"We've lost everything"

Businesses forced to close to make way for new housing development.

A popular local garden centre and coffee shop used by hundreds of Glossop residents, is having to close after receiving notice to vacate the land it has called home for over a decade, to make way for 85 new houses.  

Hartley’s Garden Centre, nestled on Cemetery Road next to Wimberry Hill Farm, is more than just a business - it’s a deeply personal labour of love for Guy and Lyndsay Hartley, who took on the site in 2012 when the previous owners suffered illness and wanted to relocate.  

The couple received an email offering them the opportunity on New Year’s Eve. That night, enjoying a takeout meal with their family, Guy’s fortune cookie message read: ‘Your new venture will be a great success’. It felt like fate and they pledged to pour their heart and soul into it.  

However, 13 years later, they are being evicted after the land was sold to national housebuilder Barratt Homes for a proposed housing development. 

“This place has been our entire life. We’ve given everything to it - our time, our energy, our savings, our family legacy,” said Lyndsay. “And now it’s being taken away.”  

The Hartley’s learned about the land sale just days before Christmas 2024, via a brief text message from the landowner. It informed them that the land had been sold and they would need to leave. They said the timing was “heartbreaking” and made more difficult as Lyndsay’s father was newly diagnosed with cancer.  

“We would have preferred a face-to-face conversation,” said Guy. “We had to carry that news over Christmas, knowing we’d eventually have to tell our kids and our staff who are like family to us. It was the hardest Christmas we’ve ever had.”  

The couple, who have a 16-year-old daughter and a 20-year-old son with autism and other health challenges, have invested not only their life savings but also inherited family money into growing the centre. “We never thought this would be temporary,” said Lyndsay “We wouldn’t have put everything we had into it, if we thought it would be in jeopardy.”  

Back in 2015, Guy had a shock after he spotted surveyors on the land and approached the landowner to find out why. “We asked about future building plans” said Guy “We were reassured that building wouldn’t happen in the landowner’s lifetime, and so we felt confident continuing to invest into the business.”  

Since then, the couple have learnt that Barratt Homes has been listed as a beneficiary on the land for 10 years, yet no formal communication about development plans were ever shared with them. “If we’d known, we wouldn’t have poured so much money into this. Unbelievably, we just paid to tarmac the road leading up to the centre, and then four days later we got the eviction text.”  

When the Hartley's took over the garden centre in 2012, it was much smaller than the flourishing business it is today. But through relentless hard work, often seven days a week with 4am starts, they slowly transformed it, complete with a thriving coffee shop, and grew a loyal customer base.  

“Being so close to the cemetery, people come here after visiting loved ones to sit quietly with a coffee, surrounded by nature and calm,” said Guy. “We’ve been humbled by people telling us that this is ‘their garden centre’ and they are devasted it will be lost. We hadn’t realised just how much Hartley’s meant to people.”  

In 2021, when they expanded by taking over the coffee shop from the previous independent vendor, they invested heavily again, believing that there were still no imminent plans for development. 

Hartley’s now employs 14 people, most of whom live locally and will be made redundant, and its loss will not only be personal for the team but will also cause damage to the local economy. “It’s not just us,” said Lyndsay. “Jill and Mark at the Pony Patch next door are also being evicted and have 15 ponies to consider. They’ve built up their business over 14 years, starting with a single pony and a gazebo, into a wonderful place for children to enjoy. They regularly welcome children with special needs and even hosted children from Chernobyl.”  

Across the whole site, nearly 30 people face redundancy, from garden centre and Pony Patch staff to the team at Peak Concrete, another business forced to vacate.  

The couple shared that some people had incorrectly assumed that they owned the land and had sold it themselves. Guy confirmed that wasn’t the case: “It’s like someone taking your rented house away after you’ve spent all of your money and time renovating and decorating it.” said Guy. “You’re just left with nothing.”  

The land has now been earmarked for a new housing development called ‘Wimberry Hill’, with Barratt Homes proposing up to 85 new homes, 30% of which are classed as ‘affordable’.   

A planning application is currently being prepared, but before the proposals are submitted to High Peak Borough Council, Barratt want to gauge public opinion.  

They promise ‘green spaces, trees and play areas’ in what they describe as a ‘beautiful new neighbourhood that responds to the aspirations and priorities of the local community’.  

However, locals are questioning whether this new development will meet real needs, and what will be lost in the process, with many on social media asking about the increased pressure on services such as doctors, dentists and schools and the already busy road infrastructure.  

Critics have also pointed out that the map released by Barratt appears incomplete, showing only part of the land marked for development, leaving questions about the future of the rest of the site.  

With very short notice given, a public consultation is now underway, and local residents are encouraged to provide feedback before the process closes on Sunday, 29th June at midnight.  

Barratt say, “the consultation is an essential step in preparing an outline planning application”. 

“This consultation is our only chance to show how much this place matters,” said Lyndsay. “We know the land is privately owned, and the Labour Government came to office with the pledge to “build, build, build”, so we know this might go ahead no matter what, but at least let our voices be heard.”  

Barratt’s proposal will be submitted as an outline planning application to High Peak Borough Council in the summer of 2025. Final designs, layout, and materials would still be subject to later approval.  

The Hartley's are not opposing the need for new homes, and are determined not to feel any bitterness, “We’re not anti-development,” Guy said. “And we can’t be angry at the landowner as selling his land is his prerogative. We just feel sad to lose what has been our pride and joy.”  

The Hartley’s local councillor is the newly appointed Mayor of the High Peak, Dom Elliott-Starkey. The Glossop Chronicle met with him for his response to the situation and he told us: “I think this is a real shame. It’s a loss of a really good community asset.  

“I understand it is private land and it is up to that individual to make that decision about what they do with their assets. It’s their prerogative.  

“I am concerned that Dinting has had a huge amount of house building, a ridiculous amount, and I think it’s unfair. It’s something I’ve raised with the council and will continue to do so with the planning department, as we are bearing what feels like a really big brunt of housing.  

“We’ve had the plans through for Dinting Road for 65 houses, and the ones at Dinting Vale, which technically is in Simmondley Ward but with access coming straight into my ward.  

“I’m not against house building, it’s important that we have the right homes especially for young people, however the infrastructure has got to come first and it feels like that hasn’t.  

“Instead, it’s been chasing targets to do with housing rather than actually thinking about what our current population needs. Once we’ve got that right and fixed, then we can obviously look at making sure we’ve got the homes for a sustainable future, but at the moment it just feels like every bit of land is being considered.  

“Also, we’ve got a huge amount of wildlife up there - we’ve got the deer and we’ve got rare flowers and I need to make sure that I’m speaking up and protecting Dinting from a biodiversity perspective.  

“It does worry me. If we just carry on building, just saying “Dinting’s got some green area, let’s put some houses on there” we’re going to lose our community and that’s not right.  

“You’ve got to look at what we’ve got, for example dentists and GP’s - there are pressures and challenges there. And then we’ve got the issues with the traffic.  

“When you look at it as a whole, there’s a huge amount that we’ve got to do to make sure that the quality of life for all residents is a good one and not just look at targets that we’ve got to hit.  

With this issue, at the end of the day, we are losing three great local businesses, which instead we should be promoting as they support our community. It’s an incredibly sad loss and a frustration.” 

The Hartley's are naturally positive people and are trying to remain hopeful. They are exploring the possibility of launching a plant nursery business on a different site, though finances are tight. “We have nothing” said Lyndsay. “This place cost us upwards of £400,000 over the years. It’s been everything.”  

Supporters online have floated ideas such as crowdfunding to help the family rebuild elsewhere, as they will both be losing their livelihood. The couple, who have been married for 21 years and love working together, say they’re incredibly touched by the offers of help, but that admitting they need it is difficult.  

“The garden centre was never about making money,” Guy said, shaking his head. “It was our passion and about heart and community.” This is a philosophy that the couple put into practice, donating to local charities and initiatives such as the new St Andrew’s School Wellbeing Garden and The Bureau. 

As the community rallies round, one thing is clear - Hartley’s Garden Centre is not just a business, but a lifeline. A place where plants grew, and so did friendships. A space that mattered. And if it must close, the community deserves to have a voice about the future.  

You can submit feedback about the proposed housing development before midnight on Sunday 29th June via the following methods:  

Email: wimberryhill@havingyoursay.co.uk  

Visit: https://wimberryhillconsultation.co.uk/#welcome

Call the Community Line: 0333 358 0502.