Report by Local Democracy Reporter – Jon Cooper
Council planners have granted a previously unofficial and informal car park in a Derbyshire town a Certificate of Lawfulness so it can continue operating lawfully.
High Peak Borough Council’s Development Control Committee voted unanimously to approve the Certificate of Lawfulness for the once unofficial car park at Lambert House, off Brook Street, in Glossop, for applicant Ian Bradley, of Building Projects Group Ltd, at a meeting, on August 10.
The council’s Head of Development Services, Ben Haywood, told the meeting at the Palace Hotel, in Buxton: “This is an application for a Certificate of Lawfulness development to recognise land and the application site as a car park.”
Mr Haywood explained the council had to decide whether the use of the land has been lawful and in doing so had to consider evidence, potentially in its favour, demonstrating that the site has already been used continuously as a car park for ten or more years.
A council report stated that it was necessary for the applicant to confirm, in the balance of probabilities, that the site has already been in a continuous use as a car park for 10 years or greater.
Mr Haywood said the applicant provided a supporting statement and the council has had the benefit of aerial images from 2003 to 2025 showing the area of hardstanding, to the east of Glossop Ambulance Station and to the north of St Mary’s Parish Hall, being used for car parking by a varying number of vehicles.
The council also had the benefit of Google Street View images showing cars parked on the area in question, according to Mr Haywood.
Mr Haywood said: “We have a supporting written statement from the applicant and we have the benefit of aerial images from 2003 and 2025. The images do indeed show the area of hardstanding in question is being used for car parking with a varying number of vehicles being used at the time of the images.
“And we have Google Street View images with cars parked on the area in question and we have a written statement.”
Cllr Adrian Hopkinson also told the meeting that he was aware that the land had been used some years ago by employees from engineering firm EGL Vaughan Ltd.
And Mr Bradley stated: “The land has always for at least the last 40 years been used as a car park for the businesses operating out of Lambert House.”
But two submitted comments from the public raised concerns about highways and pedestrian safety, and that the land should not become a general car park or intensified to support commercial or residential traffic, and that its current use is not ideal due to access and space.
However, Mr Haywood said the evidence demonstrated on the balance of probability that the land has been used for informal car parking for more than ten years and its use is therefore lawful and that there is no evidence to the contrary.
Mr Haywood also explained that the Certificate of Lawfulness ‘simply confirms’ that the car park, which Committee Chairperson Robert McKeown claims has previously been allowed to clamp vehicles and issue fines, is lawful.
