Geography – this post relates to the area between the Dennis Knoll and Upper Burbage Bridge areas of the northern flank of the Hope Valley in the Peak District National Park
The Resources Committee of the Peak District National Park convened on 23rd January (2026) to discuss and subsequently unanimously approve the implementation of a Byelaw (pending DEFRA approval) making it an offence for a vehicle to park on the roadside verge of certain areas of the Stanage North Lees Estate (SNLE).
You can view the meeting here
You can (and indeed should) read the background document here which outlines the breadth of the Byelaw and the penalty for not complying therewith.
The detailed maps are viewable on the PDNP planning portal.
I’ll break down what’s happening in to 3 parts starting with a bit of background
1.
The SNLE is a farming, moorland and crag landscape. It is a very popular area for visitors. It is culturally and historically important. It is one of the most important climbing areas in the UK. For as long as anyone can remember the popularity of the SNLE has meant that visitor numbers have far far exceeded the coping capacity of the landscape and infrastructure. There is a small toilet block under Stanage. There are 3 pay to park car parks under Stanage and one at Burbage North. There are numerous areas where parking on the roadside verges has happened unchallenged for at least 35 years. The last significant study of the parking situation and the capacity of the landscape to cope was done in 1990. On any given decent weather weekend there will be multiple hundreds of vehicles parked along the verges. On days when the ruination of the verges is at peak level there will be spaces available in the (pay to park) car parks. Verge parking damages the landscape, impedes access for others (in particular the tenant farmer and local residents) but is the default norm for the majority of the vehicle borne visitors to SNLE. There is no public transport provision to the ‘under crag’ road running from New Road (Bamford) along under Bamford Edge then past Dennis Knoll and up past Overstones to Burbage. The nearest bus stops are Norfolk Arms in the east, many stops through the Hope Valley and Yorkshire Bridge in the west. Relative to the size of the influx of visitors to SNLE the provision of National Park Rangers and or traffic enforcement is negligible. The current car parking charges are shown below ..
2.
The National Park are extending the pay-to-park car parks at Dennis Knoll and Hollins Busk (aka Plantation). There is a comment made in the video of the Resources Committee (see above) which sugests that extending these 2 car parks will meet the vehicle demand for the area. I believe that to be categorically untrue. At the time lf writing Hollins Busk has been finished and Dennis Knoll was started this week. The design and capacity for both sites are viewable on the PDNPA Planning portal.
3.
If DEFRA approve the application from PDNPA for the Byelaw then at (probably) some point in the latter half of 2026 there will be a £500 fine for verge parking on almost all of the roadside between Dennis Knoll and as far as east of the Burbage North lay-by, including down towards Cattis-side and down The Dale but not (at this juncture) down past Higger Tor.
The specific details of the areas in which the Byelaw will apply (inc maps) are here
and listed here –
The competent map reader / byelaw plotter will be able to observe where the ‘five hundred pound line’ is discontinuos. That is due to that stretch being owned by Derbyshire County Council Highways and not owned or leased by PDNPA. Unfortunately that gap in the line coincides with one of the worst affected areas for verge parking.
Observations, Criticisms and Concerns …
To lay out my pitch i am someone who spends a lot of time along this stretch of road (particularly its eastern margin). I consider myself to have a detailed knowledge of the underlying issues, experience of trying to deal with them and an awareness of the very significant increase in vehicle borne visitation over the last five years. I have written and commented elsewhere on the serious impact that verge parking has on landscape, erosion, access and visual impact.
I also greatly appreciate the ‘landscape’ within which the National Park Authority is trying to act …. land ownership in the Park is utterly fragmented, funding from Government to the Authority is repeatedly cut and the Authority is desperately trying to generate revenue.
A – Not once in the Resources Committee did a single Member discuss any form of alternative transport option. Whilst the car remains the most convenient means of getting to SNLE for the majority of people (ie no affordable sustainable alternative is supported) then the visitation issues which have increased for the last 36 yrs (since the 1990 study) will continue to do so. A solution to vehicle borne visitation that offers no alternatives to the cause of the problem is NOT a solution.
B- The ecological carrying capacity of the landscape needs to be worked out and adhered to.
C- Pay to park or get a £500 fine is a PR disaster waiting to happen. All stick and no carrot.
D- The timing of the implementation (latter half of 2026) will coincide with the rolling closure of the Hope Valley road (due to the Severn Trent Water pipeline from Bamford to Worksop) and therein the closure of Surprise View Car Park. This will drive commuter and visitor traffic arojnd the eastern end of these proposed changes.
E- Viewed as a landscape parking issue …. the Hope Valley runs east to west … its west end around Mam Tor is being ‘red lined’ to enforce changes to parking behaviours. There is very little parking over the southern lip of the Valley. The north edge of the Valley will now be pay-to-park or a £500 fine. The valley itself has zero spare capacity for parking. All of this – whilst a sustainable alternative to the private car and or a park and ride solution remain off the table – means the problem is squeezed eastwards. The eastern end of the Hope Valley and the moorlands thereabouts already routinely see vehicle numbers two or three times greater than the ecological capacity. Excluding the area around Higger Tor will, at a micro local level, serve only to greatly exacerbate the issue thereabouts.
F- Parking enforcement for PDNPA is now done organically (not by contractors). There are very few of them and they have ~44 car parks to ‘police’. Will the enforcement be sufficient to change behaviours ?
G- The income from the fines does NOT in any way benefit the local landscape or organisations charged with caring for it. The £500 (minus some overheads) goes to HM Treasury not SNLE or PDNPA.
H- Will the road markings be refreshed to make it patently clear what is and isn’t a verge. One likely area for concern / conflict is the lay-by above Overstones Farm. The extent of the permissable lay-by here was damaged and destroyed by verge parking and the ‘lay-by’ now extends over several hundred metres.
I- How will a bunch of let’s say European climbers driving to Stanage be made aware of the £500 fine situation when they enter the ‘zone’ ? and will the signage further impact the landscape ? It’s going to have to be fairly obvious to any and all types of visitor.
Consultation
It is my understanding that as part of the process of getting approval for the Byelaws there needs to be an accessible consultation period of (i think) four weeks.
Will you be airing you opinions on this proposal ???
Wider Reading
F.I.T report on ‘4 big transport issues in National Parks how to sort them
FIVE REASONS WHY THE NEW TRANSPORT STRATEGY MUST SUPPORT NATIONAL PARK VISITORS – CNP
Less cars, more buses: how do we address traffic chaos in national parks?
Shuttle Services Are Helping National Parks Reduce Traffic, Says Study – USA
©️ Tomo Thompson