The tipi on Cressbrook Dale has been removed(Image: Derby Telegraph / Save Cressbrook Dale)

Photos show the removal of Dragons' Den star's controversial 'shamanic' sanctuary

The Peak District Authority has confirmed the removal includes restoring the land to its pre-existing quality

by · Derbyshire Live

Photos showing the removal of the beginnings of a controversial woodland sanctuary have been released. The Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) confirmed it had removed unauthorised changes made to Cressbrook Dale in the heart of the Peaks.

The changes, which included a gravel car parking area, tipi and wooden steps, were made by former Dragons' Den star Rachel Elnaugh and her group Phoenix Rose. The group purchased the 70-acre site in Cressbrook Dale last year with the intention of "forest bathing, shamanic wisdom and natural healing" as well as growing vegetables.

Due to not having any permission to make such changes the group was served with an enforcement notice requiring changes to the land to be removed by August 22, 2023, before reinstating its original condition completely by Wednesday, November 22. Despite this legal notice, no changes to the site have been made, prompting the PDNPA to take further action against the group.

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On Thursday, December 14, the PDNPA confirmed that following the landowners' failure to comply with the enforcement notice the tipi and a car parking area containing plastic matting filled with stone had been removed. Works to remove the series of steps set into the hillside will be undertaken at a future date when ground conditions improve.

Phil Mulligan, chief executive of the PDNPA, said: “Whilst there will inevitably be some disturbance to the ground caused by the removal of the unauthorised structures, our officers have worked professionally to undertake the works as sensitively as possible, including restoration of the land to its pre-existing levels. Further visits will be made to the site to assess if additional reinstatement activities are required, however we anticipate nature will also assist us with this process.

“Any items not related to groundworks have been documented and removed in the presence of officers from our planning service and will be stored securely if the landowner wishes to reclaim them. We encourage the landowners to engage directly with the PDNPA regarding any future plans at the site.”

Take a look below at the site following the removal of the changes to the site

Changes to Cressbrook Dale include the installation of a tipi and a gravelled car park(Image: Derby Telegraph)
The tipi has now been removed
The footprint left by the tipi