Could Buxton have its own neighbourhood plan?

Buxton Town Team is to host a meeting later this month to gauge interest in producing a neighbourhood plan.

Used in conjunction with the borough-wide local plan, a neighbourhood plan is more localised and would give residents, businesses and local groups a greater say on the area where they live.

The meeting will take place at 7pm on Tuesday March 27 at the Palace Hotel, on Palace Road, Buxton.

Town Team member Dick Silson said: “It’s great the High Peak has a local plan, but it’s quite general as it covers such a broad area.

“A neighbourhood plan looks at things in more detail and gives people a chance to say how they want things enforced and in what manner.”

The meeting would be the first step in a long process, but Dick says it would be worthwhile for the town.

He said: “It may take two or three years to go through all the stages of drawing up the plan, but once it has been examined and voted on then High Peak Borough Council must adhere to what is in the plan which then gives residents and businesses more say in the area where they live in.”

Usually parish councils put forward neighbourhood plans, but as Buxton does not have one a steering group would need to be formed to move it to the next stage.

A draft plan would eventually be drawn up and a public referendum would need to take place in order for it to be adopted.

Dick said: “Everything we will be doing will be very to anything which is happening with the Buxton BID proposals - they are completely different legislations.

“Every organisation in the town will be invited to come forward and speak out about the things which matter to them.

“We want to get enough people on board so we get a platform which can give everyone a voice about the area where they live and work in.”