21 July 2026
I concur with Councillors Smith, Paine and Hall, as well as the comments already tabled as objections by locals regarding the proposed development not being in character for Buxton as an historic town, the proposed parking being moved further away from the centre of town and ancillary accessibility & facilities issues for pedestrians and visitors to Buxton. I object on the grounds of parking & facilities and the knock-on impact of both on current locals & expected visitor numbers. In addition to comments already made regarding parking and facilities on the proposed plan as a whole. I add my objections wrt the proposal which is focused on a very specific area and vague about the knock-on effect and impact on the rest of the town. Examples of these knock on effects which should be addressed are below. Available free parking near the centre of town: Already paucity of parking in the town centres necessitates locals and visitors to park in nearby streets, e.g. Burlington & Park Road. Locals who are employed by businesses in town have little choice but to make use of this free parking. What will the impact be on people working in- or close to town? Paying for parking will add an extra economic burden to local employees. Will local employers, most of whom are small businesses too, be able to absorb the potential extra costs to employees? Who bears this burden? What about the extra visitors to our town needing parking? They add to requirements for available parking be it free or not. Traffic flow in roads around the Spring garden area: How will these ancillary roads be affected by the proposed new parking site and residential areas? [Page 2] E.g. Long Hill, Park and Burlington Roads, Green Lane? Others not mentioned, but who also have double parking leaving one car width space to drive through, especially during our larger festivals (e.g. Buxton Fringe, Gilbert & Sullivan, Opera shows, Bonfire night, Carnival? ) Availability of free toilet facilities, also open for longer hours for the "expected" residential and visiting populations? Around the Pav, the public toilets in the parking near the Leisure Centre are not always open, nor are those outside the cinema. Sylvan Park requires payment. What if phones and cards alone are needed for entry to toilets should any facilities be provided? So if we increase visitors and residents in numbers, especially visitors who don't know the layout of town and where there might be public facilities open for them? Also, what are the demographics of local & visiting generations who still use cash?