Aim

Peak District National Park communities are thriving and sustainable places where all generations can live healthy and fulfilled lives.

The Peak District National Park is a living, working landscape with a resident population of around 38,000. In pursuing its purposes, the National Park Authority has a statutory duty to foster its communities' economic and social well-being. Characteristic settlements with strong communities and traditions are one of the Peak District's special qualities and are integral to the life and management of the National Park. A thriving and sustainable community relies on social, economic and environmental factors. A thriving community is one where people of all generations can live healthy and fulfilled lives and can grow, flourish and prosper, now and in the future. Sustainable development can help communities to thrive by meeting today's needs in a way that harmonises economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection, ensuring that the needs of future generations are not compromised.

The relative remoteness of some areas of the National Park is part of what makes living here desirable. However, this makes the affordability of local housing and access to services more difficult. To maintain thriving and sustainable communities, the most appropriate housing and access to services, including provision of high-speed broadband, must be pursued. The pressure of an ageing population, with a reduction in working age people, presents growing challenges to services and transport connectivity. Traditional industries, such as quarrying and farming, need to continue to adapt to meet the new issues and demands they face. Younger people and those of working age are a crucial element of sustainable communities. Therefore, there is a need to encourage locally based jobs, including those of high value, and permanently available affordable residences that are compatible with National Park purposes for people of all ages, but especially the young and those of working age.

An understanding of what is envisaged by "thriving and sustainable communities" has been reached with partners and parishes, a copy of this definition can be found in the appendix. Therefore, our ambition is to support and promote sustainable communities to conserve and enhance the special qualities. This will focus on future proofing our actions through long term protection of land and property uses, embedding climate change principles, and supporting the use of new technology.

The two objectives in this aim seek to help communities to thrive by providing a focus on housing, access to services and appropriate economic growth opportunities.

Objective 10: To support sustainable communities by improving opportunities for affordable housing and connection to services

Target

By 2028 we will have enabled enhanced access to services, jobs and home working increasing premises that can access Superfast (>30Mbps) services from 82% to 84%.

Headline delivery

By 2028 we will have a Local Plan that enables people with local roots to live in or return to the National Park and help families to remain together in mutual support by developing policies that provide the following.

• Addressing a range of second and holiday home issues.

• Addressing a range of local population issues, for example, young families, elderly and working age.

• Increasing the stock of affordable housing protected in perpetuity through housing associations, local housing trusts, and opportunities for individuals to own their own home for example, via self-build.

In relation to housing, we will undertake the following.

• Influencing national funding bodies (e.g. Homes England) to address the housing needs of Peak District communities.

• Advocating for measures to better control the number of homes used as second or holiday homes.

In relation to access to services, we will deliver the following.

• Improving high-speed digital and mobile access to the hardest-to-reach properties through Project Gigabit, Shared Rural Network, voucher schemes and opportunities arising from future initiatives.

• Improving connections to services through the National Park sustainable travel framework.

Objective 11: To promote a flourishing economy in accord with nature recovery and climate change mitigation

Target

By 2028 to have delivered the Shared Prosperity Fund programmes.

Headline delivery

By 2028 we will have a Local Plan with policies that provide the following.

• Encouraging environmentally and economically sustainable businesses in suitable locations where they can grow.

• Offering housing opportunities that support a diverse workforce with the skills needed for local businesses and services.

• Recognising the local mineral resource by enabling a sustainable level of mineral activity appropriate to our special landscape.

We will have delivered advice and grant support across the National Park through the new business support programme (including the Shared Prosperity Funds, which is the Government's new economic support programme) and any future schemes in a way that aligns economic, nature recovery and climate change priorities across the National Park.

We will have completed a whole estate plan for the Chatsworth Estate that will address socio-economic issues as well as providing high environmental gains. It will act as an exemplar for others to learn from.