Major development in Chesterfield town centre set to be completed in the ‘next couple of months’

Work at the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre, part of a £19.9m scheme to breathe new life into the northern entrance to Chesterfield town centre, will soon be finished. Chesterfield Borough Council had initially hoped to open the site last summer, but construction took longer than expected after pandemic-induced delays.

Coun Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “The Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre is nearing completion and is on schedule to welcome businesses in the next couple of months.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from potential tenants and we intend to start showing businesses around very soon. This is a key development because it marks the conclusion of phase one of the Northern Gateway vision. It will offer small businesses a fantastic location to start and to grow through our successful innovation centre model.

“This will create more jobs for local people within easy access of the town centre and will contribute to our economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The centre will include 32 high quality office suites in a range of sizes and has sustainability at its heart, having been designed to minimise its impact on the environment and achieve considerable efficiencies in energy use.

It will have 24/7 access, an IT fibre connection which offers maximum speed multi-bandwidth capability, Wi-Fi and air conditioning throughout. Each office will benefit from access-controlled doors and CCTV coverage will be available in internal communal areas and external areas.

Within the centre itself, there will be a shared reception and lobby area, two meeting rooms, a break-out area and kitchenettes, bicycle storage, shower and changing facilities, lift access and individually metered power supplies.

These office spaces will be offered on easy, in and out letting terms. Tenants will also benefit from access to a range of other council services and venues, including business support and corporate rates for leisure passes, parking permits and conferencing facilities.

Coun Gilby said that 2022 was already becoming a significant year for business in Chesterfield, and added that the council would ensure their development plans led to increased and improved job opportunities for people in the town.

“2022 is already proving to be a landmark year for Chesterfield with the construction of the Enterprise Centre and One Waterside Place, both symbols throughout the pandemic that Chesterfield is always open and ready to do business.

“Alongside regeneration projects and new developments, Chesterfield Borough Council is invested in supporting the future of young people and local residents. We want better jobs and more jobs for local people. Our local labour clauses in contracts have created more than 800 local jobs in the last year alone with many of them being apprenticeships.

“We are fortunate to have both Chesterfield College and a University of Derby campus in the town centre. Together, they are supporting more than 10,000 students and apprentices, helping us to have a skilled workforce and attract further businesses to invest in the borough of Chesterfield.”

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