A £6.5 million limestone-clad visitor centre including a new cafe and playground at Derbyshire’s National Stone Centre is set to be given the green light.
The stone centre, in the former Coal Hills quarry, north of Wirksworth, opened in 1990 and is currently housed in a large industrial building.
However, plans from IQ, the Institute of Quarrying, based on an industrial estate in Nottingham, would see a new “discovery centre”, 1,200 square metre piazza, museum and exhibition space, a 100-seat cafe and restaurant, gift shop, offices and a children’s playground built on the Derbyshire quarry site.
This would include four naturally-lit classrooms capable of accommodating 120 pupils.
Plans submitted by the applicants also say it is intended that the site becomes the new home of the Peak District Mining Museum, in Matlock Bath, and the David Pollard Collection – a range of artefacts from the Bath Stone Museum Quarry Trust in the South West.
The new complex would be three storeys tall and would stick out of a rock outcrop, built in a “contemporary” design with a curved section stretching between two blocks.
This would be clad in limestone, to reflect Derbyshire’s industrial past and present, along with zinc cladding and fossil imprints as well as solar panels and grass on the roof.
The existing discovery centre would be demolished once its replacement has been completed and its former location would become a circular stone-paved piazza area.
Parking spots at the front of the existing centre would be moved to a new spot south of the High Peak Trail and provide 10 disabled parking spaces.
The existing main car park would be reconfigured to provide 67 spaces and a further 32 spots would be created on either side of the access road – 10 of which would have electric vehicle charging points.
Overall, the changes will see an increase in 57 parking spots – and the facility would provide 20 new jobs, up from six to 26.
Highways officials at Derbyshire County Council say the site has “strong sustainable access” due to its spot off the High Peak Trail and vicinity to Wirksworth.
It says journeys to the site would likely increase through the plans, including school educational trips, and advised that the bus stop is improved.
District council design and conservation officials write: “The proposed design concept is modern/contemporary and the plan-form and shape of the building reflects its position on the edge of the plateau.
“The extensive use of stone cladding is a reflection of the limestone quarrying in which the site has a long history and that the building is within the National Stone Centre.
“It is considered that the proposed new building is a contemporary architectural response to the site.”
Both the Peak and Northern Footpaths Society and the Derbyshire Dales Ramblers have stressed that links through the site must be maintained and not be blocked during construction and that any formal re-routing of paths is applied for and consulted on.
District council officers, recommending approval at a planning meeting on Tuesday, April 11, wrote: “The site is located beyond the edge of Wirksworth and therefore is in the open countryside.
“Nevertheless, the National Stone Centre is an established site and provides significant economic and social benefits to the local area while maintaining public access and understanding of our cultural heritage related to quarrying and lead mining.
“The proposed replacement discovery centre would be of an appropriate size and scale and located in a sustainable and accessible location within close proximity to Wirksworth.
“The proposed development would be a high standard of contemporary design which would mitigate the impacts of climate change, conserve and enhance the site, the Conservation Area and other affected heritage assets while enhancing public access, enjoyment and education of geodiversity and biodiversity interests and cultural heritage at the National Stone Centre.”
A statement submitted by the applicants says: “The IQ is keen to ensure that the maximum contribution to both society and the profession of quarrying is made through the delivery of a world-class visitor centre.
“The plan is to build a business which spans several elements of the economy from tourism to school-age education to adult skills and professional development including ensuring that the local community needs are catered for.
“The overriding mission is to inspire a future generation to enter the minerals industry to help tackle the mega challenges ahead such as zero carbon, material circularity, diversity and the digital economy.
“It is envisaged that the new Discovery Centre would be the first phase of a mini ‘campus’ and an internationally significant centre of learning.
“The existing building would only be removed once the new Centre had been built, with the materials of the existing building possibly being reused for other later phases. Discovery Centre II will improve the existing offer provided by the current centre and also provide some additional functions.”
Each year the applicants hope to educate 8,000 children aged five to age eight (Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 3) each year, “upskill” 40,000 people, encourage 30,000 museum visits and provide 8,000 volunteer hours.
