17 July 2026
I object to this planning application and support the concerns set out by Cllrs Hall and Quinn. In addition my objections are: A planning application that has morphed from an initial, reasonable plan for a modest number of residential units and new, reasonably designed buildings into what can only be described as a land grab of public land which is to be developed almost solely for the profit of the developers and not for the benefit of Buxton residents or businesses A huge number of planned residential units, the majority of which are not for sale as affordable homes, only around half of which will have parking spaces (when the national average for car ownership is over 80%) and which, in total, will adversely affect the existing private rental market in the town Proposals to create facilities which already exist in the town - thereby further adversely affecting the existing facilities and economy A 5 year (at least) disruption to, and adverse impact on the tourist, retail and hospitality sectors in the town while the development takes place - an impact that will be hard to recover from if that is possible at all A reduction in, and/ or a relocation of parking in the town, which will make parking for tourists and residents more problematic and therefore likely to also impact the retail and tourist sectors [Page 2] A problematic proposal to redevelop the land behind the station into a car park which would involve removing an area of trees/woodland, which runs counter to the efforts and policies of the Council to protect and promote biodiversity Design plans and ideas which would look more at home in a city and are not either in keeping with, or complementary to, a small Georgian and Victorian town. I am not against a sensitive redevelopment in the centre of Buxton. The current Waitrose car park is both an eyesore and a huge waste of space, as is the Springs shopping centre. But we are a small, historic town, not a city centre, and we need a development which understands that and provides a balanced, high quality development, bringing public services back into the town centre with a reasonable number of affordable homes. And we do not need numerous additional retail and hospitality premises which are likely either to remain empty, or to cause further closures and empty premises on Spring Gardens.