Members of the Save Roughfields Steering Group have gathered alongside local MP Robert Largan at Roughfields, a popular local green space between Hadfield and Padfield, currently owned by High Peak Borough Council.
High Peak Borough Council is looking to sell Roughfields as part of their ‘accelerated’ development plan, so they have recently commissioned specialist surveys to understand topography, ground conditions and other site constraints that might impact housing delivery.
Although no planning application has been submitted yet, Roughfields has been identified as a housing development site in High Peak Borough Council's Local Plan, approved in 2016. The Local Plan suggests around 100 houses could be built on Roughfields.
Robert Largan, MP for the High Peak, said:
"Roughfields is a much-loved green space for local people in Hadfield and Padfield.
"I live locally in Glossop. I am very concerned about the scale of housebuilding in the area, and the subsequent pressure on our infrastructure and public services.
"I'm disappointed that High Peak Borough Council has included Roughfields in their Accelerated Housing Delivery Programme, with the apparent intention of selling Roughfields to a private developer.
"Britain is facing a housing shortage. New homes are needed. But they need to be built in the right places, with the infrastructure and public services in place to cope.
"I sincerely hope High Peak Borough Council listens to Save Roughfields, and rethinks its 'accelerated' plans."
A spokesperson for Save Roughfields said:
"We at Save Roughfields are emboldened by recent events, and by the surge in support from both our community and local government.
"The fact that this issue is receiving support from a bipartisan platform reinforces our crucial point: that the concerns of local residents drive this cause as they strive to save their green spaces.
"Every week, we find further evidence to support our argument, our membership grows, and we communicate even more clearly the fact that our community wants to preserve this land for future generations. After all, we can't make more land."
