A canal-side watersports business is set for approval on a derelict Derbyshire garden centre in an aim to bring manufacturing back to the home of industrial revolution.
Plans from Peak UK Kayaking on the former Cromford Garden Centre site, off the A6, have been recommended for approval by Derbyshire Dales District Council officers.
A final decision will be made by councillors at a meeting on Tuesday, February 11.
The site, which closed in 2006 and has since become a haven for urban explorers, would be turned into a new base for the manufacturing and sale of clothing and equipment for watersports, including canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding.
Peak UK Kayaking says the site would also provide a base for Paddle Peak, the company’s charity, which currently runs its operations from Cromford Wharf, “which involves a significant effort to transport kayaks and equipment, since they have no base near the canal”.
The plans would see the creation of 12 full-time jobs on the site, the company’s application details.
In response to the plans, Historic England said the scheme represents a “positive” alternative use for the vacant site.
The Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site Partnership said the scheme would be acceptable providing it uses high-quality materials and was restricted from any wider significant development.
Eight supporting letters were submitted by members of the public backing the project, saying it would improve the appearance of the site and restore the canalside, providing improved recreation facilities for children.
District council planners, recommending approval, wrote: “The proposed development is acceptable in principle and of key importance is the fact it is considered to be very sensitive to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
“Whilst Historic England identity less than substantial harm, this is considered by officers to be towards the lower end of the harm scale and such harm would be outweighed by the public benefits of the proposal with a regenerated site providing employment and recreational uses for the immediate and surrounding areas.”
Peak UK Kayaking says the site would include a new community hub and activity base “for children to try kayaking who might have not otherwise had the opportunity”.
It said in its application: “Formed back in 1990, PEAK UK was founded to combat the badly designed paddlesport garments on the market.
“They have grown significantly since then and have revolutionised the paddlesport equipment industry and have brought textile manufacture back to the home of the industrial textile revolution which began here in Derbyshire over 200 years ago.
“As residents of Cromford the owners understand that the area is of World Heritage Status and are keen to continue its legacy of world leading textile production to create goods of superior quality, employing local people and revitalising the derelict and dangerous former Cromford Garden Centre by developing a new manufacturing and community space.
“For several years, the company’s charity ‘British Canoeing Club, Paddle Peak’ has been introducing local children regardless of background to blue spaces and each August Bank Holiday since 2018, more than 1,000 local children have been taken kayaking on the Cromford Canal as part of the Cromford Mills Adventure Weekend.
“It is the charity’s wish to provide these local children a relationship with the canal along with a permanent space to return and learn kayaking properly.
“The proposal is designed to provide both a headquarters for PEAK UK and a base for Paddle Peak on one unified site, allowing them to run more efficiently and effectively together.”
