Peak District village regeneration scheme wins planning excellence commendation

Peak District planners have been praised for their part in the development of a housing scheme - providing a mix of new open market and affordable rental homes, plus modern industrial units - in the heart of the National Park.

The development of Bradwell Springs in Bradwell (Derbyshire) from a former industrial site has been recognised in the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) East Midlands Awards for Planning Excellence. It was commended in the 2024 Best Project category.

Bradwell Springs is a development of 55 houses, 12 of which are two-bedroom affordable rental properties, owned by Bradwell Community Trust and managed by Peak District Rural Housing Association.

The site, in the centre of the village, was formerly occupied by Newburgh Engineering, an important employer in the local area. When the company re-located most of its operations to Rotherham, several large industrial buildings were no longer needed and led to developer interest.

National Park planners and the community began working together in 2015 to identify both the local need for affordable housing and to earmark Bradwell Springs as a site which could bring significant community benefit, through a Neighbourhood Plan.

Bradwell Community Land Trust was established and owns the 12 affordable houses, on behalf of the community, to rent to local people through the Peak District Rural Housing Association.

All the new homes were sympathetically designed with an appropriate external appearance, reflecting local building traditions.

RTPI judges commented: “Bradwell Springs is an excellent example of how an active and forward-thinking community utilised the Neighbourhood Plan process to strongly influence a redevelopment scheme in the Peak District National Park that has created a high-quality housing and industrial space that enhances the character of Bradwell.

"Bradwell is an active community and they had already worked on action plans for the village. A speculative application led the community to develop a clear view on how many houses should be planned for, together with a desire for an affordable housing element and retention of an employment space."

Peak District National Park Authority head of planning, Brian Taylor said: "There was a real appetite from the community to influence this development positively and in the end saw the scale of the speculative development halved and still deliver important homes and jobs for local people.

"Our Policy Planners helped the community draft the plan and our Development Management Team helped shape the design and conditions to make the scheme work. I know the community have appreciated the close working and the result is a great development that everyone can support."

The East Midlands Awards for Planning Excellence celebrate examples of how planning and planners make a positive impact on our quality of life, creating exceptional places to live, play and work whilst protecting our environment.