The New Mills Town Healthcheck
is available to download at: highpeak.gov.uk/business/econdev/NMHealthcheck.pdf

Local community involvement is central to the health check process.

Thank you to all who expressed their views below.

Also I'd like to add to the general consensus that something needs to be done about the general appearance of the town centre.

Attention needs to be paid to Bridge Street, below Dyehouse Lane. In any evening this becomes a single track road and there is often confusion as to who has the right of way. Personally I believe the Continental adage that those going up take priority, but it has not yet been learned in the UK.

How many more years are we to have the architectural hazard of a burned-our church shell on Spring Bank? The signs warn it is dangerous, so.......?

At a recent committee meeting of New Mills Natural History Society members expressed concern that the trees planted along the Sett Valley Trial, several years ago, had matured to the extent that the route had become rather dark, with views obscured. It was suggested that careful thinning out was needed.

* Heritage / conservation
The town has done well here, with the exception of Torr Vale Mill. Conservation area could be more rigorously enforced in town centre to get rid of unsightly and inappropriate shop fronts like those of the Chinese take-aways on Market Street.

* Torr Vale Mill
Not a pretty sight at the moment, but really I am struggling to think of a suitable use for such a large building that would be a long term commercially viable enterprise. It would have to be something that had more than local significance. Access is poor, and a limiting factor.

* Parks / open space
Something the town council excels at and should be congratulated. Maybe a bit more emphasis on graffiti removal is required. Recent water works at the heart of the Torrs is a mess, and that area needs a better defined purpose and design. No reduction in local play areas, as recently proposed by the council, should be made; these facilities need to be dispersed close to where people live. What happened to the excellent Community Orchard idea next to High Lea Park?

*Leisure & sport
It is great that New Mills has a leisure centre and pool. The steps into the pool should be replaced with a design that doesn't take up half the width though. It is also really good that the football team is thriving and is in the Northern Counties - I will happily pay to watch. Tennis club seems to prosper as well, although I don't know if there are any municipal courts anywhere - if there are they need publicising and if there aren't there should be some.

*Young people
The youth club can sometimes be poorly supervised, with children running riot in adjacent streets and terrorising residents. It needs to be better resourced with more and more permanent youth leaders. The County Council also needs to acknowledge it's responsibility to liaise with the local residents about their concerns instead of the stonewall tactic currently employed. The youth club is in an inappropriate place, and should be near other civic facilities closer to the centre of town. Maybe alternative forms of youth work should be employed, such as outreach workers talking to youths where they meet, or activities with the school.
It is clear there is a need for some other facilities for young people, like a skate park, or organised activities which allow them the opportunity to be themselves but in a responsible manner; the youth discos at Stax were a good example, but I don't think they happen anymore.
Parenting classes may be a good idea in the long term; I'm sure everyone would benefit.

*Magistrate Court
The existing Chapel on the site is a dangerous eyesore; the sooner the Court is built the better.

*Shopping / Market
Could do with a boost, but with new supermarkets springing up elsewhere, this will be an uphill struggle. There must be an effort to maintain a high proportion of useful, good quality shops, including the anchor shops like butchers, bakers and hardware shops. When these go the estate agents, building societies and fast food outlets will take over and the town will not be worth visiting. The butchers is a good example of how a high quality local shop can work, and the Coop local store is also very good. Market Hall could do with a lick of paint - it looks so decrepit from the outside it hardly attracts shoppers used to supermarket luxuries.

*Arts / culture
There's not much going on in the evenings apart from the pub, none of which in the town centre are much good. A good quality pub serving well kept beer, or a good restaurant which is capable of attracting people from surrounding areas would be a real asset (see the Oddfellows in Mellor for an example).
The Festivals and other community events are superb for a town this size; I never saw anything like these in 10 years living in County Durham.

*Education
No children so don't feel able to comment much. The discipline of secondary school children seems poor, which I am sure the school has a large effect on. Also all schools would benefit from travel plans - the children must come from close by, but the over-use of large cars to ferry them there and back over short distances is incredible.

* Jobs
Fully supportive of more local jobs, but don't know how to get firms to locate here. Maybe Torr Vale Mill could be set up as a high-tech industry base, with offices and firms or home-based working resource centre based there with favourable rates. This would mean the access problem would be less of an issue if not based around transporting lorry loads of manufactured goods.
It is also ridiculous that there is no job centre, and people have to travel to Marple instead, when they can least afford it.

*Tourism
There is potential here as the area is in a great place to offer variety being close to excellent countryside, but also Manchester. Not enough is made of this; better marketing would help, and more good quality accommodation

*Crime
I suspect problems are caused by a very small minority of people, but their effect is out of proportion. Town centre pubs should not open until 2am and publicans should take more responsibility over selling alcohol to people evidently drunk. Youth crime and vandalism is a problem. CCTV I don't see has had any effect; maybe this is because there are not enough people watching the pictures, or the HQ is too far away in Chapel. How else do you explain that there are fights outside the Torrs and the bus shelter regularly gets vandalised - yet both places are within 50 yards of cameras. It should either be made more effective or a better method sought, like employing more police.

*Health
The current method of getting an appointment at the medical centre is a joke, and couldn't be more awkward for working people or those with no transport. The lack of an NHS dentist is a severe shortcoming.

*Transport
Rail to Manchester is generally excellent, but trains should run later in the evening (22:18 from Piccadilly is far too early for a last train), and the Sunday service on the Central line is abysmal and encorages people to unnecessarily drive into the Peak Park. A good, frequent bus service between Glossop, New Mills centre, Chapel and Buxton would be great and help keep activities within the High Peak rather than losing out to the draw of Manchester and Stockport all the time. Morning peak buses to Stockport are awkwardly timed and should be more frequent.
Completely opposed to Disley and Furness Vale bypass; Mousely Bottom woodland is one of the best areas of open space in New Mills, and should be kept peaceful and unpolluted. A bypass would simply transfer the problem to another set of people, encourage more trips by car compounding the problem, degrade the excellent natural environment, cost an awful amount of money, and inevitably lead to more traffic choosing to cross the Peak National Park to get across the country. The proposal to resurrect the Midland rail line to Derby is, however, a good idea, and worthy of support with a station in New Mills.
Cycle routes need better publicity, and cycle racks need putting around the town and at public destinations. Schools need travel plans. A local petrol station would also be a bonus.

*Parking
There's enough of it and I personally wouldn't object to a small charge similar to the level at Marple. However, I am aware that for some people this would make them use twice that value in petrol to drive further to somewhere with free parking, and I would prefer people to shop in New Mills and park free. However, too many people drive very short distances to park in the town centre when they could walk easily.

*Environment
Recycling facilities are poor. No plastic recycling exists. See Rose Hill facilities in Stockport as something to aspire to. Doorstep recycling is needed. Borough Council are very poor at recycling, despite Stockport Council's excellent record next to them - they could learn much.
Community orchard was a great idea which has gone very quiet.
There are a lot of green minded people in New Mills (exemplified by the One World Festival, although this needs to be less preachy and jumble sales and more practical advice about sustainable solutions to everyday problems) so I am sure environmental initiatives would get support. There is a lack of Green Party activity in the area.
Probably not very p.c., but the crows in High Lea Park are a nuisance and intimidate other forms of wildlife and pets. The population should be controlled somehow.

*Business / Property
The prospect of New Mills turning into Alderley Edge or Wilmslow apalls me. It is an excellent place to live, but if it gets taken over by rich people who shop at supermarkets outside the town, drive prices of goods and property up beyond the reach of others and cause the town centre to decline and the town to become socially divided, it will be a great shame. Property prices are too expensive for younger people especially. Any housing built should be small and affordable and on brownfield sites; to be fair the council has done really well in ensuring that this has been the case, especially around Torr Top.

*Governance
I think that it is a problem that New Mills is at the edge of a far flung corner of Derbyshire, with very little in the way of connections with Matlock or Derby. The town naturally looks west to the Manchester conurbation, not east over the Pennines to Matlock. If it was not for the commendable efforts and prominence of Martin Doughty I am sure the town would have been forgotten by the County Council. It was also odd that we were in the East Midlands European ward along with places like Lincoln and Skegness. It is time the boundaries were changed and we were realigned with our natural neighbours in Greater Manchester. I feel this would be the key to delivering better services and addressing many of my points, such as transport improvements.

New Mills needs a Skate Park. I have four children, all boys, they could make use of a place to hang around instead of the streets.

There is no sense of pride in New Mills. Something should be done to instill a sense of community and pride.

The young people need something constructive to do - a wide choice with alternatives that get them off the streets and doing something enjoyable and positive. Something should be done - grants perhaps - to encourage businesses that would benefit young people... Climbing walls, skate parks, indoor / outdoor adventure parks, basketball courts, organised team events, for example. Grants should be give to the people who spend their free time to organise events for young people, to encourage more people to bother.

Civic competitions to encourage pride in the appearance of the streets, particularly the high street and market area, would be beneficial. For example, there could be best dressed business and home for Christmas, best floral displays, themed competitions throughout the year to give people a reason to bother to make the effort. You could pick up on something particular in the history of New Mills, teaching people about the local historical colour, perhaps. This would give a focal point to activities and also teach people something they might not already know about the place where they live. The largest employers should be encouraged to welcome people into their premises on occasion to engender community spirit. There should be community money to help them, instead of expecting businesses to entirely fund such things.

Shops should be encouraged to adopt the heritage look, like Glossop, to engender a better look on the Market Street.
There should be a market - a larger one with better facilities - where local people could display and sell their wares. Definitely, more should be made of the town hall to get people involved in various events.

If New Mills is to draw business and people from other areas, it has to have something special about it. People don't come to New Mills because they want to, they come because they have to. This could change if there was something nice about it, some reason to come, some impetus to see what's happening now and some sense of community and fun. Something lively going on to attract people. There is no reason why New Mills could not be as attractive as Bakewell or Matlock! We just have to make an effort!

I am sure my voice is not alone, the provision of a by-pass from Whaley Bridge to High Lane must be a priority. How can the Brit Governent justify spending millions on asylum and immigration whilst ignoring us and I admit that as a Birch Vale born lad I lived abroad from 78 - 90, I may not be as vociferous as long suffering locals.

I think the profile and look of the Town should be improved in some way this may then encourage new businesses into the Town. High Peak Borough Council should look to introduce similar banners to the ones in Buxton (which hang from the lamp posts). The theme could be the Millennium Walkway and Torrs Riverside Park. May be the Town Council could put up little signs on railings and lamp posts saying things like "have pride in New Mills please take your litter home" and/or "New Mills Town Council working for our community" anything that gives visitors and users of our town the message that somebody is caring about it even though some times they get the impression nobody is.

Litter is a major problem but is not the sole responsibility of the Council/s; addressing the problem of litter should be taught and discussed at every level - play group, nursery, primary school, secondary school and home. Until this is taught to be an unsociable act the Council/s could be clearing litter 24 hours a day and still find more to clear up.

I would like to see more done to help young people stop being so negative about New Mills. Why do some of these people feel the need to destroy the surroundings they use. The bus shelter at times is a prime target and High Lee Park and it's Memorial Garden is another. Nobody can and would object to young people using these areas providing they don't damage them. Also why don't young people just admit they like 'hanging round' instead of saying "we're bored". It's the easiest thing in the world to say you're bored.

I write to you with my concerns for the youth in New Mills. I see more and more on the prom of an evening and in the park drinking as "they have nothing better to do". I was brought up in New Mills and after moving away I returned to bring up my family here. When I left New Mills I left a scout group thriving. When I returned 6 years later they had to leave St. James Hall and the scouts group was reduced to just Cubs and Beavers. A great shame as Scouting is a fantastic way to teach our youth about being a good citizen.
Now I am back as Cub leader and we are desperate to find a new home for Scouting in New Mills. A purpose built hut that would benefit the community during the day and the youth of an evening. At the moment when our lads leave cubs they either have to go to Hayfield or Marple scouts which is not the best advert for provision for youth in New Mills. PLEASE HELP US IN OUR QUEST TO HELP THE YOUTH OF NEW MILLS BY HELPING US FIND A NEW HOME.
ASCL 1st New Mills Scout Group - forward any response via this site: mail@newmillsweb.com

Me and my mates have been skatin 4 a while and usually find ourselves skatin on the streets, schools e.t.c. and we r always gettin the police on our back tellin us to go somewhere else and skate. They always class us as being cheeky if we say that there is no where else to go. Some times we go to stockport skatepark,(bones) but it usually to much or to far away to get there all the time. So i think that building an outdoor skatepark would help kids who skate to have a police free life and also less pointless work for the police who get told to tell us lot to move. Also people wont be able to complain about us ruining proporties.

I welcome the opportunity to have a say on these issues and hope the comments given will be taken into consideration in the development of our town.
Torr Vale Mill - What are we waiting for?
I personally would love to see this as a 'botany bay' type place as there are no large soft play areas around the town, but I would equally welcome a water powered mill as a museum/ craft centre/ cafe/ or even a cinema.
The torrs park has fantastic potential but seems incomplete. Perhaps the mill could provide a focus for the park at the lower level with cafe/restaurant/ice-cream parlour.
Could we use the river there and offer canoeing/rafting?
Could we hire bikes from there? More picnic benches at the side of the ruins and a themed wooden play area would encourage families to picnic.

Leisure and Sport
I would love to see more fun sports events for teenagers. Salford have a triathalon training scheme for children and have regular training sessions. Maybe we could have family fun day events with tug'o'war and Its-a-Knockout style games. Perhaps the children could be involved in organising events through school. The youth club is a good start but more funding for the people who run it would give the organisers more scope to offer trips/activities/guest appearances/ speakers.
I would also like to see more use of our town hall: Easter bonnet parade; Disco-14-16; Talent contests; Kids fashion shows; Summer ball; Workshops;Film nights

Shopping
I visited Ludlow recently and wonder why we dont have a monthly market for farmers/local produce.

Having spent a couple of very enjoyable weekends in Keswick in the Lake District recently (even in the cold and wet weather the atmosphere was bustling and all local businesses seemed to be thriving) - it would be nice to see tourism in New Mills promoted. We live in very good walking and mountain biking country and are very well situated for trips into town, Stockport, Manchester and Sheffield to name a few. We need to do more to encourage business in this area, shops, cafes, restaurant and good B&B's. What happened to the conversion of the empty mill in the Torrs - this is an area that is ripe for redevelopment. We have good rail and bus links but need to provide more car parking spaces to encourage visitors.

New Mills is a good town with an interesting heritage but could be much improved if we encouraged more people to visit.