Multi-million pound work to rejuvenate Derbyshire estate gets underway

The first phase of work - costing £1.6m - is being carried out on the north eastern portion of the London Boroughs estate in Barrow Hill from Woodford Way to Campbell Drive.

Councillor Helen Bagley, Chesterfield Borough Council's cabinet member for homes and customers, said: "These improvements will allow vehicles access to parts of the estate that are currently blocked off and provide new parking spaces which will make life much easier for our tenants as well as improving the look of the estate.

"At the moment, when people move into a house on the estate, it's not possible for the van to drive up and park outside the house and so they have to unload all of the furniture and carry it along the street.

"Sadly, if someone living on the estate dies, the funeral director is forced to carry the coffin a short distance to the hearse in the nearest parking space."

She added: "After being in the pipeline for the last few years, it is exciting that the estate improvements are now a reality.

"One of the council's key priorities is to improve the quality of life for local people and we've consulted with our tenants on these improvements and I’m confident that the works which are being carried out will make a real difference for people who live on the estate."

The work is being carried out by Casey Group, a contractor which specialises in making improvements to housing and social environments.

Work on the first phase is due to be completed by next summer.

A planning application for the second phase of the improvements for the south eastern part of the estate will be submitted soon.

Coun Bagley added: "We expect that this work on the second phase will be carried out once the first phase of work is complete next summer and will make a real difference to tenants living in this part of the estate."

When plans for the work was revealed in 2015, residents and community leaders hailed the proposals.