Buxton Action Group complain to Advertising Standards Agency over new Capital&Centric video

Capital&Centric are the developers employed by High Peak Borough Council which are looking to radically change The Springs Shopping Centre, Spring Gardens and the exit from the station.

Speaking on a Facebook video Capital&Centric’s co-founder, Tim Heatley, said: “It’s well over a year since we announced our plans to improve the High Street in Buxton and since then we have had more than 550 responses, two community consultations and we’ve changed.

“A consultation without change isn't a consultation. We’ve changed lots of things.

“We have reduced the amount of homes, reduced the commercial space, improved what we are doing with the landscaping, we have added more public toilets and improved the disabled facilities those toilets will have.”

In a letter to the Advertising Standard Agency the Buxton Action Group, a group of over 4,900 residents opposed to the overdevelopment of the Spring Gardens, said: “Mr Heatley states that C&C have reduced the amount of retail space in response to the results of their consultations: our understanding is that the consultation showed that participants wanted better retail space, not less.”

In May 2026 a planning application was submitted to High Peak Borough Council for a mixed-use development of 332 homes (for 880 people) and nearly 4,250 square metres of commercial space that would connect the rail station with Spring Gardens, uncover the River Wye, and create new landscaped public spaces.

In the recent video from the developer it says there will be 326 homes for rent - so a small reduction of six apartments from the 332 submitted back in May.

The video has caused outrage by the Buxton Action Group and formally complaining about it the group said: “The first proposal shown to HPBC Members was for 180 units.

“It was then increased to 250 units at the public consultation stage.

“Mr Heatley’s video clearly says that there will be 326 units, a clear increase since the consultations.”

Of the 649 submissions on the council’s planning website 560 are objections.

This includes not just residents but Buxton Civic Association, McCarthy and Stone retirement community, Waitrose and Clarkes and Bells shoe shops.

A petition was also launched which will be sent to both the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and High Peak Borough has 2,480 signatures and and more than 200 people showed up for a photo opposing the development.

However Mr Healey insisted C&C is listening to concerns and said: “We have changed what we are doing with car parking.

“Car parking had loads of feedback and concerns about the amount of car parking but we’re keeping the amount of car parking we are not reducing the car parking.

“It's a fascinating process. There's a real passion, real strong community representation.

“We have listened, we have changed it, we’ll continue to change it and we’ll continue to listen.”

The action group said: “Mr Heatley notes that there were objections to car parking being displaced to a car park away from the town centre.

“This is a reference to a proposed car park near the train station which would require shoppers to negotiate a nine metre drop hill and a busy road.

“It would require planning permission, which in addition to strong local opposition, will meet several technical hurdles.

“Capital&Centric have no connection to this car park.”

Some of the concerns from residents say the plans for the building are out of character with a historic town.

Mr Heatley said: “It won’t look like a replica of what’s already there in Buxton. We don't want it to feel like a film set or a studio set in the sense that we don’t want it to be a pretend facade.

“It’s not going to look like a pastiche from the 1800s because we want to use modern stone, contemporary architecture rather than trying to compete with the historic architecture from the 1800s and 1900s.

“We’re improving the car parking position, people didn’t want to park away from town centre, they want to be right next to the town centre so we’ve made that change.

Further challenging Mr Heatley the Buxton Action Group said: “At each stage of the consultation, the public amenities have been reduced and facilities, such as a gym, will only be for residents of the flats.”

A spokesperson for the action group says Mr Heatley’s words are ‘misleading’.

They said: “His proposals do nothing to improve the ‘high street’, his proposals relate to a plot of land and a car park to the north of the actual existing High Street, namely Spring Gardens.

“Mr Heatley’s planned development is not seeking to enhance or preserve the existing historical shopping street.

“This is not an isolated incident: It is part of a pattern of behaviour.

“Mr Heatley’s statements seek to give the impression that the C&C plans have been changed in response to their consultation process.

“This is not true and we assert that it is an attempt to subdue local opposition.

“We believe that Mr Heatley’s comments on the official Capital&Centric Facebook page amount to Misleading Advertising. We believe that remarks seek to mislead not only those people affected by the Springs redevelopment, but also other Local Authorities that C&C will bid for contracts from.”

Buxton Action Group has called on the ASA to investigate this matter.