Date not provided
I strongly object to planning application HPK/2026/0228. My main concern is overdevelopment. The scheme appears to have grown into a very large residential-led proposal, with around 332 homes for rent and a substantial increase in residential floorspace. This feels far beyond what many local people expected from a town-centre regeneration scheme, and I am concerned that it is becoming an expensive rental development rather than a balanced regeneration project. I am also very concerned about the scale, massing and appearance of the buildings. Proposals of up to five storeys in Buxton's historic core do not, in my view, respect or enhance the town's distinctive character. Buxton has a unique heritage, with Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture, conservation areas and an important historic townscape. Development of this scale risks harming that character and the setting of heritage assets. I also object to the housing mix and the emphasis on town-centre living in this form. A scheme dominated by rental apartments does not appear to meet local needs or support the kind of mixed, sustainable town-centre regeneration that was originally promoted. Finally, I believe the timing of this decision is inappropriate. With local government reorganisation approaching, this is a long-term scheme whose effects will last for decades. It would be better for such a significant proposal to be considered with full regard to the implications for future authorities. For these reasons, I ask that the application be refused.
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