"Villages are losing their heart": Derbyshire council to call on Government for new rules on second homes

A motion will be debated by the full council on Thursday, July 25, which calls on Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to carry through previous Government proposals and place new Use Class Orders on holiday homes, making them subject to planning permission.

The idea is being driven by Councillor Peter O’Brien, the independent for Hathersage ward, who said: “In many of our local communities the number of holiday homes has grown to such an extent that their sustainability is being adversely affected – and in particular younger working families are being priced out of the local housing market.”

He added: “Consultation on the previous Government's proposals, and in particular the number of nights for which properties can be let before planning permission is required, ended on June 7, 2023.

“However, the change of Government means that there is uncertainty as to if or when the changes to planning legislation will be introduced.

“This uncertainty is particularly unhelpful to the council as it was intended that our revised Local Plan would include policies to address the ‘holiday homes’ issue in relevant towns and villages in the district. Without the necessary changes to national planning legislation, this will not however be possible.”

As reported in 2023, there were thought to be 970 second homes in the Derbyshire Dales, with owners living elsewhere for the majority of the year and either renting out the home or leaving it vacant for the remainder of the time.

That was a marked increase on 2021 census data which found 415 homes used as holiday lets and a further 120 homes used when working away from home – though this was considered likely to be an under-estimate.

Council data found the largest concentration in Bakewell (150), followed by Matlock (106), Tideswell (94) and Darley Dale (70). Around one in five homes in Stoney Middleton, Over Haddon and Hartington are holiday lets.

In February, the council voted almost unanimously to add a Council Tax premium on second homes from April 2025, mirroring several Welsh authorities and similar demands in English seaside towns and other holiday hotspots.

Supporting the new motion, council deputy leader Neil Buttle, the Green member for Tideswell, said: “The evidence is there that holiday homes are adversely impacting community viability. Sadly, our primary schools are less sustainable and villages, quite frankly, are losing their heart.”

Given the widespread concerns, the motion also calls on the Peak District National Park Authority, the new East Midlands Mayor and the Local Government Association (LGA) to take a coordinated approach to lobbying.

While in opposition in 2022, then shadow minister Lisa Nandy told the LGA that Labour was working with some of “the most effective councils” on “new rules around second homes.”

However, its 2024 General Election manifesto made no explicit mention of second homes, amid other policies to control the rental sector and remove planning barriers to encourage housebuilding.

Next week’s meeting will be broadcast live on the council's YouTube channel from 6pm. More information about the motion can be found at derbyshiredales.gov.uk/committee.

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