposed planning policies if we are to get the efficient, locally oriented and environmentally sensitive system we believe Ministers want.

In the report the MPs

• call the document ‘unbalanced’ in favour of economic growth alone and call for the removal of a proposed default ‘yes’ to all new development
• state that the Government’s proposed ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ could undermine local plans
• call for a stronger definition of sustainable development, based on the UK’s Sustainable Development Strategy
• highlight the ‘inevitable risk’ of more countryside being lost in the absence of a clear policy of developing brownfield (previously developed) sites before greenfield.

The draft NPPF, consulted on during the summer, sparked major interest and controversy, with over 14,000 public responses. Despite this, Ministers have said they do not propose to hold a second consultation in 2012. The MPs see a strong case, however, for a further short consultation with planning practitioners.

The MPs also criticise the ‘unhelpfully vague’ wording of the draft document. The Government claimed that condensing over 1,000 pages of current policy to just 52 would provide simplicity and clarity. The MPs instead conclude that the draft NPPF ‘does not achieve clarity by its brevity.’

We all want to see a return to a healthy economy. The Government will not achieve this by putting the countryside at risk of poor quality development and undermining cities by allowing greenfields to be built on before brownfield land. We think the Committee's conclusions are considered and well-informed and we urge the Government to respond positively. Otherwise we risk returning to the unsustainable development of a generation ago, when an area of countryside three times the size of Stevenage was built on each year.
 

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Simon Groom, remembered by millions as the wry Blue Peter presenter of 30 years ago, is recommending a countryside Christmas present for people who love the Peak District. These days Simon Groom juggles his life as a Derbyshire hill farmer with his work as a documentary film maker. We're also delighted that he's our Vice President. 

When he presented Blue Peter along with the likes of John Noakes and Peter Duncan in the seventies and eighties, the children’s programme was famous for its “makes.”

“Back in the day, we used to make all sorts of presents out of sticky backed plastic and chocolate bean tubes!” he recalls. “The advent candle was an annual favourite, and of course, Tracy Island went on to be a huge hit. But if you’re out of sticky backed plastic then I can’t think of a better Christmas present than a Friends of the Peak District gift membership for someone you know who loves these beautiful landscapes! They’ll get something that lasts a whole year, and you’ll know that you’ve spent your money on something very worthwhile.”

“On a daily basis, working as a broadcaster and sheep farmer I take inspiration from the Peak District, and being at one with nature really helps me with my life and work. Gift membership is simple to buy from Friends of the Peak District, and a great way to say Happy Christmas!” he adds.

A gift membership for an individual costs £27 per year;  with joint membership at £42. Gift membership includes stunning landscape gift cards, a badge, goody bag, twice yearly magazine and  discounts for a range of walks, events and attractions in the Peak District. 

The last date for ordering a gift membership in time for Christmas is 16 December.
 

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We're welcoming the Peak District National Park Authority’s new plans for dealing with off-roading damage in the National Park.

Some of the most sensitive routes in the Peak District are being ruined by 4x4s and trail bikes, so it was obvious that more needed to be done. Our Take Back the Tracks campaign has been calling for action so we’re really pleased to see that the Park Authority has taken notice and is doing something.

The Park Authority has allocated an extra £100,000 to manage unsurfaced routes over the next two years. Its new strategy and action plan includes: potentially closing five green lanes to vehicles; committing to repairing four specific routes; and monitoring illegal use on 100 other sites.

We do still have concerns about the future funding for maintaining our key green lanes and want to see this secured for the future. Funds are the responsibility of the highways agency, Derbyshire County Council.  We hope that the Park Authority will be building a strong relationship with Derbyshire County Council to ensure our beautiful and sensitive landscapes are sustained for the future.

But overall, this is very encouraging. Now we’re keen for the Park Authority and Derbyshire County Council to get on with it!
 

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Quarrying is rearing its head again at Stanton Moor. Blockstone Ltd has applied to extend its New Pilhough Quarry in exchange for giving up rights to quarry the more sensitive site of Stanton Moor Quarry which has permission to quarry until 2042.

We welcome this in principle because it fits with a local agreement made in 2000 to reduce damage in the central area of Stanton Moor by moving quarrying to less sensitive sites. But we’re not as daft as Blockstone must think we are! The new site has four times more rock in it – Blockstone estimates that there are 100,000 tonnes of workable stone at Stanton Moor Quarry, yet the potential extension at New Pilhough Quarry has nearly 500,000 tonnes. That’s hardly a fair swap – and not great for the National Park and environment!

We’ve just heard that the Peak District National Park Authority planning committee will be deciding the case in January. So please join us, Stanton in Peak Parish Council and local action groups in objecting on the Peak District National Park Authority’s online comment system quoting reference number NP/DDD/0811/0766. Or you can email your objections to Claire.Hesketh@peakdistrict.gov.uk
 

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Chatsworth’s head housekeeper Christine Robinson will be letting people into a few secrets about how life in the Peak District’s very own Downton Abbey is run and managed. She’ll share a few secrets about what goes on behind the scenes at Chatsworth, and also what’s involved with transforming the house for the Christmas festivities.

Chatsworth House has reported a surge of interest in the wake of the BBC’s blockbusting Sunday night series, and numbers for the Christmas special are expected to top previous viewing records. We're not saying we've got Mrs Elsie Hughes herself coming to Sheffield, but we've got an excellent, modern and real-life counterpart in Christine Robinson.

Whether or not you're a Downton fan, come down and find out what goes on in a grand house, and join us for a mince pie!

The Secrets of Chatsworth is at 7.30pm on Wednesday 7 December at Victoria Hall Methodist Church, Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 2JB

Tickets: £5 (free to members of Friends of the Peak District). To book a place, please contact Saskia Palmer.

 

Location: Victoria Hall Methodist Church, Norfolk St, Sheffield S1 2JB
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Hello and welcome to our new friends at Large Outdoors. We're teaming up them to put on some great walks and events in the Peak District, Thanks for your support, Gareth and pals!

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We were on last Sunday's episode being interviewed about our Peak Power project into the viability of small scale hydro in and around the National Park.

After Ellie Harrison talked to Andy Tickle, the crew went on to see a newly installed turbine at Ashford in the Water. Bob Griffiths has been working on this for years, supported by us.

The episode is on BBC iPlayer for another six days, so have a look!

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We're urging people to tell the Peak District National Park Authority to turn down plans to redevelop the former creamery because they out of scale with the Peak District village.

We've written to the Park Authority about the recent application from Cathelco Property for 42 new homes on the site at Stonewell Lane. The new buildings would spill out onto greenfield land beyond the original footprint of the factory. There's no need for this number of houses and the size of the development will dominate the village.

These plans are over the top. Building over forty new houses will significantly affect a community of this size, and local people are worried. It’s out of scale for Hartington!

Only six of the planned houses would be affordable for local people, and these would be built together in a specific area of the development. This is not enough so we want to see a higher proportion earmarked. We’re also worried that building all the affordable houses together would create an isolated estate within an estate. They should definitely be integrated into the development.

The Park Authority is expected to make a decision about the plans in the new year - so please get in touch with your objections (application number NP/DDD/0911/0896).
 

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For the first time in decades, electricity is now being produced by harnessing the power of the River Wye in Ashford in the Water.

After over two years working to instate hydro power at Ashford Old Mill, the owner Bob Griffiths had his hundred year old turbine reinstalled in the summer, and has just been connected to the National Grid.

“It’s so exciting,” said Bob Griffiths, “I am absolutely delighted with it. The turbine runs perfectly and is almost silent. And the result is 15 Kw of green power for 32 homes, and it will save 63 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere every year. It was hard work, but worth it in the end!”

We've been closely involved in supporting this project, and think it is just brilliant! Not only is green power being produced for local people, but a listed mill has now been beautifully refurbished and connected to its original use. We’re also pleased that the turbine was restored by engineers near Ashbourne and that local consultants, Derwent Hydro Power, oversaw the re-instatement and grid connection.

Ashford Old Mill featured as a case study site in our 2010 Peak Power report about the feasibility of small scale hydro power in the Peak District. Our research suggested that another 1800 kW of micro hydro power is still possible in the Peak District. Ashford Old Mill getting going is excellent, but it’s still a long, uphill road!

To help support this expansion, we helped form the Peak Hydro Forum – a group aiming to raise the profile of micro hydro and share experiences. It meets regularly throughout the year including visiting hydro sites of interest. The Peak Hydro Forum will be visiting Ashford Old Mill on Saturday 29 October. Please get in touch with Andy Tickle to find out more.

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The deadline has gone for the draft National Planning Policy Framework public consultation - but that's by no means the end of the story!

The NPPF is the biggest shake-up of planning for over 50 years. We believe it will place all of our countryside - including the Peak District National Park - and the wider countryside - under increasing threat. Although the consultation is  closed, there's still some time before the final document is published, and MPs can still make suggestions for changes and improvements.

Friends of the Peak District will be keeping up the pressure over the next few months for a radical rewrite, in order to save our countryside! We urge you to get involved too.

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Shriek for the Peak and help raise funds for Friends of the Peak District with this brilliant 80ft charity abseil on Saturday November 19th.

Enjoy all the thrills of a real life Spiderman by swinging from Millers Dale Bridge, while being our superhero and raising sponsorship to protect the Peak District's landscapes and countryside.
 

For just £25 (usual cost is £35) you can take part in an abseiling session off Millers Dale Bridge in the heart of the stunning Peak District. This old railway viaduct is part of the Monsal Trail that runs through the heart of the National Park, and under the watchful eye of trained professionals, you will abseil 80 feet down the bridge.

To take part contact Danny Anderson or phone 0114 266 5822 or download and print off an entry form.

This event is being very kindly supported by our friends at Large Outdoors.
 

Location: Millers Dale Bridge, Millers Dale, near Tideswell
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...and fundraise for us at the same time! We're doing seasonal street collections this autumn at the Matlock Bath illuminations and fireworks, and at the opening of the Christmas lights in Castleton. We need people to help out so if you fancy a fun night out whilst  supporting our vital work protecting these amazing landscapes, please get in touch with Danny.  
 

Matlock Bath

• Saturday 1 October
• Saturday 15 October
• Saturday 29 October

Castleton

• Saturday 19 November

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We're surprised and disappointed that Derbyshire County Council is refusing to get involved in a key forum looking at the problems of off-roading in the National Park.

We've written to council leader Andrew Lewer demanding an explanation for the lack of interest. We've been lobbying the Peak District National Park Authority and Derbyshire County Council to stop 4x4 drivers and trail bikers damaging the most sensitive routes in the national park - as part of Take Back the Tracks. As a result, the Park Authority has closed Chapel Gate near Edale to all traffic on a temporary basis, and agreed to review its policy on managing off-roading. It also set up a new recreational vehicle forum to bring together key people to tackle the issue.

The new forum was to include all the relevant people involved in trying to sort out the problems of off-roading in the Peak District including Friends of the Peak District, the National Park Authority, off-roading groups, local residents and parish councils. Given that Derbyshire County Council is responsible for maintaining roads and rights of way – it was vital that they were there too. Without them, it’s impossible for the forum to discuss problems, solutions and ultimately get positive results.

We’ve been really pleased to see a change in the attitude of the Peak District National Park Authority, but for anything to happen, Derbyshire County Council needs to pull its finger out too!

We're also calling on Derbyshire County Council to take stronger and swifter action to protect green lanes from damage caused by off-roading. Back in November 2009 they promised to serve a Traffic Regulation Order to close Bradley Lane in Pilsley to all traffic. In November 2010 they promised to do the same at School Lane in Great Hucklow. Nearly two years later, no TROs have been issued.

Apart from protecting our important routes, issuing TROs makes economic sense too. At a time when local authorities are having to save money, they’re a lot cheaper than the cost of constantly repairing these routes.

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We're supporting an application to build two new affordable houses at Market Place in Hope. We wholeheartedly approve because there is a terrible lack of housing that local people can afford in the Peak District. According to a survey done by Derbyshire Dales District Council, there’s a need for between ten and 14 new dwellings in the village, so these two will help towards meeting a vital demand for local homes.

We are satisfied that the houses will fit the area well, and won’t have an impact on the iconic landscapes around Hope. The site is in the middle of the village just next to a recent housing development and won’t affect the countryside. In fact, the site is currently empty and rather scrubby, so a couple of houses will improve its appearance.

The Peak District National Park Authority is expected to make a decision about the application soon.
 

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The Government has published a draft National Planning Policy Framework for public consultation. It's the biggest shake-up of planning for over 50 years and we believe it will place all of our countryside - including the Peak District National Park - under increasing threat. 

The NPPF does not commit to the principle that the countryside should be protected for its own intrinsic character, beauty and heritage. Instead, it will place the countryside under increasing threat and leave local communities and planning authorities largely powerless in the face of developer pressure.

We have grave concerns that pressure on the Peak District from damaging development will grow due to

• weakening of policies that currently strictly control major developments in national parks
• changes to Green Belt policy which would allow building which would previously have been restricted on the borders of the national park 
• loss of emphasis on brownfield regeneration - as a result of the removal of the national brownfield target and failure to promote efficient use of land
• the creation of new neighbourhood forums that will have the power to give planning permission but will be set up in such a way that they could be dominated by businesses rather than local residents
• weakening of the 'town centre first' policy by removing office development from the sequential test which prioritises the use of land in towns and cities first
• pressure for increased car use - by removing the requirement to set maximum parking standards for non-residential parking in major developments
• abolition of exceptions policy which allows small scale affordable housing to be built in rural settlements, which is likely to add to pressure for market housing and reduce the supply of affordable housing
• weakening of controls over outdoor advertisements, including no mention of billboards being inappropriate in the countryside

You have until October 17 to take part in the consultation and oppose the plans.Please also write to your MP now! MPs tell us that the most effective letters are those written by individuals, so it's best to write from the heart telling them how your local countryside could be affected by these proposed changes. If you prefer, you can edit or use the model letter that the CPRE national network has written.

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Good news over at Chapel Gate! The Peak District National Park Authority has just made a Traffic Regulation Order which means that no recreational motor vehicles (4x4s and trail bikes) can use it from the end of August until the end of February 2013.

During the 18 month trial ban the Park Authority will assess how successful it is in conserving the landscape, and decide whether to make it permanent. 

We have been lobbying for the Park Authority to close this iconic 3km route to off-roaders. Chapel Gate skirts Rushup Edge and runs along a high ridge crossing a Special area of Conservation, a Special Protection Area and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Over the years it has been carved up and rutted by vehicles, making people deviate onto the fragile habitats along the side of the track. 

Chapel Gate has been repaired and the Park Authority is monitoring how many people are using it now.

We want to see this ban made permanent. Meanwhile, it's really important that walkers, cyclists and horse-riders use Chapel Gate - sticking only to the track itself and keeping away from land at the side - so that we can show the Park Authority that the ban is working and needed.

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Enter our photo competition!

We're looking for stunning Peak District photos to support our work - and you could win great prizes. 

The theme for this year's photo competition is The Four Seasons. So we want outstanding Peak District images with a seasonal angle, including photos of people, animals and landscapes. We will pick the best images to use for Christmas cards and greetings cards to fundraise for our crucial work protecting the Peak District’s landscapes and countryside.

The winner gets 

• A Nikon Coolpix S3100 digital compact camera (donated by Harrison Cameras)
• A copy of Peak Landscape and Light: a photographer's guide to the Peak District (donated by professional landscape photographer Karen Frenkel)

The competition is open to anyone - whether you take photos as a hobby or are a professional. You can interpret the theme as broadly as they like – but what we’re after are some really stunning shots showing the Peak District in all its glory.

You can enter as many photos as you like, by email or by post, but you need to see our rules and booking form.

We're also looking for excellent images of the countryside around Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, because we can use them for our sister charity CPRE South Yorkshire.

The closing date for the competition is Friday 25 November.
 

Photo: Mother Cap at Dawn by Stephen Elliot - a previous photo competition entry.

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we've got two fixed term vacancies for a couple of people to help us to tell more of the millions people who will visit the Peak District this summer about our charity.

We need people who care about the countryside and are enthusiastic about what we do, to get out and about in the Peak District during August and September and tell visitors about us.

You don’t have to do the hard sell. Just give them details of what we do and ask if they would think about becoming a friend. We’d like you to collect people’s contact details so we can contact them at a later date to ask if they would like to support us.

Please see the job description and equal opportunities form.

Please send your CV to Lindsay - either by email or post.

You need to  include details of two people we can contact for references and a statement confirming you are eligible for paid work in the UK.

Deadline for applications:12pm Friday 19 August 2011
Interviews: Thursday 25 August 2011

We will acknowledge the receipt of your application, but if you haven’t heard from us by 25 August, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.
 

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We've just written to the Peak District National Park Authority to demand action now at Long Causeway (Stanage Edge) and The Roych (near Hayfield).

We’re really pleased that the Peak District National Park Authority has taken notice of Take Back the Tracks campaign. At its recent meeting about how it manages 4x4 use on unsurfaced roads, it agreed that its strategy needs reviewing. Now it’s time for action! Long Causeway and The Roych are devastated by the erosion caused by off-roaders and need protecting now. The Peak District National Park Authority should place Traffic Regulation Orders on them as soon as possible so that it’s illegal for 4x4s and trail bikes to use them.

Thanks to everyone who came on our Take Back the Tracks rally at Long Causeway earlier in July to publicise the damage being caused by off-roading. Also to all our supporters - plus friends from Rocking the BOAT, Forum for Ancient Byways and Peak District Green Lanes Alliance - who picketed and spoke at the Park Authority’s recent meeting.

We realise that the Park Authority is facing budget cuts, so we were heartened that it agreed to look at ways to find more resources for this urgent work. However repairs on Long Causeway have recently cost Derbyshire County Council nearly £30,000 and that’s without sorting out the most damaged area. So closing roads is often a far more cost-effective solution.

As well as Long Causeway and The Roych, we’re monitoring the preventative work that’s taken place at Pin Dale – and if that’s not working, we’d want to see a Traffic Regulation Order there too. There are also several routes were safety is a major concern to local people, for instance at Chertpit Lane, Bradley Lane and School Lane. We think the Peak District National Park Authority should lobby Derbyshire County to take faster and stronger action here too. 

Now we’ll have to wait and see if the Peak District National Park Authority and Derbyshire County Council will actually put their money where their mouths are, and find the resources to protect our precious green lanes.

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Our great volunteers Matt Hillier and Chris Wright have been surveying Haythornthwaite Woods for us. This small woodland was planted opposite the Dore Moor Inn in 1994 as a memorial to our founders Ethel and Gerald Haythornthwaite. Today it's mostly made up of oak, birch, pine and ash plus special hedgerow trees. Matt and Chris report that there are there are already many bird species using the area but that there is more to do in developing a wider variety of grassland and flower-rich areas. We also know that small deer use the wood.

Last year we started thinning the wood by removing trees that are too close together or haven't established well, and also laying the hedge. We want to develop the wood as somewhere people from all over Sheffield can go for a mini-woodland experience, and get involved in its conservation and management. So come autumn, we'll be working with volunteers to open up paths through the wood, create an internal glade and maybe even a pond!

Please get in touch with Lindsay if you’d like to get involved. We’re also looking for funds to pay for things like new fences, an information board and sturdy seating.

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Congratulations and thanks to everyone who went to the National Park Authority's committee meeting about its strategy on off-roading in the Peak District - including those who picketed the entrance to Aldern House!

About thirty people (including us, Rocking the Boat, Peak District Green Lanes Alliance and Forum for Ancient Byways) stood at the gates before the meeting, and the public gallery was packed. Ten people gave three minute speeches each - about the need to take action. There was both applause and heckling.

We're pleased that the committee listened and agreed that the strategy and policy need reviewing. They pointed out that lack of resources was the key issue. Everyone also agreed that the Peak District National Park Authority should have urgent meetings with local highway authority leaders and police chiefs to find a way of managing this difficult conflict. The revised strategy will be returned to the full Authority meeting on 2 December.

Meanwhile, the National Park Authority has said that it will look at ways to potentially find more resources. So we'll have to wait and see if money can be found to make things - including Traffic Regulation Orders - happen more quickly.

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Thank you to the everyone who came on our Take Back the Tracks rally at Stanage Pole on Saturday. About a hundred people joined us to call on the Peak District National Park Authority to get tough on off-roading.

There were mountain bikers, families with children, dog walkers, and countryside lovers of all ages walking from Redmires and Dennis Knoll and along Long Causeway beneath the iconic Stanage Edge. They came to show their solidarity against 4 x 4s and motor bikes carving up green lanes in the Peak District.

Ironically horse riders who had turned up to show their support had to turn back because Long Causeway is so badly damaged by off-roading. We were filmed by TV and documentary film crews.

The rally focused on Long Causeway, because this is just one of many sites in the Peak District that is being eroded and trashed by off-roading. It is currently legal to drive on Long Causeway, so off-roaders aren't breaking the law. However - knowingly or not - they are eroding and carving up this green lane.

We want to see the Peak District National Park Authority make it illegal to drive on Long Causeway, and other tracks in sensitive places. Our Take Back the Tracks rally gave people who want to protect the Peak District the opportunity to come together and express these concerns, and to demand that the Peak District National Park Authority takes stronger action.

We held the rally before it meets on Friday 15 July to review its policy about how it manages off-roading in the National Park.

At Stanage Pole, Anne Robinson, Chair of the Campaign for National Parks, sent a rallying cry to the Peak District National Park Authority: "Get tough! Just managing the damage caused by off-roading is not good enough - we don’t want the damage in the first place! We want a pro-active approach not a reactive one. Use all your powers from a total ban to limited access by permit. Stop off-roading on all the routes that can’t sustain use by 4x4 and trail bikes whether or not they are damaged. And you can start with Long Causeway and the Roych.”

Lord Roy Hattersley – former Friends of the Peak District President, and Great Longstone resident - also sent a message of support: “You have my whole-hearted support. Indeed, thanks to the desecration of Chertpit Lane, I doubt if there is anybody from Great Longstone who is not totally behind you. However, we are not in the fight to take back the tracks just to keep life tranquil in our own “back yards”.  We are battling to save the park for visitors as well as residents, future generations as well as those of us who are lucky enough to live in the Peak now. Signs are that the Authority is beginning to see sense. Congratulations on keeping up the good work.”

 
Photo of rally by John Beatty, photo of Anne Robinson by Simon Jacques
 

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We're joining local residents, conservationists and other countryside campaigners and celebrating at Cowdale Quarry near Buxton. Again.

Hurray to High Peak Borough Council for unanimously rejecting resubmitted plans for a large water bottling factory at this lovely little spot. A previous application was resoundingly rejected in October 2010, and we were surprised when developers submitted plans again earlier this year. It feels a bit like Groundhog Day - and we think the application was a complete waste of time and energy!

Credit goes to local people who worked hard again to keep this beauty spot protected. Cowdale is an important part of the buffer zone between the Peak District and Buxton, and crucial for stopping industrial sprawl, noise and light pollution affecting our national park.

Let’s just hope developers have finally got the message, and won’t be trying again!  
 

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Good news over at Pindale near Castleton. The bottom of this steep dale is a unclassified road popular with 4x4 drivers and trailbikers. However, irresponsible bikes and 4x4s have have strayed off the road and caused extensive damage to nationally important ancient lead mining features. We've been lobbying for action, and so are delighted that English Heritage, working with Natural England and Lafarge, have fenced and blocked off the sensitive areas.

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We're cheering the Peak District National Park Authority’s decision to temporarily exclude trail-bikes, quad-bikes and 4x4s from Chapel Gate.

We've been calling for action to protect the centuries-old public track between Chapel-en-le-Frith and Edale as part of our Take Back the Tracks campaign.

Chapel Gate is a very special ancient packhorse route, but it’s now so devastated with deep ruts and exposed rocks that walkers, cyclists and horse-riders are going up on the adjacent environmentally sensitive land and eroding that too. It really is time something is done, so we welcome the Peak District National Park Authority’s decision.

It has placed an experimental 18 month Traffic Regulation Order on Chapel Gate in order to provide a respite from motorised traffic. This should allow time for the landscape to recover and to monitor the condition of the route through all seasons of the year. There is already clear evidence from condition surveys that erosion is a result of motor vehicles – both directly and indirectly – in terms of increased water damage and run-off.  So we would want to see the TRO being made permanent, rather than just experimental so that Chapel Gate is protected for the longer term
 

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Work has just started to remove the prominent electricity wires that run right across the middle of Blacka Moor, one of the Peak District's  most loved and iconic landscapes for Sheffielders.

The idea was first suggested several years ago by us, the Sheffield Wildlife Trust (who manage Blacka Moor as a nature reserve) and the Friends of Blacka Moor. Then last year there were changes in government rules for the funding of schemes to put wires and cables underground. This meant that Yorkshire Electricity (part of the Central Electric company) were able to commit to remove the line and find an alternative route, mostly laying cable in the verges of Hathersage Road. Once the buried cable is connected up, the sensitive job of removing the old poles and wire from the nature reserve can begin.

We think this is a brilliant scheme because it will create unspoilt views across the moor. We are especially proud because our charity helped to persuade Alderman Graves to buy Blacka Moor way back in 1933 for the people of Sheffield!

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A new row has broken out regarding the controversial plans to develop Cowdale Quarry. One of the old quarry buildings called the Power House has just been demolished by the developer. It was in the process of being selected by English Heritage for special protection as it was a rare piece of industrial heritage in an unusual Egyptian style. The action was approved by High Peak Borough Council’s building control department without proper consultation, even before revised plans for the site have been considered by the council.

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Our trustee Anthea Rawlence is a woman on a mission. She was mystified when she spotted a sculpture on the road between Gratton and Middleton-by-Youlgreave.
 
“Every time I went past I stopped to have another look, but I had no idea what it was all about. I asked around and eventually I found out about the Sites of Meaning project,” said Anthea.
 
Sites of Meaning is a project that marks the seventeen entrances to the parish of Middleton and Smerrill with boundary stones, each inscribed with a text chosen by members of the parish.  Once she discovered this, Anthea decided to team up with Peak Park ranger Frank Mason and organise a Sites of Meaning Walk around the area to see some of these remarkable markers.
 
“I’m really pleased that Frank is going to lead the walk because he knows loads of interesting things and is great at answering questions. Plus, of course, it’s a beautiful place for a stroll,” said Anthea.
 
The walk is at 1.45pm on Saturday 18 June, and should take about three hours. It costs £2.50 per person and will raise funds for Friends of the Peak District.
 
To book a place, ring Anthea on 01629 650480.

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We're dismissing updated plans for a water bottling factory at Cowdale Quarry near Buxton. They're barely any different from the last set of plans, and the factory would still be in the wrong place!

We celebrated last October when High Peak Borough Council unanimously rejected an application to build a five-hectare water bottling plant and distribution centre on the greenfield site. But now Express Park Buxton has made another application that includes moving the factory slightly to the east, reducing half the roof in height, and adding a green roof. We reckon this is a case of greenwashing – trying to make a huge, noisy, industrial development look like something green and sustainable.

The new plans make absolutely no difference to our arguments. This is still the wrong building in the wrong place. There’s still no need for it, and it’s still too close to the national park.

Cowdale is a beautiful spot in its own right. It is also is part of a really important buffer zone between the Peak Park and Buxton. It’s essential that we stop industrial sprawl, noise and light pollution affecting our national park. The plans go against the council’s own planning policies, and will destroy a tranquil spot of local countryside.

The planning application is now being considered by High Peak Borough Council. Please join us and the many local people and groups, including Keep High Peak Green and Cowdale Parish Council, lobbying to get it refused again - see the application on High Peak Borough Council's website using reference HPK/2011/0182.

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We were delighted when our president Julia Bradbury joined us at our Friends of the Peak District stand at the launch of the Peak District 2011 Walking Festival on Saturday. The photo here is of Julia with our fundraiser Danny Anderson.

Julia opened the annual event, and also helped promote the new Go Yomp business.

There were lots of activities on the day, including a brass band and Nordic walking workshops.

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A big thank you to everyone who came along and made our Diamond Dawdle charity walk such a brilliant success!

The event celebrated the 60th birthday of the Peak District National Park. Well over 150 walkers met at Thornbridge Hall and set off to dawdle around the Monsal Trail in glorious sunshine.

We were delighted that former Blue Peter presenter and local farmer Simon Groom, joined us and sent the middle batch of walkers off with encouraging words.

We had a great mix of people walking, including twins Macie and Olivia who came along with grandparents Steve and Mary to do the shorter Three Cake Challenge in their double buggy.

Walkers returned to relax and enjoy a birthday party at Thornbridge Hall,  including tea (and Thornbridge beer for some) and a jazz band. Simon Groom chatted and signed thank you certificates. There were stirring speeches from Simon Groom, Tony Favell (the new chair of the Peak District National Park Authority) and our Vice President Anne Robinson. All three talked about the importance of our work protecting these beautiful landscapes.
 

And then to top the day off, Marilyn Bagworth cut the enormous birthday cake. Marilyn was also celebrating her 60th birthday. Happy birthday to both Marilyn - and the Peak District National Park!

See more photos on Facebook.

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Only four days to go!

Come and join us on our fantastic Diamond Dawdle charity walk to celebrate the 60th birthday of the Peak District National Park - this Saturday 16 April.

There will be cake, music and Simon Groom giving out thank you certificates, so it's going to be a great event.

Fill in a booking form now or give us a ring on 0114 266 5822 to book a place. Or you can just turn up on the day at Thornbridge Hall. Get there at 8.30 for the 15 mile walk; 11.30 for the 7.5 mile walk - or 10.45 for our three mile, Three Cake Challenge.

STOP PRESS: we've been donated a bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne to give to the person who raises the most sponsorship for our work protecting the beautiful Peak District!

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Our friends at Rocking the BOAT - the action group against illegal and irresponsible off-roading, based at Great Longstone - have taken loads of photos of the damage done on high priority routes in the Peak District. Have a look at these places where 4x4s and trail bikes cause bad erosion and environmental damage.

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The long-running saga of the Riverside development at Bakewell is moving up another gear. Plans for the high-profile business and housing scheme at the historic Lumford Mill site are going to be decided in the near future. 

We’ve looked at the latest set of plans and are calling for improvements. The proposals have been revised over twenty times in the last five years. There are still 88 houses and flats included but there’s a very slight increase in the number that are affordable homes. Hybrid work and live units have been changed to standard offices now.

There’s great potential here to introduce some really good homes and offices for people in Bakewell, but we think the developers have missed a trick. There’s still not enough affordable housing, and they should be including far more renewable energy design and technology.

We’re pleased to see that the latest plans now include ten – instead of nine – flats for renting to local people on low incomes. This still isn’t enough! A recent survey shows that there are 30 households in need of housing in Bakewell - and we want to see at least 15 affordable houses or flats built at Riverside.  This could be achieved by including a “claw back” agreement with the plans so that when the market improves, the developers will have the finance to make more of the houses affordable.

We also think that the development needs to look at incorporating on-site renewable energy schemes, as well as energy saving techniques.

Riverside is going to be one of the biggest developments in the national park in the coming decades, and it really has to be a shining example of good environmental planning. At the moment, it’s not nearly ambitious enough. We think it should reduce its carbon emissions by 25 per cent – and we’d also love to see the scheme use the River Wye for producing hydro power.

We’ve written to the Peak District National Park Authority objecting to the plans as they stand, but with a number of recommendations.
 

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We're adding a short, pushchair-friendly route to our Diamond Dawdle 60th anniversary walk on April 16. It's a brilliant idea that one of our supporters has come up with!

Mother of two, Helen Illingworth, contacted us when she heard about the Diamond Dawdle to celebrate the 60th birthday of the Peak District National Park. Helen runs the Yorkshire Bridge Inn in Bamford and has two daughters: Lucy aged two and a half, and Katie aged seven months.

“I loved the idea of the charity walk in the Peak District, and really wanted to join in, but knew that I wouldn’t be able to do the full route with Lucy and Katie,” she says. “So I got in touch and suggested a shorter walk to suit people with kids – and preferably involving plenty of refreshments!”

The result is the Three Cake Challenge. The three mile stroll starts at 11.15 (meet up at 10.45) at Thornbridge Hall near Great Longstone with a piece of cake, followed by a mile and a half walk along the Monsal Trail to Hassop Station Café for more cake, and then back to Thornbridge Hall for a final slice. Ex-Blue Peter presenter and local farmer Simon Groom will be on hand to give out thank you certificates and join in with the birthday party.

“We’re all really looking forward to it. It’ll be great to get Lucy and Katie out and about, and I’m telling all my local NCT group and all my friends with children about it too,” says Helen.

As well as the Three Cake Challenge, there's still the choice of two circular routes through the Monsal Trail - either a more challenging 15 miles or a leisurely 7.5 miles. All profits will go towards our work protecting the Peak District. 

To find out more, please email Danny Anderson or ring him on 0114 266 5822. 
 

 

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We're giving the thumbs up to revised plans for eight new homes for local people in Youlgrave. Six houses and two bungalows could be built at Conksbury Lane in the village. The plans have been modified with a slightly different site layout.

We supported this scheme back in May 2009, and still think that this is a great little scheme. The houses have some brilliant green design features, including excellent insulation and large double glazed windows to harness heat from the sun as passive solar heating.

The design will also fit the character of the national park. By using natural stone and traditional features such as stone lintels and sills, they will suit this Peak District limestone village very well. 

Equally importantly, the houses will meet a vital demand for more affordable homes for people living in and around Youlgrave. According to a survey done by Derbyshire Dales District Council, there’s a need for nine new dwellings in the village, so they are crucially important for local people.

We're still satisfied that the site is the best place for the houses. Other possible sites were either unsuitable in planning terms, or else the landowners wouldn’t sell. There was a thorough search of the village. Although this is a greenfield site, it won't expand Youlgrave's boundaries because it’s right between existing houses and bungalows, and won’t significantly spoil landscape views.

The plans come from a partnership of Youlgrave Parish Council and the Peak District Rural Housing Association. 

The Peak District National Park Authority will make a decision on 15 April.

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...until our fabulous 60th anniversary Diamond Dawdle charity walk.

We've still got places left, so please get in touch to find out more and book on!

Email Danny Anderson, or give him a ring on 0114 266 5822.

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Derbyshire County Council has proposed a ban on vehicles over one metre wide at Washgate Lane, in Hartington Upper Quarter – to stop  4 x 4 vehicles but not trail bikes. There’s a listed pack horse bridge and some lovely tranquil countryside at Washgate Lane, and both cars and bikes are causing erosion and disturbing the peace.  Along with other user groups and as part of our Take back the tracks campaign, we’re pushing for a full ban.  A consultation period is due, so watch this space.
 

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Do you love the Peak District? Would you like to come and join our board and support our work protecting the landscapes of the UK's first national park? (and if you are interested in fundraising, campaigning and environmental issues, then that's even better!)

Please come and join us as a trustee... To find out more, please look at our trustee information pack - or give Carol Robinson a ring on 0114 266 5822 for a chat. The deadline for applications is Thursday 31 March.

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We're delighted to hear that the Peak District National Park Authority, Natural England and English Heritage are taking action to protect Pin Dale near Castleton from irresponsible off-roading. Pin Dale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its nationally important limestone geology. It also has historic lead working remains, and rare habitats for unique plants and flowers.

Pin Dale is particularly vulnerable because it has an unsurfaced track that is legal for cars and trail-bikes. The problem has been irresponsible drivers and riders who have used it as a race-track or rubbish dump - and driving off road.

Fencing and barriers are going up to allow the grass to recover, but won't keep walkers out. Work to reduce damage is planned for later this year.  We've been lobbying for action at Pin Dale as part of our Take Back the Tracks campaign.

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We are cautiously welcoming action from the Peak District National Park Authority to urge trail-bikers and 4x4 drivers to keep to a voluntary one-way system at a damaged green lane in the heart of the Peak District.

The Roych is an unsurfaced road close near Hayfield. It has been badly eroded by the 600 4x4s and trail-bikes that go there every month – mainly at weekends. Trail bikers and 4x4 drivers are also now being asked to follow a Code of Conduct.

We continue to run our Take Back the Tracks campaign to stop irresponsible off-roaders carving up the national park, and we’re really pleased that the park authority has listened to the concerns of local people, and people who value the tranquility of our countryside.

However, we’re sceptical about how effective these voluntary arrangements will be.  We’ll be watching how things go, and if this doesn’t work then some more serious restrictions will have to be put in place...

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You've got more time to object to Nestle's plans for its huge water bottling plant near Buxton!

The decision on the application was due to be decided today. But it has  been deferred until it it can be heard alongside another controversial application - for the accompanying pipeline...

Watch this space.

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We are horrified at plans for a water bottling factory on a high open plateau just next to the Peak District National Park. We're urging people to tell High Peak Borough Council to reject the plans - quoting the reference HPK/2010/06612.

UPDATE! This planning meeting to decide on the application was due to happen on 14 February. However, it has been deferred now so that it it can be heard alongside another controversial application - for the accompanying pipeline. This means you have more time to object.

Nestle has applied to High Peak to build the bottling and distribution plant at Waterswallows just north of Buxton – and two kilometres from the Peak District park boundary. We say that the countryside is the wrong place for this! The factory will be huge and have storage tanks that are nearly 20 metres high. It will be visible from just about everywhere in the area, including the national park.

Waterswallows is in an area that has been designated by High Peak council as countryside. This means that only buildings that relate to farming and the rural economy are allowed – so permitting this clearly industrial development will contravene High Peak’s Local Plan.

The bottling plant itself will cover 2.3 hectares, but the whole of the proposed site is 7.3 hectares.  We're really worried about what will happen with the remaining land. If Nestle get permission to build the water bottling factory, they’ve still got another five hectares to develop. And once this big monster is up and running, it would be hard for High Peak to then turn down applications for even more industrial development in this area.

Nestle currently has its water bottling factory in the centre of Buxton. The new site is nearly three kilometres away and there are implications for transport and sustainability too.  It will be harder to reach for employees, especially those who currently walk, cycle or take public transport.

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We're really thrilled that Simon Groom - ex Blue Peter presenter, TV producer and local farmer - is joining us on our Diamond Dawdle Peak District 60th birthday walk.

"My wife and I are really looking forward to swapping our wellies for our walking boots for a few hours on April 16th!” he says. “Our farm is situated a few miles south of the Park, but the demands of running our farmhouse B&B, looking after Jacob sheep and Hereford cattle, as well as making TV documentaries, means that we rarely get a chance to explore the beautiful countryside on our doorstep.”

We're organising the Diamond Dawdle to mark the 60th anniversary of the creation of the UK’s first national park. It starts at Thornbridge Hall, and there will be a choice of two circular routes through the Monsal Trail - either a more challenging 15 miles or a leisurely 7.5 miles. After the walk there will be celebrations at Thornbridge Hall including birthday cake, music and thank you certificates.

Simon is a supporter of ours and was delighted to be invited to take part in the walk. “I’m full of admiration for the vital work carried out by Friends of the Peak District in ensuring the area is nurtured and protected for us all to enjoy. It does excellent work, whether it’s opposing a potentially damaging by-pass, helping to renovate old buildings, or encouraging micro hydro power schemes.” 

“I hope as many people as possible will come along and support the walk in April – a great way to celebrate an important milestone and to enjoy some fresh air and stunning scenery.”

To find out more and book your place, please contact Danny Anderson or download a booking form.

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You may well have heard that the Government has launched its consultation about the future ownership and management of the public forest estate - land managed by the Forestry Commission.

The consultation will last for 12 weeks and closes on 21 April.

Forests in the Peak District that are either owned or leasehold managed by the Forestry Commission and so could be affected are:

• Goyt
• Snake
• Westend Upper Derwent Valley
• Alport Dale

We're urging people to have their say. We'd be very interested to hear from you about what you think! Please email your views to Anne Robinson.

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We’re really worried about possible cuts to Peak District buses, and need your views. Derbyshire County Council currently subsidises socially necessary and less well-used services in rural areas.But it is now looking at making £700,000 cuts for next year’s services -and is asking for the public's views via an online questionnaire at until Monday 31 January.

We’re not too impressed with it because it only asks about how important various types of services are – rather than about specific bus services. You can find out about proposed changes to specific services throughout the whole of Derbyshire by looking through pages 9 – 12 of its review of the supported bus network.

Derbyshire County Council is proposing to give priority to well-used services that help local people get to key services. We agree with this, but we want to see buses for Peak District visitors protecting too – especially those where there’s no alternative! We’ve looked at potential routes, and are suggesting that these three routes should be saved:

• 222 – the Upper Derwent Shuttle
• 260 – the Edale to Castleton Shuttle

We will also be letting Derbyshire County Council know about our concerns about how cuts will affect journeys to work and access to key places, again when there is no alternative proposed.

Have a look at the online questionnaire now - or you can request a paper copy of the questionnaire by contacting Caroline Carey on 01629 538212  or caroline.carey@derbsyshire.gov.uk.

Please let our transport campaigner Anne Robinson know what your views are about all of this.
 

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...and join us as a trustee - and help us with our work protecting the Peak District.

We're looking for someone who loves our Peak District landscapes and wants to get stuck in! If you're interested in environmental issues, campaigning and fundraising, so much the better. Have a look at our trustee information pack, or give Carol Robinson a ring on 0114 266 5822 for a chat to find out more.

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We're calling on people to take part in Campaign to Protect Rural England's Star Count Week.

Between Monday 31 January and Sunday 6 February, we're asking people to count the number of stars they can see within the constellation of Orion. CPRE is running the Star Count in partnership with the British Astronomical Association's Campaign for Dark Skies, and the results will be used to make a Star Count map which will show how light pollution is spoiling views of the UK's night skies.

You can choose any night during the Star Count week, but the sky must be clear with no haze or clouds so that there's a good chance to see some stars. Also, look after 7pm so that it's dark enough. Then count the number of stars within Orion in the southern night sky - the same direction that a domestic satellite dish faces. Orion's main area is bounded by four bright stars, and your count should not include these. Do include Orion's belt, though - the three stars in the middle.

Better yet, have a look at the diagram on CPRE's website. Don't use telescopes or binoculars and then fill in the online survey form. You can also send your star count (plus time, date and location) to Star Count, Campaign for Dark Skies, 38 The Vineries, Colehill, Wimborne BH21 2PX.

Here in the Peak District, the National Park Authority is running a very similar project between Friday 28 January and Wednesday 2 February. In this local version, people are asked to spot Orion and then compare what they see with a series of online images which show different views affected by light pollution. All the information about how to take part and report your observations is on the Peak District National Park's website.
 

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We’re urging people to say yes to the Peak District National Park Authority’s proposed temporary ban on 4x4s and trail bikes using Chapel Gate.

The Park Authority is currently consulting on plans to place an experimental traffic order on the green lane that skirts Rushup Edge, a beautiful high ridge between Chapel-en-le-Frith and Edale. This would ban motorized traffic from the three kilometre track for 18 months.

We’ve been campaigning with other local people and groups to get Chapel Gate closed, and are completely behind this. This is our chance to really have an influence and start saving this iconic landscape from any more damage. We’ll be lobbying for the 18 month ban to eventually be permanent.

You can see the details at www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/chapelgate or ring 01629 816200 and email your letter of support to mike.rhodes@peakdistrict.gov.uk

The consultation ends on 28 January 2011.

Off-roading user groups are organized and likely to be opposing this move in large numbers – so it’s crucial that as many people as possible show their support for our countryside. Let’s take back the tracks!
 

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Join us and say yes to Derbyshire County Council’s plans to close School Lane in Great Hucklow to all traffic.

School Lane crosses Great Hucklow Wood, an ancient and protected woodland site. Trail bikes and 4x4s are damaging the woodlands as well as the character of this track, and making it difficult for other people to use. We also have serious concerns about the safety of children and parents, as part of the route is an access to the local primary school.

We are 100 per cent behind Derbyshire County Council’s proposed prohibition of driving order for School Lane – and urge you to support it too.

Look at Derbyshire County Council’s letter about the consultation (but note that they’ve extended the consultation period) and then email your support to Dawn Bryan at dawn.bryan@derbyshire.gov.uk

The consultation ends on 31 December 2010.

Off-roading user groups are organized and likely to be opposing this move in large numbers – so it’s crucial that as many people as possible show their support for our countryside. Let’s take back the tracks!
 

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The Government has published a second consultation on planning for new electricity lines. It has made some positive changes, but it is now proposing to weaken existing guidelines, known as the ‘Holford Rules’.

The Holford Rules state that new lines should avoid our most special landscapes including national parks. The Holford Rules have worked well since they were introduced in the 1960s and they are an important means of holding the industry to account. We want to see planning guidance strengthened to give better protection for the countryside by ensuring that the Holford Rules are enforced and are made the basis for decisions on new electricity lines. We also want to see more electricity lines placed underground and are calling for thousands of old pylons nearing the end of their useful life to be removed.

We represent the Campaign to Protect Rural England in the Peak District, and it is currently trying to put pressure on the Government. It wants people to send e-cards to the Government's consultation, asking it to strengthen the planning rules on new electricity pylons to give better protection for our most precious landscapes.

Send your e-card today, it will only take a minute. The consultation deadline is 24 January 2011.
 

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VICTORY!

Excessive limestone quarrying is well and truly a thing of the past at Backdale quarry on Longstone Edge. We're celebrating the fact that the European Court of Human Rights has just refused to hear an appeal from the landowner Bleaklow Industries. This means that after years of legal wrangling, Longstone Edge can no longer be damaged by illegal and excessive extraction of limestone, which is brilliant news.

However, the original 1952 planning permission allows the extraction of vein minerals (mainly fluorspar) and a small amount of limestone. This is still in force and covers Backdale and other sites on Longstone Edge at Wagers Flat, Peak Pasture and Beacon Rod.  

So whilst we are over the moon that the legal uncertainly is over in relation to limestone quarrying, we're urging the Peak District National Park Authority to make Longstone Edge really safe - either by acquiring the mineral rights or by revoking the original planning permission.

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“Better than socks or bubble bath, a Friends of the Peak District gift membership really is a brilliant present for someone you know who loves these beautiful landscapes! They’ll get something that lasts a whole year, and you’ll know that you’ve spent your money on something very worthwhile,” says our president, Julia Bradbury.

A gift membership for an individual costs £27 per year;  with joint membership at £42.  Membership includes: discounts to many popular Peak District attractions and events; Peakland Guardian magazine twice a year and regular campaign updates. Find out more about gift membership or give Saskia a ring on 0114 266 5822.
 

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We're looking for a new trustee - someone with financial expertise - to join us.

If you love the Peak District countryside and want to get involved with a great little charity that works to protect it, read on...

This is voluntary role, and our trustees are responsible for the good governance of Friends of the Peak District (and our sister charity Campaign to Protect Rural England South Yorkshire).

Please have a read through our application pack, and then if you're interested please send your CV and a short letter saying why you'd like to get involved and what you think you can offer to our chief exec Carol Robinson.

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Bad news about the new Tesco in Hattersley. We had called for Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to call a public inquiry into plans for the huge store. He has decided not to intervene, because there is “not sufficient conflict with national planning policies.”

This means that the building will now go ahead because Tameside Borough Council has already approved it, despite over 20 objections and a petition with over 400 signatures.

We are really disappointed and still concerned that it will bring mayhem to an already traffic choked area on the edge of the Peak District. We’re also worried about what a store this size will do to the “soul” of Hattersley, and the fact that it will be built on and impinge on valued, green open space. 
 

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A massive thank you to the nine intrepid volunteers who have successfully raised hundreds of pounds for us by abseiling down the side of a 90 foot bridge! They took part in our Shriek for the Peak abseil to fundraise for our work protecting the national park’s beautiful landscapes.

“I was first off the side of the bridge, and it was brilliant! I also managed to persuade my mum to come along, and it was great to see her do it too. We both had an amazing time, and were chuffed to raise money for Friends of the Peak District’s work,” says volunteer Helen Marsden.

The abseil at Millers Dale was part of Love the Peak Week, in the last week of October. Scores of volunteers took to villages and countryside with a range of fundraising activities including fancy dress bike rides, book sales and street collections.

 “We’ve just emptied out our buckets and finished counting all the money raised so far. Our total is nearing £2,000 which is fantastic news,” says our fundraiser Danny Anderson. “We’d like to thank all the people who fundraised for us, and everyone who’s made a donation. This money will be of real help to our continued work in protecting and caring for the Peak District countryside.” 
 

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We're joining local people, conservationists and other countryside campaigners in celebrating High Peak Borough Council’s unanimous rejection of controversial plans for a water bottling factory at Cowdale Quarry, near Buxton.

We objected to the plans along with residents and other groups including the British Mountaineering Council, the Ramblers, Keep High Peak Green, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and High Peak Badger Group. In all, the council received nearly 300 letters against the application.

Cowdale Quarry hasn’t been quarried since the nineteen fifties and the site has reverted back to nature. The spot is valued by local people for walking, climbing, picnicking and other recreational activities.

High Peak Borough Council did the right thing today, and we’re absolutely delighted. Cowdale is a beautiful landscape in its own right. It’s also part of the buffer zone between the Peak Park and Buxton and crucial for stopping industrial sprawl, noise and light pollution affecting our national park.

We were also worried that the proposals for the bottling plant were just the start of the landscape being carved up, because plans for second phase included a larger 20 hectare industrial estate with extensive offices, business units and car parking.

A great spot of countryside has been saved thanks to local people and good sense from High Peak Borough Council. With such a strong refusal, we’re hoping that developers have got the message and won’t waste their time with an appeal.

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You've got until Tuesday 26 October to have your say about the new core strategy for the Peak District National Park.

The Peak District National Park Authority is working on its planning strategy to guide future development in the national park from 2011 to 2026. It will replace the existing Local Plan with a Local Development Framework, which consists of a suite of documents, the first of which is this core strategy. The Local Development Framework is the masterplan against which all planning decisions will be made, and so will be important to everyone living or working in the Peak District. It includes things such as identifying settlements where development may be appropriate, and the scale and type of development. It will also contain policies on conservation, affordable housing, tourism and quarrying.

The Park Authority has been developing the core strategy for a number of years, and we've looked at various drafts – which haven’t proposed any significant levels of development in the national park – and written in with our comments.  We disagreed with them where they could potentially restrict affordable housing in smaller settlements, or prevent suitably located small scale renewable energy schemes. However, we supported the restrictions on open market housing (unless delivering conservation benefits) and a more flexible approach to businesses which fit national park purposes.

You can see the core strategy and supporting documents at www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/ldf, and make your comments at http:ldf.peakdistrict.gov.uk before 26 October.

The draft plan and comments from the consultation will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in December, and then examined by an inspector, probably in March 2011.

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We’re calling on Eric Pickles, the Secretary for State for Communities and Local Government, to call a public inquiry into plans for a new Tesco at Hattersley.

We were downhearted when Tameside Council ignored our objections (along with 22 others) and a petition with over 400 signatories, and gave permission for the 8,750 square metre store. It will bring mayhem to an already traffic choked area on the edge of the Peak District. Traffic problems on the A628 are already dire and the store and petrol station will bring even more cars in to the area. 

Hattersley is on the edge of the Peak District with valuable countryside to the north and east. Hurstclough Brook and its woodland link Hattersley to the moors and provide local people with a green space for recreation and children’s play.

Eric Pickles now has 21 days to call the case in for a public inquiry. Join us in are urging him to do this, and give the case the thorough scrutiny it needs. The deadline for calling the public inquiry is September 29 – so email Eric Pickles or write to him:
 

Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP
Secretary of State, Communities and Local Government
Eland House
Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5DU
 

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Plans for a huge new Tesco at Hattersley will bring mayhem to an already traffic choked area on the edge of the Peak District. We are urging Tameside Council to turn down plans for a new 8,750 square metre store,  plus car parking, petrol station and new access roads.

The traffic problems on the A628 are already horrendous and the last thing we need is an enormous new supermarket which would bring even more cars in to the area. The Highways Agency appears to believe that there would be no significant traffic impacts on the trunk route despite the fact that car trips are expected to arrive from Stalybridge, Hyde and further afield.

Hattersley lies on the edge of the Peak District with stunning countryside to the north and east. The new development would be built on open land along Hyde Road and beside Hurstclough Brook, which is Protected Green Space and separates Hattersley from Mottram. Local people value Hurstclough Brook and its woodland because they link Hattersley to the moors and provide a green space for recreation and children’s play.

We’ve also got serious concerns about what a Tesco of this scale will do to the “soul” of Hattersley. This large new store will suck the life out of surrounding local shops, small centres and the rural economy nearby.

The planning application is now being considered by Tameside Council. We've written a strong and detailed letter of objection and are urging local people to write to the council too to lobby for it to be refused.  You can view the planning application on Tameside Council's website.

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Developers have resubmitted controversial plans for a bottling factory at Cowdale Quarry near Buxton but we remain opposed.

Express Park Buxton initially applied to High Peak Borough Council in the spring, but were sent away to get more details about the impact the project would have on the environment. We say that their new information is muddled and inconsistent – and it makes no difference to our arguments. The clock is ticking now for Cowdale, and we are urging people to oppose the development.  It goes against the council’s own planning policies, and will destroy a tranquil spot of local countryside.

Cowdale Quarry is popular with local people for walking, climbing, picnicking and other recreational activities. It has not been quarried since the nineteen fifties and the site has reverted back to nature. Any large industrial buildings there would be visible from the Peak District National Park. Cowdale is part of a really important buffer zone between the Peak Park and Buxton and we must stop industrial sprawl, noise and light pollution affecting our national park.

We are also worried because proposals for the five hectare water bottling plant here will eventually be part of a larger 20 hectare industrial estate.  The bottling factory is just the start. Phase two of the plans are for an even larger industrial estate that would include extensive offices, business units and car parking.

The planning application is now being considered by High Peak Borough Council. We are among many local people and groups, including Keep High Peak Green and Cowdale Parish Council, lobbying to get it refused. Please object to the plans at High Peak Borough Council or get in touch with our planning officer John King.

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We're urging High Peak Borough Council to think again about plans to build thousands of new houses in much-loved local landscapes. High Peak is in the process of updating its Core Strategy – the main planning policy that sets out an overall vision for the future of the borough. The strategy includes proposals for 6,000 houses mainly concentrated in and around Glossop, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Buxton.

We welcome the fact that the Core Strategy recognises the importance of conserving the environment.  High Peak is close to the Peak District National Park, and its own landscapes are also attractive in their own right. But because it is sandwiched between the National Park and Greater Manchester, there’s a lot of pressure to build new houses for commuters and people from outside the area. We’re fully behind the need for a small number of new, affordable houses for local people, but only 20 – 30% of these targets are for affordable homes. 

Recent government changes to the planning system mean that local councils are no longer tied to regional housing targets, and can now decide on numbers for themselves.  So we say that this is a great opportunity for High Peak to get their housing numbers right for the countryside. They should go back to the drawing board, and do an up-to-date housing needs survey. Then they can work out how many people locally need houses and plan to just build this number.

To find out more, contact John King.

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We organised a successful consultation event about forming a new Peak Hydro Forum on 3 July. It was well attended by a mix of site-owners and managers plus other groups interested in things like ecology, sustainability and archaeology.

There was plenty of enthusiasm for forming a Peak District wide forum to help promote good practice in micro hydro and encourage more schemes to be developed. We'll be arranging a follow up meeting shortly to look at the aims, structure and status of the forum.

We're working jointly with Sustainable Bakewell, and if you want to get involved please contact Andy Tickle or fill in an initial survey at www.peakhf.org.uk

We'll also be holding some workshops about micro hydro in the autumn to spread the word, so watch this space...

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We're giving our backing to plans for eight new homes for local people in Youlgrave which would have brilliant green design features.

If the Peak District National Park Authority approves the plans, then six houses and two bungalows could be built at Conksbury Lane on the edge of the village. The north, east and west walls would have small windows and be highly insulated to reduce loss of heat. The southern facing walls would have large double glazed windows to harness heat from the sun. Deciduous trees would be planted in front to provide shade in the summer, but allow in daylight during the rest of the year. 

We think this is a great little scheme. We love the passive solar heating and also think the houses would fit in the national park well. They would be built of natural stone and incorporate traditional features such as stone lintels and sills, so they’d suit this Peak District limestone village.

 
But equally importantly, the houses will meet a vital demand for more affordable homes for people living in and around Youlgrave. According to a survey done by Derbyshire Dales District Council, there’s a need for nine new dwellings in the village, so they are crucially important for local people.

We're also satisfied that the site is the best place for the houses. Other possible sites were either unsuitable in planning terms, or else the landowners wouldn’t sell. There was a thorough search of the village. Although this is a greenfield site, it’s right between existing houses and bungalows, so it won’t significantly spoil landscape views. 

The plans are also supported by both Sustainable Youlgrave and Youlgrave Parish Council.

The Peak District National Park Authority is expected to make a decision about the application in the next couple of months.
 

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We're launching our brand new Planning Help service this week. It aims to give clear, impartial information and advice to local people about planning applications that could affect local countryside.

“We’re a charity that exists to look after our local landscapes,” explains John King, our Planning Officer at Friends of the Peak District. “So we’re not going to be able to give people advice about their own individual housing extensions! But if you’re worried about a planning application for, say, a new building development in an area of valued countryside then we can tell you about the steps you need to take to fight it.”

Although we have campaigned successfully to stop many developments that would compromise our landscapes, we've also supported planning applications for things like affordable housing and green energy projects.

“There may well be planning applications that people want to support too: for instance, plans for affordable housing, or expanding a village post office to keep it viable,” adds John King. “If you know there’s some opposition you might not want to keep quiet, and again we can talk through how to get involved in the planning system.” 

Have a look at our Planning Help pages first - and then if you need to, give us a ring on 0114 266 5822 on Thursday afternoons between 2pm and 5pm. 

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