Derbyshire council seeks feedback on building developments over the next 18 years - to address housing shortfall

The authority undertaking a periodic review of its Local Plan – the document adopted in 2017 to guide planning decisions – which will extend proposals for the use and development of land up to 2040.

Current policy suggests that available land in the Dales offers capacity for 5,995 new homes before the end of that window, but that may not be enough to accommodate population changes depending on the council’s approach to economic growth.

Planning consultants BDP have identified three economic scenarios the council could aim for, and two would require additional land for housing – so the question is how much growth do residents want, and how do they want it managed?

A BDP spokesperson said: “Whatever level of future housing growth is identified across the district council, it will deliver a range of economic and social benefits. It is important, however, to ensure that a balance is achieved between the level of growth and any environmental impacts.

“This consultation provides an opportunity to comment on the shape of the future growth that can be accommodated.”

Under the current baseline growth projection, any additional housing demand could likely be met by increasing the density of developments already outlined in the Local Plan.

Were the council to pursue ‘recovery growth’ policies to overcome effects of the Covid slowdown – an event not foreseen in the Local Plan – up to 963 more homes could be needed by 2040. Were the district to prioritise even higher growth, that number could rise to 1,646.

To account for any potential shortfall, BDP sets out three options in the consultation.

The first would see additional housing spread across the district wherever sustainable locations can be found and increased density on permitted developments.

The second would involve a “strategic allocation of housing and employment land on the edge of existing settlements”.

In the higher growth scenario, a radical third option would be to create a whole new settlement, big enough to sustain its own community facilities and infrastructure.

As ever in the Dales, planning policy is constrained by the Peak District National Park’s refusal to accommodate any share of the council’s housing obligations, so additional developments would be concentrated in the east and south of the district.

For many residents, that may raise familiar concerns over the impact on schools, health services, traffic and transport, flood risk and water management, and harm to landscapes, biodiversity and green spaces.

BDP says that in the first option – housing growth across settlements – investment in facilities and services would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

In the second option, it says that “sustainable urban extension … offers the potential to deliver improved sustainability, capitalising on existing infrastructure ... and supporting the provision of facilities and amenities benefitting all.”

It acknowledges that the third option, of a new settlement, would require the greatest level of investment to establish all-new facilities – possibly at the expense of other communities.

The survey closes on Thursday, December 22. For full details, see bdp.com/DerbyshireDalesLocalPlan. Alternatively, consultation materials will be available in libraries, leisure centres and town halls in Matlock, Ashbourne and Wirksworth.

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