Description: Bakewell is a busy historic market town and popular tourist destination in the Peak District National Park.  It is predominantly stone-built with many surviving historic buildings and the town centre, which includes the development site, is a conservation area.

Issue: New Street was formerly lined by nineteenth century terraced houses set to the back of the pavement.  By the 1970s these had been demolished and replaced by a library and car-parking which destroyed the historic grain of the town centre.  Redevelopment  offered an opportunity to for improvement. 

Strategy:

The houses are built of good quality coursed rubble with dressed stone quoins, windows and door surrounds.  The design uses traditional features such as vertical sash windows but importantly, the scale of the houses also follows the traditional pattern with first floor windows tucked under the eaves.

The houses are provided with small front gardens fronted by a drystone wall.

Outcome:

The development is an excellent example in the provision of affordable housing that fits comfortably alongside the historic core of the town.  The stone is of a good quality and well employed, and the use of traditional sash windows help make the scheme successful.

Are there aspects of the scheme that could be considered as being less successful?

Because of the adjacent car park, provision of additional parking to the front of the houses can give the development the appearance of being marooned amongst parked cars.