Jonathan Welch speaks to the people behind Derbyshire’s Peak Gateway development, which is planning a series of zero-emission tourist bus routes to take guests to destinations across the Peak District
The Peak District has long been a popular destination for tourists, both day visitors and long-stay guests. Its central location makes the area easily accessible from most of the major metropolitan areas in the north and Midlands, and its landscape, scenery and attractive towns make it a draw for all kinds of activities. Within 75 miles live around 20m people in an area that encompasses five of England’s six largest cities and six major airports.
However, whilst its fringes are well-served with motorways and railways, visitors to the Peak District will be only too familiar with some of the major A-roads which funnel traffic through its towns and villages, often struggling to cope with the demands of summer traffic. The A57 ‘Snake Pass’ between Sheffield and Manchester, the A628 Woodhead Pass, between Barnsley and Manchester and the the ’Cat and Fiddle Road’ from Macclesfield to Buxton will be some which are familiar to coach drivers heading to the region.
For those wanting to arrive by coach or bus, a number of companies serve the region, including well-known names such as Trentbarton, Hulley’s of Baslow and National Express, with services providing access to Matlock, Bakewell and Buxton to name but a few, from places including Derby, Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield. But as much as we might want visitors to arrive by bus, the reality is that most of those who want to enjoy or explore the Peak District arrive my car, clogging up the roads and struggling to find parking.
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Hoping to take advantage of the increasing pressure between the demands of the 38,000 or so local residents and the millions of visitors who arrive each year, not to mention the pressure of the interests of conservation, land owners and the National Trust, is the new Peak Gateway resort development, an ‘international scale tourism and leisure destination’ located near Chesterfield on the eastern boundary of the Peak District National Park. Not to be confused with the similarly-named Peak Gateway Leisure Club to the south of the region, Peak is described by its developers as a collection of things connected to a smart infrastructure, with hotels, lodges, restaurants, experiential retail, leisure and wellness facilities which will all link together in a drive towards carbon net zero.
Green transport
So how is this relevant to CBW, you might ask. Regular readers may remember that we reported on the trial of a bus service using Caetano hydrogen and electric buses this summer. The company behind the development explains that ‘at its core is a ‘green’ transport system connecting visitors to the National Park and the wider region.’ As part of that plan, the developers foresee a network of gateway-centred bus services, taking visitors to destinations across the area and allowing tourists to leave behind their cars, enjoy the scenery and travel in a more eco-friendly way.
It’s a fairly radical plan in its size and ambition, though possibly not without precedent. Similar examples that come to mind range from the New Forest Explorer services on the south coast, to the seasonal routes aimed at tourists operated by PostBus in Switzerland. The latter are popular with walkers and cyclists, many of whom can be seen taking a bus up into the mountains before spending the day walking, or cycling back downhill to their base.
Although visible development as we might expect it has been slow to date, plans are progressing with the project, which is based on the 300-acre Birchall Estate, just off the A61. Peak’s founding partners acquired an interest in the Birchall Estate back in 1989, at a time when mining activity in the area was declining. The property had been stripped of vegetation and had just been re-formed after a long period of open cast mining activity. The property has now been fully reclaimed with Peak in mind. Initial planning permission was granted in 1989 for 2,000 hotel rooms and 250 holiday cottages plus associated leisure, business, entertainment and education facilities, and further plans have advanced those initial proposals. In the intervening years, time and investment has allowed the site to be ‘re-wilded,’ bringing back a natural landscape alongside use as a now-closed golf course.
Journey to Zero trial
Whilst a large part of the resort’s draw will be its own facilities, those are planned to go hand in hand with helping people get out and visit the local area in a more sustainable way. A travel hub is planned as part of the Gateway, from which ‘Peak Express’ buses will offer guests and visitors a zero-carbon, predictable and reliable way to access the National Park and local attractions without the need for a car.
In order to learn more about how a service might operate, what might be feasible and what could be required, over a period of 10 days potential routes were explored using a pair of Caetano City Gold single-deckers, one fuelled by hydrogen, the other a battery-electric example. The trial looked at the carbon performance and customer experience, to help determine the project’s commercial model for tourist bus passes which it likens to a lift pass in a ski resort. The trial was held in collaboration with local attractions, transport operators and Chesterfield Borough Council, as well as Toyota and Caetano which provided the vehicles.
The trial route connected eight of what Peak described as key locations and attractions including Chesterfield railway station and Chatsworth, and was designed with no more than 20 minutes between each stop. Peak cites figures which show that currently 85% of visitors arrive in the National Park by car, and believes that with interest in the great outdoors and the staycation market booming, those numbers are set to increase. And with regional stakeholders also keen for more diverse groups to have access the park and to grow the local economy through tourism, this must be done in a sustainable way which doesn’t exponentially increase carbon emissions or threaten the park’s or its residents’ well-being.
The Peak Express is aiming to remove 500,000 tourism journeys from the National Park, reducing CO2 emissions by an estimated 3.6 million kilogrammes per year, with a longer-term ambition to see multiple hubs located around the Peak District National Park boundary. Speaking at the launch of the trial, Andrew McCloy, Chair of the Peak District National Park Authority, said; “We are delighted to be a stakeholder for this ground-breaking trial. Protecting the National Park for future generations and developing more sustainable ways for people to visit is high on our agenda. The Peak Gateway site outside the National Park is an excellent location for a transport hub. The Peak Express service is a commitment to net-zero and will connect more of the National Park’s attractions without the need for a car, making them more accessible and spreading out the economic benefits of tourism.”
Whilst the service might yet be some way off launching, gateway developer Milligan and the team behind Peak are enthusiastic about cementing the project’s place as a destination and base for eco-friendly exploration. John Milligan, CEO of Milligan, added “The Peak Resort site has been reclaimed from opencast, rewilded and we are investing in its future. Peak’s proposition emulates the internationally successful ski resort model, providing a mixed range of hospitality, accommodation, retail, wellness and education facilities all served by a zero-carbon mobility service connected to 1,600 miles of trails and world class attractions in the Peak District National Park.
“Milligan has been developing iconic destinations for over 20 years. Our skills lie in curating the right mix of uses which will serve the community and visitors in a sustainable way bringing long term value. This trial is part of the development’s journey to zero and marks an important milestone for Gateway and the National Park.”
Initial plans
When CBW paid a visit during the trial, the two buses were being crewed by drivers supplied by partner Trentbarton via its sister company, TM Travel, both of whom were optimistic about the project; certainly, it’s the kind of job which will attract drivers, and in return those drivers will need to be very customer-focused in their new role. Service work this isn’t.
The project’s developers explained that the transport operation will be at the heart of the development’s success. The gateway terminal will cater for day visitors, with showers and lockers proposed, as well as acting as a focal point for hotel guests.
Initial plans foresee a fleet of six buses operating services every 10 to 20 minutes, with a high-frequency in the morning ‘peak’ to enable people to get out into the park. A suitable frequency of service will be maintained throughout the day, the company explained, so that people can know with confidence that they can go out, enjoy what the Peak District has to offer, and be sure of a high quality bus to take them back to the resort afterwards. The fact that the service is dedicated to guests, and with the support of technology to show when buses are due, means that people will be more willing to use the service, the developers believe, using the ski lift analogy to describe a constant merry-go-round of zero-emission vehicles linking the National Park’s key destinations.
Asked why Toyota and its bus-building partner Caetano had been chosen for the trial, the company explained that Toyota’s family-owned ethos meant it had a much better ability to really invest in the zero-emission future. Looking at the wider energy eco-system, Milligan plans to include renewable energy generation such as solar panels into the development, allowing a truly green transport operation. The initial tests had proven positive in terms of energy usage of both the electric and hydrogen buses, Milligan said; the latter was fuelled for the trial by a special trailer and portable fuelling facility supplied by Air Products, one of the world’s largest hydrogen producers.
Jon Hunt, Alternative Fuels Manager at Toyota (GB) explained; “There is not one simple solution for zero-carbon mobility. That’s why this trial provides us with an exciting opportunity to trial both electric and hydrogen vehicles, assessing which is more suitable to different types of journeys across the park. We will also be looking at optimal ways to provide refuelling and great levels of customer service on board the vehicles.”
Local support
Another of the partners is the Chatsworth estate. Andrew Lavery, Chief Executive of Chatsworth, a key attraction on the route said; “Derbyshire and the Peak District are world-class destinations for domestic and international tourists, and we are thrilled to be part of this trial. Working with partners we are committed to reducing car journeys and supporting and promoting a more sustainable way of getting to and from the Peak District. There’s also a wonderful connection with hydrogen technology and Chatsworth – Henry Cavendish discovered hydrogen in 1766 and so, this venture is very interesting.” Chatsworth House has belonged to the Cavendish family since 1549.
Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council Tricia Gilby praised the project: “The value of this partnership is clearly demonstrated when considering significant issues like climate change, which requires collective local commitment and action if we are to make a real difference, and we are delighted to be a key partner in this trial,” she said. “Chesterfield has excellent road and rail connections, making it the ideal base to stay and explore the Peak District from – but we are committed to a net-zero future and this trial is an exciting step forward in how we think about our regional transport links. The trial of Peak Express at the Peak Resort, will make it even easier – and cleaner – for visitors to experience the UK’s first national park from neighbouring destinations, like Chesterfield.”
Coaches welcome
The Gateway at Peak is scheduled to open in 2025, and is also looking to welcome coach parties. The developers invited operators interested in using the facility to get in touch, and suggested that it could prove an ideal way for coach operators to offer a broader range of options to passengers. By using the Gateway facilities and Peak Express buses, coach passengers could disperse across a number of destinations in the National Park, it explained, whilst in the short term also reducing the need for diesel-fuelled coaches to enter the area.
With an eye to developing as many strings to its bow as possible and drawing on as broad a demographic as it can, the project is also keen to attract tour coach operators making longer north-south journeys to use its facilities as a more attractive alternative to motorway service stations when thinking about mid-journey breaks for passengers. The proposed range of shops and eateries would be an ideal place, the developers feel, for coach parties to pause for an hour to stretch their legs whilst the driver has a break, and the location is within easy reach of the M1.
Long distance operators such as National Express, megabus and Flixbus are also being encouraged to consider adding the site to their list of destinations. Although still a few years away from fruition, and with little visible on the site just yet, it is pleasing to see the developers taking an interest in using green buses to promote sustainable access to the National Park, and also taking coaches seriously, and although it acknowledges that the latter might only account for a small part of its turnover, it realises at the same time that those visitors could be equally valuable as car users, with a coach park proposed alongside the anticipated 2,800 space car park.
The project has a lot to achieve in a relatively short timescale, but it is pleasing to see that zero-emission public transport is being planned in from the start. We look forward to returning in 2025 to see the launch of the zero-emission service.
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