Revised April 2014
Areas of Special Countryside in Chapel-en-le Frith Parish : Special Countryside, AMES Areas of Primary Sensitivity, Special Landscape Areas, Local Green Space, Special Country Lanes.
Special Countryside
In response to a question in the Chapel Vision Survey 270 people suggested specific green spaces that they regarded as particularly special and wanted to protect from development.
The areas they nominated were numerous and widely distributed across the Parish, some in the built up area and some in the countryside, mainly outside the Peak District National
Park.
A large sample (approx 50%) of the comments and areas mapped by the respondents have been combined, to show on a map the areas of countryside that local people want to protect, see Fig A1.1. The reasons they gave for wanting to protect these areas were mainly the quality of the views, walks and wildlife.
Fig A1.1 was derived by placing a transparent grid, consisting of 40 X 50 squares each representing an area of 1 hectare, over maps drawn by respondents in reply to the survey.
The areas drawn by each respondent were then transferred to a similar array of cells in a
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Simple Excel algorithms added the results to determine the total number of respondents nominating each square. In most cases the respondents indicated the areas they wanted to protect by written comments rather than a map. In those cases a map was drawn to represent their comments and the same procedure was then applied. This procedure was repeated for the 50% sample of responses and the results were doubled to represent the density of nominations per hectare for each square over the whole survey.
Taking these results together with the fact that 790 respondents to another question wanted to protect all places outside the built up area shows that a very large number of local people think that the areas shown in Fig A 1.1 should be protected from inappropriate development
Some of the 200 local people who attended two public consultation events held at Chapelen-le –Frith Town Hall and Dove Holes Community Centre had also indicated places they wanted to protect and enhance by putting stickers on a large map (Fig A1.2). Those results were in general agreement with the results from the Chapel Vision Survey but give a better indication of the areas that Dove Holes residents wanted to protect.
The results from the survey (Fig A1.1), the two public consultation events (Fig.A1.2) and direct consultation with local residents were combined to produce the area defined as
Special Countryside in Fig.A1.3

The Special Countryside area lies mainly within the area of the Parish that was designated as valley pasture in the Peak National Park Authority’s landscape character assessment (see
Fig.A1.6). This area has its own distinct character and abundant wildlife. It also tends to be flatter land that provides more accessible and easier walking than the steeper areas of the
Parish. It is highly visible from the nearby hills, making it an important part of the setting of the Peak District National Park that surrounds it.
Derbyshire County Council’s, Areas of Multiple Environmental Sensitivity (AMES) study examined the combined visual, ecological and historic aspects of the sensitivity to development of landscape areas throughout Derbyshire. Only a tiny fraction of the High
Peak District was identified as being of Primary Sensitivity and that area of Primary
Sensitivity lies mainly within Chapel-en-le-Frith Parish (see Fig A1.4).
Combining the Special Countryside area (Fig A1.3) with the area of Primary Sensitivity identified by the AMES study (Fig A1.4) and the Special Landscape Areas previously established by HPBC (Fig A1.5) shows that almost all of the countryside outside the built up areas of the Parish has been identified as special, most of it by independent expert opinion.
Identification of special local green spaces
A second approach was also employed in analysing the comments made by respondents to the Chapel Vision survey question that asked them in to identify special green spaces in or close to their town or village. The number of people suggesting the same place by name was counted, using a Microsoft Excel algorithm and also, separately, by two volunteers who read all of the comments. The results confirmed the peak densities recorded in Fig A1.1.
Volunteers with good local knowledge then studied the most frequently mentioned areas and identified spaces within those areas that they considered special and to be consistent with the criteria given in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for Local Green
Space designation 1 . The spaces the local volunteers identified are listed in Table A1.
Other green spaces within the built up area, including those owned or controlled by the
Parish Council were added to the list.
After preliminary consultation with an officer of High Peak Borough Council and review by the Chapel Vision Countryside Group and Chapel Vision Steering Committee, some of the places listed in Table A 1 were considered to be suitable for proposal for Local Green Space designation and they are listed Table 1 in the Draft Neighbourhood Plan 2 . Other spaces were considered more suitable for alternative designations and they are listed separately in the
Neighbourhood Plan (Table2).
1 National Planning Policy Framework, Department of Communities and Local Government, 2012, paragraph 77
2 Chapel-en-le-Frith Parish, Draft Neighbourhood Plan, July 2013

Special Country Lanes
In replies to the Chapel Vision survey some people indicated that they wanted to protect areas around particular country lanes. To accommodate their wishes some lanes in the
Parish are described here as Special Country Lanes 3 . Those particular Special Country Lanes
(Table A1) also have links to the network of footpaths in the Parish and potential to provide links to the Greenways network 4, 2 .
Other spaces that local people wish to protect
Evidence is available, including comments and in some cases photographs produced by local people in support of the green space proposals and nominations for Local Green Space designation that were eventually excluded from the Neighbourhood Plan. Information and reasons why those spaces were not included in the plan will be provided in Appendix AE1.
3 Definition of Special Country Lane : A lane in the countryside that is special to local people for its character, beauty, tranquillity, wildlife, views , walking , cycling or horse riding .
4 West Derbyshire and High Peak Greenways Strategy, Derbyshire Countryside Services, Derbyshire County
Council, October 2008

TABLE A1 Table of suggested green spaces for protection
Potential Local Green Spaces (LGS), Special Countryside, Special Country lanes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Space
Memorial Park Chapel
Needham Recreation ground -
Chapel
Courses Allotments site- Chapel
The Leys allotments site-Chapel
Memorial Park Play Area
Football and cricket grounds
Chapel
Small grass area between Primary
School and Methodist Churchyard
Warmbrook area behind primary school
9 Tramps Park
10 Orchard , Bowden Lane, between footpath to Bowden Hall and Kelsa
Trucks
11 LT4 space between Miry Meadows and Church Lane
12 Church yards
(several in Parish)
13
14
15
Cricket Pitch, Dove Holes
Dove Holes allotment
Dove Holes Play area
Reason for protection
Recreation
Recreation
Recreation
Recreation
Recreation
Recreation
Used by Brownies and for community events
Walking
Interest (brook and weirs etc)
Historic
Wildlife
Character
Open green space
Character
Wildlife habitat
Recreation
Recreation
Recreation
Suggested method of protection
(HPBC policy ) 5
Protected District Park
(CF4)
Local Equipped Area of
Play
(CF4)
Allotment site
(CF4)
No recommendation
Local Equipped Area of
Play (LEAP)
(CF4)
Playing Fields
(CF4)
LGS
LGS included in Chapel Vision
Town End plan
LGS
LGS
LGS
Included in Chapel Vision
Town Centre plan
Open space (for quiet contemplation linked to the promotion of wildlife conservation and biodiversity
(CF4)
Playing Field
(CF4)
Allotment Site
(CF4)
Local Equipped Area of
Play
5 High Peak Local Plan Preferred Options, February 2013

16
17
19
20
21
Football field , Dove holes
The Bull Ring henge, Dove Holes
18 Land behind Dove holes community land
Target wall field –Long Lane-
Martinside
Land around Combs Reservoir
Field adjacent to Combs School
Recreation
Historic
Wildflowers
Character
Walking
Historic interest
Wildlife, Walking
Wildlife
Walking/recreation
Tranquility
Used for village fun day and summer events
Playing Field
(CF4)
National Monument
LGS
LGS
LGS
LGS
22 Field in centre of Combs village Key element of
Village character
Important for toad 23 Field to the east of Combs Road migration
24 Fields , north of Ridge Lane Combs Wildlife
25 Charley Lane
26 Spring Meadow
Rural landscape
Countryside buffer for Conservation
27
28
Whitehough side of Eccles Pike
Golf Course
LGS
Special Countryside
Special Countryside
Special Country Lane
Special Countryside
LGS area
Next to tramway
Walking and views Special Countryside
Recreation LGS
29
30
Fields between Homestead Way and Ashbourne Lane
Fields between High School, railway, Bank Hall Drive, and Marsh
Hall Farm
31 Land approaching Chapel South
Station, between railways and
Bank Hall Drive
Landscape
Wildlife buffer walking and sledging
Iconic fields view from Church Brow
Wildlife
Wildlife, views, tranquillity
LGS
Special Countryside
LGS
32 Fields to south of Chapel South
33
34 railway and adjacent to footpath to
Combs
Fields adjacent to Long Lane
High School Fields
Countryside setting for popular local walk
Approach to
Chapel by rail
Wildlife habitat
To protect views from popular footpaths
Character
Visual impact
Wildlife habitat
Recreation
Views
Special Countryside
Special Countryside
LGS
LGS
Playing Field
(CF4)

35 Crossings Road area
36 E
37 Bowden Hall –the Wash-
Chapel Milton-A6 bypass
(including Bowden Wood and
Bowden Lane)
38 Bowden Lane to Bowden Head
39 Bluebell Wood (Bowden to The
Wash)
40 (a)South of Manchester Road
(b) North of Manchester Road
41 Ridge Lane (Combs)-Cow Low Lane
(Dove Holes)
42 Bank Hall Drive
Character
Character,
Views,Walks
Walking, views, wildlife
Character
Beauty, Walking
Wildflowers
Visual approach to
Chapel
Views
43 Long Lane from Combs Village to
Ladder Hill (inc. green lane section)
44 Peak Forest Tramway
Views
Walking
Views,
Walking
DWT wildlife site
Recreation and historic value
45 Bowden Lane, between the Lodge nursing home and A624
46 Fields around Black Brook, alongside tramway, Between
Longsons and Kelsa Trucks
47 Field behind Mortons Yard,
Tunstead Milton, between Randall
Carr Brook and canal feeder
48 Primary school field Recreation
Special Countryside
Special Countryside
Special Countryside
Special Country Lane
Mature Woodland
(EQ8)
LGS
Special Country Lane
Special Country Lane
Special Country Lane
Wildlife, character, history
Tranquil, wildlife, setting for tramway
Tranquil, wildlife, footpath
Chapel Vision Policy
(Green Infrastructure
EQ7)
LGS
LGS
LGS
49 Burnside Avenue public green space
Playing Field
(CF4)
LGS
50
51
52
Lesser Lane Combs to Whitehall
Eccles Road to Eccles Pike
Crossings Road to Charley Lane
Community recreation play, picnics wildlife
Walking
Views
Walking
Views
Walking
Character
Special Country Lane
Special Country Lane
Special Country Lane
LGS 53 Small Green Space
South Head Drive
54 Long Lane Entrance to Bank Hall
Drive
Trees
Character
Walk
LGS