20 June 2026
As a resident and home-owner in Buxton for over 45 years I most strongly object to this proposal in its entirety for the following reasons: 1. It will reliquish HPBC (and therefore democratic) control of a large area of the town to a developer concerned primarily with making money for its shareholders. On a side note to this, I object very strongly to the developer's name being displayed in huge capital letters on building exteriors. 2. The architectural style of the buildings is not in keeping with the general aesthetic of this ancent town and its existing historic buildings. The proposal includes ugly and soul-less buildings, resembling 1960s style office blocks and one a factory. 3. The use of copper cladding is totally out of character with the historic aesthetic of the town; any connection of copper with the Duke of Devonshire is irrelevant. 4. The proposed entrance to the car park off the main road opposite MacDonalds is likely to cause traffic jams to an already busy road due to queues of vehicle entering and leaving the car park. 5. The plan calls for the current car park capacity being reduced from over 420 to aroumd 260. Even though HPBC plans to build 200 additional car park spaces on former railway premises, these will be at a distance from the shops and inadequate compensation for the spaces removed by the development and the additional housing. I believe the developer's claim that only 50% of the residents of the new housing will need a parking space is unrealistic. 6.The density of the residential accommodation is very high, providing over 320 residences with around 450 beds. There is already a shortage of public services in the area, especially health services including NHS medical and dental facilities. 7. The town will be a mess and inconvenience to residents and visitors for several years if this development goes ahead, with severe difficulties in parking and access to existing establishments. Finally, in order to regenerate the town centre of Buxton, I believe that we need not this massive blot on the landscape, but to spend time and money on improving the assets that we already have, especially in the renovation, renewal and in some cases, repurposing of some of the failing and abandoned structures that already exist (eg Town [Page 2] Hall, Old Museum, ex Council offices on Market Street) and some general refurbishment and maintenance of areas like Spring Gardens and the Market Place.