Comments by High Peak Access on the Local Plan for High Peak

1 High Peak Local Plan - HPA Representation (Apr 2013)  33Kb

2 High Peak Local Plan - HPA Comment on Draft Parking Standards (Feb 2014)  24Kb

3 High Peak Local Plan - HPBC Response (Feb 2015)  16Kb

4 High Peak Local Plan - HPA Reply to HPBC (Feb 2015)  454Kb

On 5 February 2015, Dave Bennett (High Peak Access) and Joan Rutherford (High Peak Access and Manchester Disabled People's Access Group) gave evidence at the High Peak Local Plan Examination in Public in Buxton.

High Peak Access (HPA) had commented on the Local Plan Preferred Options in April 2013, document 1, and on the Proposed Amendments to the Local Plan in February 2014, document 2. The specific issues raised by HPA are:

• all new dwellings in High Peak should be designed to achieve disabled visitor access;
• a specified proportion of all new dwellings in High Peak should be built to Lifetime Homes standards, unless the developer can demonstrate that there are site (or other) constraints that prevent their achievement;
• reference should be made in all relevant policies to the need to ensure that the requirements of disabled people are taken into account;
• appropriate wording should be inserted into the policies for the Strategic Development Sites to ensure that the requirements of disabled people are taken into account; and
• the requirements for accessible parking should be specified for each type of land use, as it is for cycle parking.

High Peak BC's responses to HPA's comments are given in document 3.

At the Examination, the Planning Inspector invited HPA to respond to High Peak BC's comments.  HPA reiterated their previous comments, document 4, urging the Council to give greater prominence throughout the Local Plan to the requirement for inclusive design.  HPA stated that one 'bullet point' at the end of one list in a document of some 225 pages will not give disabled people confidence that their requirements are being treated as being as important as those of non-disabled people, and that they are welcome in the High Peak.

HPA believe that the suggested amendments will support the delivery of sustainable communities, and contribute to achieving the wider social and economic objectives of the High Peak Local Plan.

High Peak BC were invited to have the last word and, generally, said that they would 'consider rewording' various parts of the Local Plan.

The recommendations of the Planning Inspector are awaited.

26 February 2015 (JR)