Chesterfield to reap benefits of £1bn investment

That is the message from leading figures in Chesterfield looking forward to 2020.

The year 2019 has seen progress in a number of developments, but the new year is set to see some giant leaps forward in a number of schemes set to transform the borough with £1 billion of investment.

Peter Swallow, chairman of Destination Chesterfield, which promotes the borough as a place to invest, work, live and visit, said: “It would not be an exaggeration for me to say there is an undercurrent of excitement in Chesterfield due to the progress the town has made in 2019 with developments at Northern Gateway, Waterside, Markham Vale and Peak.

“For many years we talked about the £1bn of investment taking place in the borough and now it is starting to take physical shape.

“And 2020 will see even more projects start to come out of the ground – Northern Gateway’s new innovation centre, and the office block and family housing being delivered at Chesterfield Waterside are two examples.

“Having successful major regeneration sites like Waterside, Peak and Staveley Works combined with a council open to doing business, means Chesterfield is proving itself a force to be reckoned with.

“We may be a small town, but we are clearly thinking big.”

Chesterfield Waterside

Developers behind the £340 million Chesterfield Waterside scheme say “significant progress” is being made on the second phase of the project, with work expected to start on the second “neighbourhood” in 2020.

Waterside is a mixed-use scheme on the edge of the town centre, close to the town’s railway station and the River Rother.

Work on the first “neighbourhood” has already begun – Avant Homes began construction of 173 two, three and four-bedroom homes in the Waterside Quarter earlier this year, on the site of a former Arnold Laver sawmill and woodyard – with the first properties due to go on sale in 2020.

And the developers say “significant progress” is being made in the delivery of the first new office building at the Basin Square development, on the site of the former Trebor Bassett factory, which will represent the first step in the commercial part of the scheme.

As well as the seven-storey detached office building, providing 35,000 sq feet of accommodation, phase one of Basin Square will also include a hotel, 330 built-to-rent apartments and a multi-storey car park.

Peak

Plans continue with Peak, a £400 million leisure, health, sport and education resort on the 300-acre Birchall Estate, Unstone, on the site of a former colliery.

Inspire Design, which has been involved with the plans, said: “It will be a major visitor attraction to the north-west of Chesterfield on the boundary of the Peak District National Park and will become one of the UK's flagship tourist attractions.”

The Birchall Estate already has outline planning permission for up to 2,000 hotel rooms and 250 chalets, while David Lloyd has permission for Adrenaline World, an indoor activity centre including zip lines, climbing walls, caving, a ninja course, trampolining, rope courses, fun walls, adventure golf and e-karts.

The resort is being built in three phases, with construction on the first, including the activity centre, due to start in 2020.

Markham Vale

Work on Markham Vale business and industrial park, Derbyshire's flagship regeneration scheme, started in 2006 and much of the 200-acre site, the former home of Markham Colliery, has now been developed – indeed, more people are employed on the site now then ever before.

More than 1,600 people are employed on the site, with more jobs coming with further development.

Work on MV55, a new speculative industrial/warehouse unit situated at Markham Vale West, was completed in December 2019, while work on a 52,500 sq feet office and warehouse development at Markham Vale North, for flame retardant materials specialist Protec International, is due for completion in early 2020.

Northern Gateway

The Northern Gateway development is transforming the northern entrance to Chesterfield, creating 500 jobs.

The new Saltergate multi-storey car park is already up and running, having opened in July 2019, as well as a 92-bedroom Premier Inn hotel, which opened in the former Co-op department store on Elder Way in April 2019.

Talks are now going on to attract restaurants and a gym into the lower floors of the £10.5 million Co-op development.

There are also plans for an enterprise centre for start-up and medium-sized businesses on the site of the Holywell Cross, or Donut, roundabout, across from the new multi-storey car park.

Glass Yard

The Glass Yard is a new mixed-use development comprising of business centre, leisure space and car parking planned for the former fire station site on Sheffield Road.

It aims to “create an innovative workspace for new and growing businesses” in Chesterfield and the surrounding areas, with plans for three-storey office spaces which can be combined to accommodate any sized business.

Walton Mill

Planning consent has been granted for the £56 million Walton Mill development to regenerate a derelict area of Chatsworth Road.

The work will see the restoration and conversion of the Grade II*-listed Walton Works building and Mill Terrace, to create nearly 4,000 sq metres of retail floor space, as well as a pub and residential development.

Staveley Works

Further ahead, there are plans to redevelop the 150 hectare-site of Staveley Works, which currently stands empty following demolition of the old Staveley Coal and Iron Company factory buildings.

Chatsworth Estates has already submitted a planning application seeking permission to build up to 700 homes, while further plans include a primary school, retail and community facilities and a marina on Chesterfield Canal.

The first homes are expected to be ready in about five years, with the whole redevelopment set to take about a decade.

Site restoration and infrastructure works are already under way on Hartington Industrial Park on the site, with development plots due to be available from early 2020.