23 July 2026
I strongly object to the current application. My objections are in no particular order The money was allocated for the purposes of improving the town of Buxton and its facilities the proposals currently submitted do not do this and rather make the situation worse. We want people to return to shopping and trading in Buxton rather than Macclesfield or Leek, these proposals do nothing for that. Plentiful parking where much of the catchment area for shopping and visiting is rural is essential if people are to come to the town. Major cities can rely on public transport, towns like Buxton and environs cannot, people will not come! Buxton is a residential and tourist town which very much relies on visitors, the new huge numbers of inappropriate housing included in the proposals will do nothing to encourage visitors, quite the reverse. The proposals as submitted have been altered so significantly to those which were put forward for public consultation so as to render that public consultation irrelevant. It is the residents and traders who are the people affected by changes in the town and they must be properly consulted, it is too significant an application both aesthetically and in terms of demographics for the developer to do what it wants without regard to the people who are actually affected and in such a significant way. There have been huge numbers of houses built at Harpur Hill, that will require money for schools, G.P practices and other resources. We have recently lost important health facilities in the town and the pressure on them is considerable and growing. The proposals are unacceptable in the current form both aesthetically and in terms of demographics. Buxton town centre, with its most beautiful buildings upon some of which vast millions have been spent is in the form of a basin surrounded by hills and beautiful countryside. One of the most significant detrimental impacts on Buxton is traffic, the major A roads converge in Buxton and sadly there is still no sign of any by pass which really would improve the town! The detrimental effects on the population of static traffic is enormous, especially with such topology and these proposals would make the situation infinitely worse and permanent. Road works on Station Road have shown us the knock on effects throughout the town of the consequent traffic chaos, but they were temporary, this would be permanent. People won't stop using their cars they just won't come and residents may feel they have no choice but to move away.
These proposals will not regenerate the town but the reverse and whatever the criticisms subsequently made of the Spring Gardens development of the 70s/80s will be nothing compared to this criticisms if these proposals are allowed. A legacy no one should wish to leave,. .