Calls for more family-friendly attractions to attract visitors to Chesterfield - as vacant land could be multi-storey car park and hotel

Requests for family-friendly destinations were triggered by a feasibility study report which stated that vacant land on Brimington Road near the train station was under consideration for a multi-storey car park, hotel, residential accommodation and retail.

Matthew Squires posted: “They should build things that wow people coming out of the train station, like shops, bars and fun stuff. It's like walking out into a reclamation zone at the moment.”

Angela Pennicott wrote: “Why don’t they do what other towns and cities do? Make a venue with trampolines, skate park, ice rink something that families can do together? Many times I’ve had to take children to either Mansfield or Sheffield for them to enjoy their passions. Lorraine Astell said: “What Chesterfield desperately needs is some attraction to bring people into town… anything aimed at kids is a must! Trampoline, Air Haus type of thing, skating, we won’t need to go to Sheffield….”

Tom Oxley posted: “Having what will be four hotels is great, but without attractions, there’s nothing here for visitors. They will go out to the Peak District and put all their money there.”

Natasha Louise commented: “Need to concentrate on getting shops back open in centre because it looks like a hole.”

Ian Lewis said: “You come down the bypass from J29 into Chesterfield on a Saturday lunchtime and there’s a sign telling you there are currently 400 to 500 empty parking spaces in Chesterfield.”

Several people questioned whether a new hotel would work opposite a site where Chesterfield Hotel used to stand up until a couple of years ago. Jo Croot wrote: “Do enough people visit Chesterfield to necessitate another hotel..... I can see it's a good location, right near the train station but the one across the road obviously didn't find it sustainable.” Sarah Callaghan posted: “There was a lovely old hotel there that should have been restored to its former glory, but was instead left to rot.”

Flooding was an issue raised in a couple of posts to the Derbyshire Times’ Facebook page. Jason Redman commented: “Just where the floods were last time….wait till next time it floods.”

Stephen Pointer posted: “The proposal has been put forward by a private developer seeking views from Chesterfield Borough Council on the need for an environmental assessment of the proposal. It’s not a CBC proposal and the promoter should do some public consultation before they make a planning application. Like everything it will only be built if there is market demand.”

Tom Atkins wrote: “That part of Chesterfield will look very nice when the whole Waterside project is done. Apartments will attract people to live in town. More people equals more business opportunity. “