Partners are being sought to help the Peak District National Park Authority manage the Roaches estate for the benefit of local residents and visitors.

The estate was bought by the National Park Authority in 1980 to protect it for current and future generations. Adverts have now been placed in estate and rural management trade magazines to see if there is any interest from suitable partners to:

• Work with the authority to manage the estate
• Have a long-term lease to manage the estate or
• Buy the land with strict conditions attached to ensure public access is maintained and the area is protected.

The authority has said that measures will be put in place to ensure continued access to the Roaches for climbing and walking as well as measures to continue to protect and enhance the important conservation value of the area. Any potential buyer or partner would also be required to work with users to create a development plan.

The 975 acre (394 ha) estate near Leek in Staffordshire is made up of moorland, farmland and woodland and the gritstone crags contain more than 700 routes, making the Roaches an important and iconic climbing area. The BMC currently leases Rockhall Cottage for use as a climbing hut, an arrangement that will continue.

Dave Turnbull, chief executive of the British Mountaineering Council, said: “The BMC has been closely involved with the Peak District National Park Authority on this and other ‘asset disposal’ issues over the past few years. 

“We’re aware of several major land management organisations who might be interested in taking on this large estate and we are confident that future access for climbers will be assured under any new arrangement – the land is mapped as open country under CRoW anyway.

“Our lease on the Whillans Hut is also secure so even if the wider estate ends up with a different management regime, access to the hut will be secure.

“Climbers and walkers can be assured that the BMC is very much on the case with this iconic site.”

A similar process recently saw a partnership of the National Trust and RSPB take on a 15-year lease to manage the Authority’s 25 sq km Eastern Moors estate, near Sheffield.
 

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