Green light for Buxton FC to double seating capacity to 1,005

The plans were rubber stamped at High Peak Borough Council’s development and control committee on Monday November, 11.

The new two-storey stand at Tarmac Silverlands will sit in roughly the same position as the existing stand, but aligned to the pitch rather than the road.

Chairman David Hopkins said: “It’s a good time to be Buxton FC.

“We are third in the league, the support from businesses and the community is amazing and we are always looking forward.

“The stadium is more than 50 years old and wasn’t giving the best visitor experience.

“So this planning application is not just for now it’s for the next generation of Buxton fans and for the future.”

The new stand will include a function room, a directors’ lounge, private boxes, and facilities such as toilets and kitchens.

In recent years the club has spent more than £1m investing and upgrading facilities.

In the last seven years the stadium has seen the installation of a new allweather pitch, enabling the creation of a full-time education Academy in partnership with Buxton & Leek College and Derby University.

David said: “We are only doing what our friends at other clubs are doing and looking after our pitch, our grands, our players and our fans.

“I’m very aware that we have the highest stadium in England and with that we have some of the wettest, foggiest, coldest and windiest weather.

“So a new stadium will provide shelter for our fans.”

The additional capacity will be achieved in two ways.

Firstly, by extending the seating closer to the pitch as the current stand has, the first row of seats sat well back from the pitch, in a relatively elevated position.

Secondly, an additional bay will be added to the western and eastern ends of the stand, replacing existing buildings and relocating a large water storage butt.

The new stand would result in a ‘visual enhancement of the site’, being of a similar scale and height as the existing, but being longer, says David.

He added: “It’s great news for the club and we had a lot of standing fans so this will just give them a better experience.”

But some residents have raised concerns.

Resident Colin Moss, of nearby Woodside, said: “The existing problems of traffic congestion and of users seeking to park in nearby residential areas is likely to worsen.

“These problems include parking illegally on double-yellow lines and dropped kerbs, blocking junctions, obstructing pavements and attempts to park in private car parking areas.

“Fans being made aware of these issues have occasionally responded with anti-social behaviour.”

Nine representations were received by the council during a public consultation from objecting residents with concerns that the development will create more vehicle movements, and parking issues with increased noise, disturbance and litter.

Concerned residents also argued that the development would have a visual impact on neighbouring properties and that a larger ground is not appropriate for the neighbourhood and that the club should seek a new site.

However, agent John Scott, representing the applicant, told the council the new stand will not increase the overall capacity of the ground but it will provide fans with the option of watching matches in greater comfort while meeting a requirement to provide more seating.

But the council recognised even though the semi-professional National League North club currently attracts attendances of up to 2,000 and has a current ground capacity of 4,000 it has ambitions to reach the National League and that the club is seeking to secure alternative revenue streams and long term sustainability.

New Main Stand plans include a ground floor kitchen and storage, changing rooms for both teams and officials, a classroom, and a reception area with a staircase allowing access to a first floor.

The first floor would incorporate a large function room and bar area, a directors’ lounge, a private box, and toilet facilities and spectator seats would be laid out in seven rows which would be accessed from a small walkway separating the stand from advertising hoardings and the pitch.

There are also plans for landscaping between the highway and new stand with off-street parking for the away team coach and four additional off-street parking spaces, two of which will be within the ground.

Ian White, of Valerian Close, Silverlands, who argued there is no available land to build a suitable car park, said: “Doubling the capacity is totally inappropriate to the local infrastructure. Local roads are used as car parks.

“Cars are often parked on pavements and dangerously close to junctions. Density of parking is already high enough to pose a problem to the fire, ambulance services should they be called to attend a private property.

“The capacity of the ground already greatly exceeds the local car parking capacity.”

Derbyshire County Council’s highways authority stated there would not be an unacceptable impact on highway safety or a severe impact on congestion with the plans and that the principle of development is acceptable from a highways aspect.

However, the highways authority added a Construction Management Plan will be needed and a Travel Plan is required for any development generating a significant amount of vehicle movement so that likely impacts can be assessed with consideration given to access, the availability and capacity of public car parks, existing parking restrictions, and the number of linked trips.

Sport England also submitted no objections and High Peak council’s environmental health team also submitted no objections subject to exterior lighting or floodlighting compliance in the interests of limiting light pollution.

A council spokesperson added: “Subject to strict compliance and pre-commencement conditions, it has been found that the proposed development would not adversely impact public and residential amenity, or highway safety.”