Work to start on disputed £12m Bakewell business park

The long-awaited £12million redevelopment of a historic Peak District business park is set to start, promising jobs, facilities and a 72-bed hotel.

Planning and development consultancy Lichfields have secured planning permission on behalf of Litton Properties Limited for the project at Riverside Business Park, on Buxton Road in Bakewell.

Planning for the hotel was granted on appeal following refusal by the National Park Authority in December 2016.

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Litton managing director Mark Twelves said: “We are delighted with the outcome of the latest appeal, and can now enter into meaningful discussions with existing tenants about their future requirements.

“We hope the park authority will now work with us to see the modernisation of the park become reality. Riverside Business Park is a huge asset not just to Bakewell, but to the whole of the Peak District.”

The plans entail the demolition of former mill buildings to make way for a Premier Inn, which developers say will bring more than 30 new jobs.

Several industrial units will also be demolished, replaced by 40,000 square feet of offices and factory space.

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Mark said: “The space will attract new businesses, with a number already waiting to expand or locate here.”

Permission for that part of the scheme was granted in July 2016 on condition that a new bridge was built from the A6. That condition was removed on appeal last month.

The scheme also includes improvements to site access, parking and landscaping.