A view of a large factory in the distance

The Hope Cement Works opened in 1929, which predates the designation of the Peak District National Park in 1951. This accounts for the apparent anomaly of a factory site in the heart of a national park. The site was chosen because of the proximity of both limestone and shale. The Hope Cement Works' is operated by Breedon and it is the largest cement plant in the UK. The permission for the factory on this site will expire in 2042, when the site is expected to close.