Historic background

A brief history of Cawdor

The disused Cawdor quarry site was for many years an industrial site where Permanite manufactured asphalt. After manufacturing had ceased, Derbyshire Dales District Council’s Local Plan review designated the site for housing, but developers attempted to get adjoining green fields included in the Plan. The “SOS” campaign was formed by local residents to object to this.

The fields were not designated for housing in the Plan but regardless of this the developers subsequently submitted an application that included 120 houses on the fields. The SOS campaign again fought to protect the fields and the planning application was eventually passed with only a small number of houses on green fields.

Ownership

  1. The quarry and former Permanite asphalt works are owned through companies controlled by London-based developer Charles Rifkind, via his development company, Groveholt Ltd. Mr Rifkind owns a number of related companies, including Fountain Park Ltd, the owner of the current application.

Local Plan promotion (2014-2017)

    1. Landowner asked for both the Cawdor Quarry / Permanite site and the adjoining Snitterton green fields to be allocated for housing in the emerging Derbyshire Dales Local Plan.
    2. The Save Our Snitterton Fields action group (S.O.S.), backed by the Peak District National Park Authority (the Park boundary runs along Snitterton Road), objected that the fields are a key protected view from the National Park.

Outcome in the adopted Local Plan (Dec 2017)

    1. Allocation DS9 includes only the quarry/Permanite site; all green fields were excluded.
    2. DS9 wording secures:
      1. a site-wide master-plan and detailed phasing program;
      2. primary vehicular access via Matlock Spa Road, with design measures to discourage west-bound traƯic onto Snitterton Road;
      3. an explicit bar on any vehicular access along the old Permanite lane to Snitterton Road.

Outline planning application (16/00933/OUT, decided Oct 2019)

    1. Developer sought up to 482 dwellings across the quarry + six houses on a strip of field beside Permanite (the Developer argued that these houses were necessary for the viability of the entire site).
    2. After extensive negotiations and objections, outline permission was granted subject to conditions:
      1. No affordable housing required (Council accepted the developer’s viability appraisal despite contrary evidence submitted by our group’s consultants).
      2. Field safeguards:
        1. Two small pasture enclosures south-west of Permanite to be sold to the tenant farmer.
        2. All remaining Snitterton fields (including the large riverside meadow north of Permanite) to be transferred to Derbyshire Wildlife Trust for long-term conservation and as biodiversity-net-gain land.
      3. Master-plan and access provisions fixed as per DS9 – however we note that since 2019 there have been departures from the Master Plan and the developer is seeking to change the phasing, so to be compliant with DS9, the Applicant should be asked to submit an updated Mater Plan and Phasing Plan.