Idyllic Derbyshire village earmarked for yet more housing

Greenfield site off The Common in Crich.

They say Crich - which was used as the inspiration for hit TV show Peak Practice - has already had two developments totalling more than 100 houses in the last few years.

But now, Amber Valley Borough Council wants to add another 80 homes on land off The Common - as a result of the land being included in the much-heralded local plan.

Villager, Sean Herring, 50, said: “Four years ago there was a proposal to build more than 100 houses on Roes Lane, which went ahead.

The vacant brownfield site at Bullbridge.

“Now there is another for an additional 20 or 30 houses on farmers’ fields between Crich and Fritchley.

“I moved here because it is so picturesque - and paid a premium to do so. It’s a very desirable place to live.

“It pretty much an ‘olde worlde’ village and it’s got the infrastructure of one as well.

“There’s nowhere to park, it only has two primary schools which can only take about 100 pupils each.

“It does have two doctors’ surgeries - but one of them is in a converted garage.”

The council is currently holding consultation events across the area to find out what locals think.

But Steve, who lives on the ‘newish’ Woodside development in Crich with his wife and child, said he thought the one he attended was ‘bizarre’.

“We got the impression they were just paying lip service to us and the decision was already a done deal - the guy wasn’t even making notes,” he said.

“We asked one of them why building on the brownfield site at Bullbridge hadn’t been considered.

“There is a huge brownfield site there that you could get hundreds of homes on but they said it wouldn’t be affordable to build them.”

Councillor Trevor Ainsworth, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for regeneration, said: “The local plan is the council’s key document in shaping the future growth of Amber Valley.

“I would encourage everyone to use the opportunity to look at the policies and proposals in the draft local plan and to let us have their comments.

“These will all be taken into account before we take the local plan to the next stage.”

n For more information about the local plan, including details of all the consultation events, visit www.ambervalley.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/planning/community-planning/local-plan-2016.aspx.