Monsal Trail : Essential lighting works is taking place from Mon 13 May for five weeks. Tunnels will remain open but light levels may be lower than usual. Please obey signs and take care when passing the works.

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Minerals and waste

For centuries, the rich geology of the Peak District has encouraged the search for workable minerals and the area is one of the richest sources of minerals in England. The three main minerals of commercial interest are limestone, gritstone and vein minerals.

Whilst mineral working is an historic feature of the Peak District, it is also presents one of the key challenges to the management of the national park's landscape.

There are 45 quarries in the national park, of which 40 are active and 5 are dormant. They range from large enterprises run by multinational corporations to tiny sites producing small amounts of building stone for restoration work.The Peak District National Park Authority is responsible for all planning applications related to mineral working and waste disposal or processing within the national park.

Our minerals strategy

In 2003, a need was identified for a strategy to guide the Authority’s approach to minerals. The Minerals Strategic Action Plan is primarily concerned with implementing policy and deciding how the Authority applies its statutory planning function to minerals applications.

It is important to distinguish the Minerals Strategic Action Plan from the Local Development Framework Core Strategy. The Core Strategy is concerned with the review and development of planning policy.

Current applications

There are several current planning applications relating to minerals. You can see a list of them in the major planning applications section.

Application form and guidance