Objection to proposed holiday lodge development in Belper

CPRE Derbyshire has recently joined with local residents in objecting strongly to proposed development AVA/2023/0239 for the construction of five bespoke holiday lodges with access road along an existing public footpath, car parking for ten vehicles and landscaping at Longwalls Lane, Blackbrook, Belper.

Prior to preparing our objection, CPRE met with the resident group of Blackbrook to discuss locals’ concerns. The strength of feeling against this proposal is emphatic and universal in the community. After a handful of recent planning approvals in Longwalls Lane – contrary to the Saved Local Plan, and including a large and very intrusive “party house” on the hill overlooking this small hamlet – they are understandably extremely fearful of the outcome in terms of their amenity, noise and for residents’ mental health should this be approved.

The main grounds for our objection was the visual impact of the proposed development given its location within a Special Landscape Area forming part of the designated buffer zone of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, deemed by UNESCO to be of global significance because of its unique combination of industrial mill sites within green, relatively sparsely populated agricultural land. We also raised substantial concerns over sustainability based on the proposed parking for ten cars.

We included a number of photographs in our submission from a range of surrounding viewpoints up to one mile from the site, which the developer had disingenuously claimed was not visible from the World Heritage Site.  Some of these photographs are included here, but very disappointingly they were redacted by Amber Valley Council for publication of our objection at its public planning portal, on the grounds they might pose a data privacy risk.  We have continued to challenge them strongly on this and to push for their development of a more robust and consistent redaction policy, the need for which they have acknowledged.

There are over 60 objections now to this proposal for five two-bedroom lodges with hot tubs in an undisturbed species-rich meadow adjacent to an ancient Roman road which forms part of the historic Midshires Way – including from Belper Town Council, local Parish Councils and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, based on it contravening the recently adopted Belper Neighbourhood Plan and not being part of the Local Plan for development. As a result, the decision on this application has been reallocated from a delegated officer decision to a meeting of the full Planning Board. We remain optimistic that it will be denied.