Date: 09/01/2007
High Peak Borough Council is currently preparing an Area Action Plan for Woods Mill in Glossop.
As part of this process, the Council has prepared a Preferred Option for the area and is about to publicly consult the local community to find out what they think about the Council"s ideas for how the area might be developed.
The Preferred Option for the Woods Mill area involves creating a mixed use scheme, made up of the following core elements:
Introduction of a new mix use zone featuring residences, offices and business, small high quality convenience retail and leisure.
Small, high quality convenience retail created to broaden the quality and choice of food provision within Glossop.
Opportunity to improve and expand upon the leisure provision within Glossop, with the potential to include a new private or expanded health and fitness centre, and related retail activity.
Consolidation of supported business activity in Easton House in order to provide high quality space for small businesses and start-ups.
New and refurbished residences and residential-led mixed use, located to capitalise on the waterfront setting and make use of period mill buildings.
Opportunity to introduce new office activity into the main mixed use zone, in addition to potential integration within the refurbished mill buildings.
Councillor Alan Wells, Executive Member for Regeneration, said: "The Council is keen to found out what the local community thinks of these proposals. Further information can be found on the Council"s website, where they can submit their comments to us online.
"In addition, a drop-in meeting has been arranged at the Glossop Conference Centre, from 4.30pm to 7.30pm, on Wednesday, January 31, when the public will be able to come along and examine the Preferred Option, and talk to Council officers and their consultants.
"There will also be a staffed exhibition in the Co-op foyer on Tuesday, February 6, during the daytime. The Preferred Option can also be viewed at Council offices and libraries during the consultation period."
Further information can be obtained from Chris Parker, in the Council"s Planning Policy and Design Team, on 0845 129 7777, or email: LDF@highpeak.gov.uk.
The consultation will run for six weeks, from Thursday, January 11, until Thursday, February 22, 2007.
The Woods Mill Area Action Plan concerns the land lying between Glossop Brook and High Street East in Glossop. The land is bounded by Howard Town Mill and a public car park to the west, and to the east by Shirebrook Drive. Mill Street runs north to south, down the middle of the site and effectively splits it into two halves.
The western part, towards Howard Town Mill, is occupied by offices at Howard Town House, Glossop Leisure Centre, various retail and manufacturing companies occupying a single storey of weaving sheds, next to the Brook.
The eastern part is dominated by the Woods Mill complex itself, also including the Council's Easton House, which is currently used as offices, and the associated mill pond.
The entire Action Area lies within the Howard Town Conservation Area.
An area action plan is a statutory planning document that sets out the Council"s vision for what should be developed at Woods Mill and in the surrounding area over the next 10 to 15 years. It provides guidance about the development of sites and buildings within that area.
Once finalised, the document will form part of the Local Development Framework and will be a development plan document, that will dictate the Council"s planning policy for the area.
A stakeholder consultation on the issues and options for the Area Action Plan was undertaken during November 2005. Since then, the Council has been considering the responses and working with consultants to draw up a Preferred Option for the Woods Mill area.
Several studies have been carried out, including a retail capacity and leisure study, as part of the this process, and this information has been used to draw up several possible options for the site, as well as a Preferred Option.
View an indicative plan of how any future development might be laid out.