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HOUSING
Between 1976 and 1992 a total of 1,745 dwellings were built in the Peak National Park, a rate of 122 per year. The housing stock in the Park was around 16,500 dwellings in 1991.
A low proportion of households in the Park rent houses from the local authorities (10.1% compared with a national figure of 21.2%) or from a housing association (1.2% compared with a national figures of 3.1%). A high proportion of people (73.3%) own their own houses.
Changes in housing situation
Between 1981 and 1991 there was a loss of 575 council houses available for rent and a loss of 650 privately rented houses. This, and rising house prices, has meant a reduction in housing available for people on below average incomes.
A small proportion of houses in the Park are either second homes or holiday lets. At 4.8%, this is high compared with 1.3% nationally. The number of such houses rose significantly between 1981 and 1991, again reducing the number of affordable houses available for local residents.
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Starter homes, Low Bradfield
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The Park Authority can limit new building through the Planning system. The policy is to limit new building to the level needed to keep the population at around the present level and to encourage the following types of building:
- Affordable housing for local needs
- Acceptable conversions (eg unlisted barns in villages)
- Houses for countryside/agricultural workers
- Developments that will enhance the Park
There is at present a large reserve of possible developments where planning consent has already been granted. This reserve, together with new development for local need, is likely to result in an average of some 100 dwellings per year over the next 10 years.
The Park Authority en§courages the building of affordable housing to meet local needs. Between March 1991 and March 1995, planning permission was given for 846 dwellings - including 166 dwellings for local needs built by individuals or housing associations.
WORKING IN THE PEAK DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK
The Aims of the National Park Authority
Within the overall objectives of National Parks, the Park Authority seeks “to maintain economically viable and socially balanced village and farming communities”. New buildings or the extension of existing buildings must be of a suitable scale and normally within or on the edge of villages. New development must be seen as part of the Park as a whole and must be in keeping with the objectives of National Parks (see Fact Zone1).
Homeworking is encouraged, as is diversification that helps to sustain farming. Mineral extraction on the other hand is not felt to be justified purely as a source of employment.
Business in the Peak Park
The 1989 survey found an estimated 4322 businesses in the Park. The majority of these (63%) are farms with 1109 full time holdings and 1629 part time holdings. There were 115 manufacturing businesses. Although it is a high profile industry, less than 1% of businesses were involved in mineral and rock extraction. 430 businesses were retail outlets (shops), 140 were road hauliers, 118 were directly tourist related and a further 760 were in the service sector (including construction, professional and public services).
Structure of business
The majority of businesses in the Park (85%) were found to be small, employing between one and five full time staff. A further 11% of businesses employed between 6 and 20 full time staff. However, the 4% of businesses with 21 or more full time staff employed 57% of the workforce.
Manufacturing and Service industries
During the last ten years there has been a steady growth in the small business section. Between 1977 and 1991 there were almost 330 planning applications for manufacturing service, warehousing and office development. 285 of these were approved. 34 factories and warehouse units have been built by the Rural Development Commission in Bakewell, Youlgreave, Tideswell, Longnor, Warslow and Waterhouses.
Agricultural (Farming)
The 2,700 farms in the Peak National Park rely more on direct input from the family than in most other parts of Great Britain. The farms are small, with 95.3% of farms under 100 hectares and 50.1% of them under 20 hectares.
More than half the farms in the Park are classed as part time - that is they provide work for less than 250 man days in a year. This means that many farmers must also have another job to earn a living. Most of the full time farms are either dairy farms or livestock (sheep and beef cattle) farms. In the U K as a whole one third of farms are arable (growing crops such as wheat or barley) but these hardly exist in the Park.
Between 1977 and 1990 there was a reduction of 19% in the number of dairy farms and an increase of 37% in the number of livestock farms.
In the U K as a whole employment on farms has decreased since 1977. However in the Peak District agricultural employment grew from 5,400 jobs in 1977 to 5,800 in 1988, and then fell back to the 1977 level in 1991. Since 1977, the number of full time workers on farms has decreased, while the number of part time workers has increased. It is interesting to note that in the 1991 Census, only 1,400 residents regarded their job as farming with a further 550 people working as agricultural labourers. It is likely that this reflects the large number of part-time farmers with an alternative job.
Mineral Extraction
The mineral industry consists of limestone quarrying with some extraction of vein minerals such as fluorspar and small amounts of clay and shale extraction. The 1991 Census indicated that there were around 1,500 jobs in mineral extraction (mainly full time). Employment increased during the 1980s (by 26% between 1986 and 1990) and then dropped again by 10%.
Mineral extraction provides over 1,500 jobs
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