Rejected Derbyshire plans for hundreds of homes, an incinerator, a drive-through McDonald’s and a block of holiday homes are among those to be decided by Government inspectors this year.
Hundreds of planning applications are filed to Derbyshire councils each year and among those plenty are rejected, with the applicants in turn submitting appeals seeking to overturn those decisions.
Among the many Derbyshire appeals submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, which are to be decided this year, are several significant and controversial developments.
Bakewell – 13-unit apart-hotel
Plans from County Developments Bakewell for a 13-unit block of self-catering holiday apartments in a so-called “apart-hotel” on the Deepdale Business Park in Bakewell were rejected by the Peak District National Park Authority in April last year.
This was due to the loss of a site allocated and safeguarded for employment use and a lack of a high quality design or a design showcasing the highest possible standards of carbon reduction. The appeal, which launched in November, closed for submissions this week and will be decided over the next few months.
Church Gresley – children’s home
Lundi Education and Care had its plans for a children’s home for one child in Morley Walk, Church Gresley, rejected by South Derbyshire District Council in May last year after significant opposition from residents. Residents, of which more than 40 objected, had claimed the facility had been operating without permission for as long as three years.
They said it was associated with anti-social behaviour and regular police callouts. A passionate speech from former company director Senzeni Kamere did not avoid councillors rejecting the scheme by a vote of 12 votes in favour to one against.
The appeal started in September and submissions were concluded in October, with a decision to be made shortly.
Dronfield – battery storage farm
Ylem Energy Ltd had its plans for a battery storage farm providing emergency electricity supplies on Greenbelt land off Dyche Lane, Coal Aston, rejected by North East Derbyshire District Council in June.
The council said the countryside and Green Belt site was not a fitting place for such a development while the applicants say it is a necessary scheme to support renewable energy and low carbon improvements to power and heat homes in the future.
The appeal started in November and submissions concluded in December, with a decision to be made in the next few months.
Langley Mill – 54 flats
Paul Hearn had his plans for 54 flats next to Langley Mill railway station in Station Road rejected by Amber Valley Borough Council in April last year. Councillors received repeated stern warnings from officials that their reasons for refusal would not stand up to scrutiny at appeal.
These were: Lack of biodiversity improvements, shortfall of affordable housing, the lack of a response on Japanese knotweed issues, the potential impact of overnight freight trains and the internal space requirements of the flats.
Papers prepared for the planning meeting laid out that viability assessments of the site had shown the scheme would be unaffordable if it had to follow through with payments for schools, NHS improvements, public open space upgrades and affordable housing, which were to be withdrawn.
Matlock – 400 homes
The location of the proposed housing site in Matlock
William Davis Homes had its plans for 423 homes for the Matlock Wolds site on hillside above the flood-hit town rejected by Derbyshire Dales District Council in March at a packed meeting with dozens of campaigning residents making their voice heard.
Councillors gave four reasons for refusing the Wolds planning application off Gritstone Road in Matlock in March: Lack of detail on flooding risk and public safety, loss of biodiversity, harm to character and appearance, and lack of affordable housing.
There were concerns raised by an expert appointed by Derbyshire County Council that water storage ponds on the site could burst and devastate the town below. The council has already set aside a £250,000 budget for planning appeals such as The Wolds, which it will use alongside a further £61,000 for an interim planning officer to help defend the case.
This appeal will be decided at a costly public inquiry, due to take place from March 11 for up to eight days.
Pear Tree – nine flats
In February last year Derby City Council rejected plans from 2i Investments Ltd to build a three-storey block of nine apartments next to the former Pear Tree Library in Pear Tree Road. This was due to potential harm it could cause to the former library itself, with a need to protect its heritage status.
Developers say the scheme would help meet a “severe shortage” of housing in the city. This appeal was started in August last year with submissions concluding in October, with a decision expected soon.
Spondon – 90 homes
Miller Homes started an appeal just before Christmas over plans for 90 homes off Royal Hill Road in Spondon which had been rejected by Derby City Council in May last year.
The application attracted strong criticism from local residents with more than a hundred objections including the need to protect a valued green wedge separating Spondon and Chaddesden, along with congestion woes.
Miller Homes says the land off Royal Hill Road is a “sustainable location to meet local housing needs” and is needed in light of Derby’s inability to showcase it has enough land for future development.
This appeal will be decided at a public inquiry to start on April 15 with a decision issued in the months after.
Swadlincote – Incinerator
The planned incinerator complex would include a 60-metre tall chimney stack
Plans from R&P Clean Power for a £200 million incinerator off the A444 on the outskirts of Swadlincote were rejected by Derbyshire County Council in a raucous meeting in September last year.
This followed more than 3,400 people signing a petition opposing the plans and more than 1,200 people penning objection letters to the authority.
The scheme would represent a third incinerator built in the Derby and South Derbyshire area and residents and councillors had major concerns over the potential impact on traffic on what is already a congested route.
It would involve a 60-metre tall chimney and 196 additional HGV movements a day, alongside the existing traffic from Willshee’s waste and the nearby Pallet Network.
The facility could provide power for 36,000 homes and avoid hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste being sent to landfills or facilities in Europe, the applicants claimed, creating 200 jobs during construction and 39 once operational.
Submissions for the appeal, which started in early December, concluded this week, but a public inquiry will be held from April 23 and a decision will be issued in the months after.
Willington – McDonald’s
McDonald’s had its plans for a drive-through restaurant off The Castle Way, next to the A38, near Willington, rejected in April last year by South Derbyshire District Council.
One version of the plans was recommended for refusal and withdrawn, with council officers saying alternative sites had not been considered.
That application was met with 199 objection letters and 43 support letters, while a second refreshed application, assessing alternative sites, garnered 270 objections and 230 support letters.
Allegations were made that McDonald’s had gone on a national campaign to attract support from around the country.
The scheme would provide 120 jobs and lead to £1.87 million being invested into the local economy, the firm says, but residents fear noise, litter, anti-social behaviour, and hazardous queuing onto and off the neighbouring A38.
This includes increasing the amount of traffic using the notorious junction, with numerous accidents associated with the site.