Derbyshire pub owner in battle to extend car park after yellow lines hit trade

As previously reported, John Tompkins, who runs the Devonshire Arms, in Middle Handley, is seeking approval from North East Derbyshire District Council (NEDDC) to allow parking on a neighbouring field – which he has agreed to rent from the farm owner – but the application was rejected in April last year due to “potential harm to the Green Belt.”

Having lodged an appeal against that decision in the autumn, John does not know when the case will be decided – the independent national Planning Inspectorate has yet to formally begin proceedings – but in the meantime the question has become even more pressing.

John said: “We’ve had the threat of yellow lines and bus clearways being painted outside hanging over us for about two-and-a-half years with various proposals put forward and the last I heard was that it would be happening but Derbyshire County Council did not have the funding available at the moment.

“On Friday, January 26, a team of road painting contractors showed up in the morning, closed the road and came into the pub and demanding our customers all move their cars so work could begin immediately. It caused a bit of anger and upset. I had some quite distraught members of staff.”

He added: “We’re now in a situation where there are yellow lines all round the pub. I don’t think there’ll be many wardens coming out here to enforce them, so really it’s about traffic being able to navigate the bend.

“I’ve no objection to that in principle but in my mind the lines prove there’s a problem and why we need the car park.”

With the business receiving an estimated 200 customer visits a day, plus dozens of staff travelling in – and its rural location making cars the most viable way to get there – parking is a critical consideration for John.

He said: “People are always complimentary about our rooms and food, so the only bad reviews we get are about parking. We need at least 40 spaces to please everybody.

“We usually get a lot of walk-in customers too, and people driving by who decide to stop. We’ve lost a lot of those already from the yellow lines. The majority of that area no one ever parked in anyway but it does mean we’ve lost about 15 spaces and it’s already putting people off.”

The situation has caused John to issue a new appeal via the pub’s Facebook page for people to prepare messages of support for when the planning appeal gets under way.

He is also due to meet with local MP Lee Rowley this week in the hope he can help convince authorities to reconsider the conclusion that the car park would “impact on the spatial and visual openness of the Green Belt and encroach into the countryside.”

John said: “Apart from the district council, the police, highways and every other agency have said they have no issue with expanding the car park. We’ve submitted a petition with the names of about 1,500 supporters. The locals would rather have the car park than have vehicles parked on the road. Everyone is in favour.

“I’ve spent about £12,000 on the planning process so far, and we’ve gone to great expense to plan for an eco-friendly car park. It takes time and hard work to do all kinds of surveys and tick all the boxes. The only one we didn’t tick is the Green Belt.

“There are criteria which can overrule Green Belt issues, such as providing jobs and business sustainability. I’ve got 40 people working for me, and the less money we take the less we can employ.”

The Facebook post has received a sympathetic response so far, even from those neighbours and customers primarily concerned with improving road safety.

Carol Gibson summed up the general reaction, saying: “I understand most of your customers park sensibly, it does make the road more narrow for anyone travelling in both directions when cars are parked on the road side. It seems you are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“I hope you get a good resolution, you have a lovely business. It seems most of your supporters on here say they park sensibly which is great, but there are a few who don’t, and probably never will.”

One saving grace for now is that parking restrictions are relaxed in some of the roadside overspill spots along Lightwood and Westfield Lanes in the evenings and on Sundays, but John has had to make a point of lobbying the highways authority for signage to make customers aware of those timings.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “Parking restrictions have been put in place with ‘bus stop clearways’ to address congestion caused on the approach to the bend.

“The measures are in response to concerns raised with us about is due to vehicles parking on the road and making it difficult for buses and other vehicles to move through the village.”

They added: “Parking will be permitted within the bus stop clearways after 6.30pm and on Sundays when buses aren’t running, and signage will be placed in the area to make this clear.

“The proposals and restrictions were consulted on before work was carried out. We apologise for any inconvenience that was experienced whilst we painted the lines.”

NEDDC declined to comment on the situation.

For more details of the original planning application, search for 22/01004/FL at planapps-online.ne-derbyshire.gov.uk. For any correspondence related to the appeal, quote 23/00028/REF.

For updates, follow facebook.com/TheDevonshireArmsMiddleHandley.

Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.