Matlock: Action plan for Bakewell Road redevelopment

Bakewell Road will be the hot topic at the meeting of the Derbyshire Dales District Council’s Corporate Committee, as members debate what to do next with the site.

Five years ago, the Matlock Town Centre Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) set out a vision for the town centre, which included a riverside quarter.

However after proposals put forward by Henry Davidson Developments – chosen by the council to lead the project – featuring a 38,000sq ft supermarket proved unpopular with locals, members voted to defer any decision on the subject until further consultation could take place.

Following a workshop hosted by the authority in March, in which community leaders discussed the issue, three options have now been put forward for consideration.

Option one is the acknowledgement that at the present time, the redevelopment of the Bakewell Road site cannot be delivered in accordance with the Matlock Town Centre SPD and nothing should be done until the economic climate improves to allow this.

Option two states members should acknowledge any redevelopment scheme is likely to involve the provision of an additional food store, as well as some smaller retail units, and on this basis, the authority should progress the scheme to the next stage to include the formulation of a detailed site layout plan to be published for public consultation.

Option three is to concede that at the present time, the economic climate does not make a scheme which does not involve a major food operator commercially viable.

A report into the issue states: “Due to widespread opposition to a new major food retail development within the town, the district council [will] facilitate where possible the development of a community led scheme without any further significant district council resources being committed at the present time.

“In the event that a community led scheme evolves, the district council will subject that scheme to commercial viability assessment and market testing.”

In the meeting, committee members will also determine whether they wish to revise the Matlock Town Centre SPD to take account of the policies in the emerging Derbyshire Dales Local Plan.

The meeting will take place at 6pm on Thursday, June 26, at County Hall, Matlock.

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