Report by Local Democracy Reporter – Jon Cooper
Derbyshire planners have given the go-ahead for a housing scheme for up to 180 new homes on agricultural land at Chapel-en-le-Frith despite concerns with 288 objections regarding fears of over-development, the impact on the environment, highways and services.
High Peak Borough Council’s Development Control Committee approved BDW Trading Ltd’s planning application at a meeting on April 20, at Buxton Methodist Church, for the homes, public open space and works on nine hectares of land at Crossings Road, at Chapel-en-le-Frith.
A council spokesperson stated: “[Planning] Officers fully acknowledge that this development will result in moderate landscape and visual harm.
“However, officers consider that this harm, on its own, does not significantly or demonstrably outweigh the very significant public benefits that come with the development.”
The council received 288 objections during a consultation including concerns that the site is not allocated in the council’s Local Plan and that it lies in open countryside along with arguments that brownfield sites should have been considered ahead of using greenfield land.
They also claimed there is a lack of need or demand for housing in Chapel-en-le-Frith which objectors claim is already overcrowded and they argued the scheme represents over-development while only offering a 30per cent proportion of affordable housing.
Other objections include feared harm to the landscape including Eccles Pike summit with a loss of agricultural land and that the separation space between Chapel, Tunstead Milton and Whaley Bridge will be eroded.
Further concerns include potential harm to heritage assets including the setting of Listed Buildings, noise, light pollution, the impact on wildlife, disruption and air pollution and that Pyke House would be enclosed by the development, removing tranquil environment and views.
Those who submitted objections also fear flooding and drainage issues including surface water run-off with worries over whether foul drainage can be accommodated in the sewage network for a site that is claimed to be prone to becoming waterlogged with significant areas of standing water during heavy rain.
Concerns were also raised about an already busy highway network with fears for traffic congestion, exit visibility and for the safety of road users and pedestrians in an area where those who objected feel there is inadequate public transport and stretched public services with a lack of infrastructure with enough schools and medical facilities.
But Derbyshire County Council’s Flood Risk Team, and its highways authority both raised no objections subject to conditions and Natural England and Peak District National Park raised no objections as did Derbyshire Wildlife Trust subject to conditions including an anticipated Habitat Regulations Assessment.
The county council’s highways authority concluded that there would not be an unacceptable impact on highway safety or a severe impact on congestion and therefore it stated there are no justifiable grounds on which an objection could be maintained.
A High Peak Borough Council report also stated that the site lies within Flood Zone 1 as per an Environment Agency Flood Map and as such it is not at risk of flooding from rivers or seas but due to the scale of the development, the plans are to be supported by a Drainage Management Strategy.
Chapel-en-le-Frith Parish Council, High Peak Cllr Nigel Gourlay and High Peak Cllr Angela Benham also submitted objections but the council stated it had also received one letter of support for the scheme and what it described as ten ‘neutral’ letters during the consultation process.
Cllr Gourlay expressed concerns the scheme involves a large-scale, unallocated, settlement-edge expansion into open countryside posing flood risks, a strain on education and healthcare and that he feels Crossings Road is unsuitable to cope with a new housing development.
He stated: “The scale of development proposed would generate significant additional vehicle movements, materially increasing risks to pedestrians and cyclists and exacerbating congestion on the local road network.”
Cllr Gourlay added: “Given the scale of development and cumulative pressures in the area, the lack of certainty on drainage and flood mitigation weighs significantly against the proposal.”
Cllr Benham also echoed concerns about the lack of infrastructure to support the development and that she feels it is inappropriate to build on a greenfield site when brownfield and greyfield sites are available.
Chapel-en-le Frith also expressed concerns about the impact on infrastructure, increased traffic and the effects on the area’s landscape and heritage assets.
A Chapel-en-le-Frith spokesperson stated: “The proposal for up to 180 dwellings at Crossings Road represents a substantial, unallocated urban extension beyond the defined settlement boundary, contrary to the plan-led strategy of the High Peak Local Plan and the Chapel-en-le-Frith Neighbourhood Development Plan.”
A borough council report outlined how the developers will be expected to make a number of Section 106 financial contributions towards the area’s infrastructure as well as towards aspects of open space and recreation.
These include £1,001,394.24 sought towards Secondary Education, and £171,127.13 towards SEND Places, and £180,000 towards General Practice medical care along with £10,000 for a Travel Plan and £102,600 as a Travel Plan Bond, and £204,168.00 of financial contributions towards off-site recreational facilities.
Despite many objections to the scheme, the council stated it is currently unable to demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land so the application has had to be assessed and determined in favour of providing sustainable development.
The council argued the scheme will deliver up to 180 homes which would make a considerable contribution towards its significant shortfall in housing delivery with 30 per cent of the properties to be affordable housing.
It also argued that the scheme will deliver a 10per cent Biodiversity Net Gain on site, which positively supports the council’s environmental objective of achieving sustainable development.
A council spokesperson added: “This application delivers a significant number of economic, social and environmental public benefits, which conversely also generates some locally significant and also more moderate wider landscape and visual impacts.”
The council’s development committee approved the planning application for up to 180 homes at Chapel-en-le-Frith subject to conditions and the S106 financial contributions.
Conditions include landscaping, a surface water and full drainage scheme, a Contamination Land Assessment and Remediation Strategy and a Construction and Environmental Management Plan.
