Hello and a very warm welcome to our Spring Newsletter!
A little over four years after the formation of Our Belper Mills, and with a stated objective to
‘ …. work together at local, national and international level to restore and put to viable use,the Belper Mills site(s) to a world-wide recognised standard.’
…. the Mills have finally secured planning permission. You could say that we now have the pathway to development; we know what’s been agreed and we know what needs to be done first, before the builders come on site. And to be clear, there’s a lot; a lot of planning conditions which need to be satisfied before we see the lights shining from apartment windows.
Our position is clear. We’re delighted that this step has been taken. This is progress and it’s a big ‘thank you’ to Amber Valley Borough Council. But, having taken this bold step, we feel it’s crucial that the conditions, of which there are 43, are not watered down or abandoned. Why? Because in granting permission to develop a UNESCO world heritage site of such significance, it needs to be done properly, respectfully and in a timely fashion.
The ball is now with the owners, First Investments, to do this well and soon. We’re looking forward to working with them to meet our stated objective and as for the District Council (or whatever the Local Government reorganisation brings next), please make sure you’re not afraid to stand by and enforce your conditions.
OBM will be watching and reporting, you can be sure of that.
Click to read Appendix A of the planning conditions.
Roger
Roger Moors, Chair – OBM