28 June 2026
As a long-term resident of Buxton, I was keen to hear of plans to develop Buxton's town centre. My primary interest was to see a substantial investment to improve our 'high street' (Spring Gardens) and the Springs Shopping Centre. I hoped that this would be done in such a way, as to support and encourage existing and new businesses alike, and that any plans would be fully sympathetic to the town's unique heritage and architecture. The current Capital & Centric proposal does none of these. In fact, it feels like an extreme betrayal of what our town needs and stands for. My objection to the plan is based on the following points: 1. The skyline of our town centre would be irrevocably damaged. The proposed accommodation /commercial blocks are as much as 5 storeys high which would dramatically overshadow and overwhelm the existing historic buildings at close-proximity in the town centre and its adjacent conservation areas. 2. It seems the primary objective of the development is not to improve the town centre for the benefit of Buxton's residents. It is effectively a 'land grab' to build 332 rental properties in a small, town centre at the detriment of residents, shoppers, visitors and existing businesses. The mention of accommodation to suit all life- styles and needs, is misleading as only be 5% of the homes will be affordable. None of the apartments will be for sale and rental costs will be too high for most local people. 3. As part of the Government grant, only 75 homes were required to be built in order to qualify for funding. The proposal in May 2025 include approximately 120 homes, then in September 2025, this became 250. Having received feedback from the public that the development included too many homes, why, despite this and the government requirements, has the number of proposed homes increased to 332. This is a cynical betrayal and represents a lack of meaningful consultation. 4. During the open public consultations, C&C originally stated that the residents will not need cars. Buxton is not a city. The majority of Buxton's residents are reliant on cars for getting to and from work, shopping and travelling out of town. There are currently 422 spaces on the Springs site. The proposed reduction will reduce this to around 280. C&C states around 50% of the 332 flats will need cars. This will leave approx. 120 spaces for visitors and shoppers. A loss of 300 vital spaces which are in close proximity to our retail facilities, and particularly the supermarket Waitrose. The rumoured new location for extra car parking spaces on the newly acquired D B Schenker land, is totally illogical and does not fully mitigate against the loss of spaces around Springs. Its creation will inevitably lead to unacceptable issues related to access, pedestrian safety, loss of green space etc. [Page 2] 5. The proposed plan and the building designs are from a 'one size fits all' approach to development which is clearly taken from C&C's city centre projects. An example of this is the viewing tower on the 'Boulevard'. Resembling a fire station training tower, it is supposedly there to allow visitors to view the town centre's architecture. Why have an ugly concrete tower for this when we already have a prime location for viewing our architectural heritage from the Slopes. The proposed designs are supposed to be 'a nod to the Duke of Devonshire'. This is clearly ridiculous, given the proposed designs neither resemble nor compliment the surrounding heritage architecture. The use of fake copper sheeting, excessive glass, flat roofs and unsightly angular building profiles does nothing to echo Buxton's special architectural character. C&C state that they will be using local materials like limestone and gritstone. The only element of truth in this statement is that they will be as aggregate in cement based composite building materials. 6. Any building within the development must not be allowed to have a Capital & Centric branding logo on its side at any level. Allowing this is unacceptable and would detract from the town's heritage and architectural importance. 7. There will be a detrimental impact on our town centre's businesses due to the loss of easily accessible parking where it is required. There appears to be no consideration or a clear plan to support businesses during the works. This includes detailed assessments and plans for business relocation during the work, and to ensure there will be no adverse impact on their trade. It must be highlighted, that due to the impact of the work and the loss of parking near the store, there is a significant risk that we will lose Waitrose, our only town centre supermarket. This has to be a major consideration. 8. In both public consultations (Track & Trail May 2025 and Pavilion Gardens Sept 2025) there was nothing disclosed or highlighted with regards to an additional car park on the redundant D B Schenker Land. This appears to be an important aspect of the town centre development which in itself, poses significant challenges. These include distance from the shopping area, impact on the Palace Road junction, safety for pedestrians e.g. school children, additional traffic at the junction, impact on the conservation area near the Grade 2 listed Fan Window, and impact on the green space and associated Tree Preservation Orders. 9. There appears to have been no assessment on the impact on local infrastructure and facilities. This includes doctors, hospital, schools, nurseries and the already limited availability and access to transport facilities e.g. poor bus services, infrequent and unreliable trains service. In my opinion, a much smaller development of the Springs Centre including some housing limited to no more than 80, would be acceptable. Any building design and materials used should not be detrimental to our architectural style and heritage. Any building MUST not be more that 3 storeys in height. The plan should ensure that there is no loss of parking and that disabled parking, remains in close proximity to the retail businesses. Funding should also be made available to enhance and improve Spring Gardens (our main street and conservation area). The D B Schenker land could then be considered for future housing development.