16 July 2026
From: Ruby Moon < > To: Planning (HPBC) Subject: town redevelopment Application Reference No. : HPK/2026/0228 and HPK/2026/0229 From.....Ruby Moon, 136 Victoria Park Rd, Buxton, SK17 7PD Comments I, like many in Buxton, would love to see a sensitive redevelopement in our town that truly reflects its history and complements the beautiful historic buildings of our town. However the plans have morphed into what appears to be a pure and simple opportunity for Capital and Centric to procure land to build a residential development..... nothing more than a land grab for profitable rental homes........ I object to this planning application, my reasons are outlined below... ..1. The plans include buildings up to 5 storeys high dwarfing the historic Winster place close by. They will dominate the skyline of Buxton, not reflecting its character or buildings. And the proposed idea of a viewing tower that purports to be a maypole but is in reality a concrete tower I feel will provide a less satisfying view of the town which can be far bettwr viewed from the slopes. A viewing tower in the lowest part of town seems to be an unecessary and ugly feature. 2. I cannot agree that the plan reflects and enhances Buxton's history, its architecture and culture. The design and chosen materials are inappropriate. Tall angular concrete buildings in a town where stone is a prominent feature and curved lines ( eg. the colonnades) doesn't add up! Concrete mixed with limestone/ gritstone just isnt solid stone! And fake copper sheets......i have to say they do not speak of Buxton....the copper mines were in fact in Staffordshire. Overall the design looks like the other C and C residential developements i have looked at and doesnt reflect and enhance Buxtons heritage and culture. 2. The building of 332 properties in this small area is not acceptable. Considering the government requirement was for a much lower number, 85, i believe, and the initial plan referred to 120 so why has it continued to increase when many of us said that was.too many. Only 5 per cent will be affordable housing and it is rental property.......although the plans refer to it as suitable for all lifestyles. 3. There is inadequqte parking provision in this plan......why is it that Capital and Centric have decided that 50 per cent of the new occupants will not need cars??? Our bus and train services arent adequate for anyone commuting for work to Sheffield or Chesterfield, Derby..... If the car parking spaces we have are reduced by 30 per cent and 50 oer cent of new residents have cars we are left with 120 spaces some of which MUST be disabled parking. Woefully inadequate to accommodate Buxton townspeope, tourists and shoppers. Much more thought would be needed re the possible car park on land up at rhe railway. Totally unsuitable for people shopping at Waitrose, or people purchasing bulky or heavy items elsewhere. [Page 2] Also it may impact upon the historic fan window, and tree preservation orders when access has to be provided. It is already a busy road without adding more traffic to it. Children cross this road to a nearby school .....have the safety aspects of children and people loaded wirh shopping crossing an already busy road been assessed? This idea doesnt seem to have had due consideration and cannot be deemed a satisfactory solution. Retail in the town will suffer if parking is inadequate. Disruption over a long period combined with parking issues will adversely affect retailers. Waitrose could likely decide to go, and interestingly a recent conversation with a local retailer revealed that a good percentage of her out of town trade were people who came to shop at waitrose and would then wander round the town. Next will have no suitable unit..... Overall i cannot see how this plan supports existing retailers. 4 What research has been done to assess the impact of 332 new dwellings on the towns infrastructure? I am not convinced that this has been thoroughly undertaken. I cannot see the evidence that it has. School places, dentists, doctors, nurseries,hospitals...... For example it recently took me a full year to get an NHS dentist in Buxton. A good number of people i know travel to Bakewell and Hathersage for dental appointments. 5. This plan if implemented will give Buxton a generic quite ugly developement of a domineering size bearing Capital and Centrics logo which is quite out of keeping to the town and unacceptable. It is a plan that has too many dwelling spaces for the size of that area, inadequate town centre parking, and as it stands, considering the long time scale, will damage Buxton retailers, lose some of our retailers and i think discourage visitors due to parking problems and the physical disruption in the town However i would really get behind a developement that had a realistic number of dwelling spaces, no more than 100 with no loss of accessible parking Better building design......no higher than 3 storeys that bears in mind curved lines.........and colonnades at street level. Also with evidence of support for local retailers. A facelift for Spring Gardens itself would be a very good addition. Yours respectfully, Ruby Moon.