Save Cressbrook Dale

18/12/2023

The Times reports on the enforcement action by the Peak District National Park Authority.

Peak District villagers fighting against a former Dragons’ Den star who wants to develop an area of ancient woodland into a commune have won a significant victory after national park officials

16/12/2023

Part 2 of the Cressbrook conspiracy saga. It’s a mad, mad world. 😵‍💫

QAA Podcast · Episode

15/12/2023

We are delighted at the action taken by the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) to remove unauthorised works at Cressbrook Dale this week.

It follows failure by the landowners to acknowledge or engage with Planning Contravention and Enforcement Notices issued over the course of the past 18 months.

The Peak District National Park Authority has removed the teepee and the plastic matting along with several tons of stone chippings which were laid to create a parking area.

The Save Cressbrook Dale (SCD) campaign, which has received overwhelming public support (thank you to all our supporters and followers 🙏🙌🏼) launched soon after 70 acres of land were purchased in May 2022 by a group called Phoenix Rose.

In a statement John Butler spokesperson for the Save Cressbrook Dale campaign group said: “As the PDNPA affirms in a recent notice about the action, the land on which the developments have taken place is considered to be among the most sensitive in the National Park. It is heavily protected and is part of the ‘natural zone’.

“Ever since we learned that the land had been purchased we’ve been perplexed about what the new owners plan to do with it. This is one of the vanishingly rare pieces of wilderness in the region and is unsuitable for cultivation or habitation. Any attempt to 'farm' or develop this area of land is prohibited and would be catastrophic for its biodiversity.”

We remain concerned about the owners’ intentions since, undeterred by the enforcement notices, they have recently announced their intention to clear an area of land to build a ‘chapel’. They have also said that they will install security gates on the public right of way leading to the Access Land.

To read the statement in full, please see the latest updates on https://www.savecressbrookdale.com

10/12/2023

What happens when conspiritualists led by a former TV celeb have ambitions to turn a precious limestone Dale and designated Natural Zone in the Peak District into an “apocalypse-ready farm”? The QAnonAnonymous podcast investigates https://open.spotify.com/episode/3B5lVuenKI4L3GyOU0gfAK

QAA Podcast · Episode

30/11/2023

https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/environment/ex-dragons-den-star-fails-to-meet-peak-district-planning-enforcement-deadline-4424893

“There is a clear public interest in enforcing planning law and planning regulation in a proportionate way. In deciding whether enforcement action is taken, local planning authorities should, where relevant, have regard to the potential impact on the health, housing needs and welfare of those affected by the proposed action, and those who are affected by a breach of planning control.” 🤔
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ensuring-effective-enforcement

The Peak District National Park Authority is set to take action against a former television personality and her co-owners of an ecologically sensitive woodland near Cressbrook after they failed to meet a deadline for reinstating the land to its original condition.

25/10/2023

Soft, gentle and misty autumn morning after the rain.

10/09/2023

“…Arguing with Elnaugh is futile because for her, nothing is as it seems. Every counter-argument can be dismissed as propaganda….As these ideas spread, politicians will have little choice but to confront this rejection of authority and the modern world. Conspiracy theories have infiltrated England’s green and pleasant land.”

06/09/2023

Have you walked this summer? Is this the way you feel about it? Please like and share if you believe that this precious Dale and high priority should be protected for all to be able to access, walk and enjoy? 💚🌿

21/08/2023

6th April 2023 - Enforcement Notice

This week, 22nd August, is the deadline for compliance with the Enforcement Notice issued by the Peak District National Park in respect to the changes made to the landscape in Cressbrook Dale/Litton Frith within the Access Land area in the top meadow by landowners. The notice requires the owners to restore the land by removing:

The hardstanding at the entrance to the meadow

The steps on Litton Footpath 13

The paths dug into the surface of the Access Land

The Teepee currently standing on the Access Land

By law the additions to the landscape ( The steps, the hardstanding and the teepee ) must be removed by 22nd August 2023 and the land restored to its original state within 6 months after the 22nd August. As yet, nothing has been done to comply with the notice.

It's because we that the community has come together and will continue to campaign until the land is restored and the protections in place respected with everyone able to enjoy this precious part of the Peak District National Park.

And so our campaign continues…

16/08/2023

As of Friday, 11th August 2023, the horse box and caravan left . However, an awful lot of waste has been left behind — the accumulation of which was one of the key concerns of the Cressbrook community. Hopefully everything will be done by the landowner to properly dispose of the human waste, rubbish and toxic substances left behind and return the land to its natural state.

05/08/2023

More coverage in the Derbyshire Times and Buxton Advertiser this week.

Points of interest in the article…

…”In a YouTube video posted on Thursday, July 27, Elnaugh spoke at length about some good news for the project, saying: “This good news has been percolating for probably two months now and it came to its conclusion yesterday … I’m just super excited and delighted.””

…”That news is a reported deal between Elnaugh’s group and the land’s former owner, the Stanton estate, to cap the sale at 50 acres rather than the 73, originally agreed – meaning the new owners now have total ownership and do not need to rely on their search for additional investment funds to pay two remaining instalments.”

…”The Stanton estate has not responded to the Derbyshire Times’ attempts to confirm details of the agreement.”

…”A PDNPA spokesperson confirmed that they have not yet received any completed questionnaires following the PCN being served on the three joint landowners and the alleged occupant of the caravan and horse van. The period allowed for returning responses expires on August 14.”

Read the full story here.

Former Dragon’s Den investor Rachel Elnaugh has shared her latest thoughts on the ongoing planning row over land she part-owns in the Peak District National Park.

01/08/2023

Worth browsing the website for a review of the last year of the campaign and updates on all the legal notices issued so far against Rachel Elnaugh, Angela Spink and Keith Parker — trustees of the land owned by Phoenix Rose in Cressbrook Dale

The integrity and tranquility of our much-loved Derbyshire valley is being threatened by the activities of new land owners. They seek to alter the landscape here in a manner that is completely at odds with its nature and in an unsustainable manner. In doing so they will destroy an irreplaceable and....