Chatsworth hit by right royal row over future of cottages

The houses have seen plenty of change in the village of Beeley on the Chatsworth estate, but had themselves attracted little attention until a planning application to turn them into hotel rooms was lodged.

Dove Cottages are owned by Chatsworth and their position opposite the village’s popular Devonshire Arms hotel has made them ripe for conversion, a move which has been opposed by a large number of neighbours.

On Friday, planners at the Peak District National Park Authority will be asked to rule on the application, and although approval is recommended, the proposal is far from a done deal according to opponents.

Siobhan Spencer, who has lived in the village for 30 years, said locals understood tourism was a part of modern life, but if the proposal was granted 25 per cent of village homes would be holiday rentals.

Mrs Spencer, whose husband has worked for Chatsworth owner the Duke of Devonshire for decades, lives in a “tied house for life” but said that was an unlikely prospect for young people born and brought up in the village.

Beeley’s residents have recently formed a heritage group in what they said was a bid to ensure the village retained its character, and a petition has been raised which will be presented to planners.

Mrs Spencer said yesterday: “Just about everybody in the village has signed our petition. These cottages are right in the heart of the community and allowing them to be turned into hotel rooms threatens to kill that.

“We are not slamming holiday homes per-se, because we know they provide jobs. My son does stone walling and gets work from people who own holiday cottages in the area and other families also rely on tourism.

“But you have to strike a balance and I have contacted the estate office and said we are not happy and today I have written a letter to the Duke because I feel its only right for him to know how we feel.

“Beeley is not a very big place and it feels like the tourism aspect of Chatsworth is going to become all consuming. It is a case of much wanting more and everybody else being disregarded.

“We have got real problems in the village now with people who have earned tons of money or who have retired in competition with young kids who are earning £12,000 or £14,000 a year.”

Objectors have been supported by members of Beeley Parish Council, who have expressed concern that hotel conversions do not attract council tax.

Councillors are also worried there will be an impact on car parking in the village and environmental issues such as waste, smell and noise pollution.

Mrs Spencer and several of her colleagues from the heritage group plan to attend the Peak Park’s planning committee meeting on Friday to speak against the proposal and present the petition to members.

She added: “I know that the estate rents houses to people in the village and I know that the rents are low, but it is becoming virtually impossible for many young people to get on the property ladder.

“I am not complaining for myself, because my children have been lucky and have found homes in the village, but others are being forced to move away from their families which just does not seem right.”

Last night, Chatsworth’s estates office had not responded to a request for comment, but in papers to be presented to Friday’s committee it makes a case for the application.

In a statement it says that of 11 other holiday cottages in the village, none are owned by the Chatsworth Estate.

It also points out that of 31 houses owned by the estate in the village 15 are occupied by estate staff and pensioners, while two others are already let to the Devonshire Arms and 12 are let on residential tenancies.

The estate argues that this demonstrates its commitment to affordable housing and says that in the wider context of the estate it offers in excess of 120 houses and cottages “making a considerable contribution to the affordable housing stock”.

In their report to Friday’s committee, planning officers say that they “understand” the views of the parish council, heritage group and local residents.

But they add: “There is a balance to be struck between the economic benefits of providing tourist accommodation and retaining smaller properties for the community.

“However, given the statistics put forward by the applicant and the fact that there are no restrictions on the use of the properties at present the proposed use is acceptable.”

[email protected]