Chesterfield council continues with ambitious plans for 2024 - including revitalising town centre and the Waterside scheme - despite estimated £4m budget shortfall

The Council Leader, Cllr Tricia Gilby, recently told a Full Council meeting that she can think of a large number of ‘positives’ about why people would want to come to Chesterfield and the council has stated that while it is eager to reduce its £4m budget deficit for the 2024/25 financial year it will be continuing with its growth strategy to ensure the borough remains resilient and continues to thrive.

Key council projects include the Chesterfield Waterside scheme with residential and business developments, the Revitalising Heart of Chesterfield scheme to boost the town centre, The Stephenson Memorial Hall renovation and the £25.2m Staveley Town Deal regeneration scheme.

Cllr Gilby said: “In 2024 we will continue to put external funding to good use by investing in the future of our borough. In Chesterfield town centre our project to revitalise public spaces including the market will start on site and is supported by the ongoing transformation of Stephenson Memorial Hall into a world class theatre and museum.

“Working with our Staveley Town Deal partners, significant progress will be made towards realising the ambitious projects that will ensure the town is a place to start, to stay and to grow.”

The Labour-led council highlighted a number of regeneration schemes for the borough shortly after it regained power following the local elections but soon afterwards this was also followed by the announcement that the council was facing a multi-million budget deficit, but it is determined that the region’s on-going development plans will not be derailed.

Chesterfield Borough Council has stated that it wants to continue to support residents, community groups and businesses as they and the council face challenging economic times during the cost of living crisis, high inflation and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

During 2023, the council highlighted a number of exciting projects that are still underway including: The £340m Chesterfield Waterside Scheme; The A61 Corridor Regeneration Scheme with work along the Rother Valley corridor; The Revitalising Heart of Chesterfield scheme which should boost the town centre; The Stephenson Memorial Hall renovation; The Chesterfield and Staveley Regeneration Bypass Route; The £25.2m Staveley Town Deal regeneration scheme; The Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle Centre at Barrow Hill; Vision Derbyshire’s business support; The Town Centre Masterplan; And the new Barrow Hill Train Line.

It has also outlined an economic Growth Strategy for the next four years with the £340m Waterside Scheme as part of an A61 corridor regeneration with planned homes and business developments, and more work is scheduled along the Rother Valley corridor.

The Chesterfield Waterside scheme which sits adjacent to Chesterfield town centre has been recognised as one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects and includes residential and business developments alongside plans to improve the environment around the River Rother and Chesterfield.

This scheme also ties in with the council’s overall Town Centre Masterplan which is looking at the growth of online shopping, the need for more housing and a desire to connect fringe sites to the historic core area of the town around the market and this has been integral in the arrival of the Northern Gateway development off the Donut Roundabout and the town’s new Premier Inn.

Cllr Gilby feels the council’s investment in the Northern Gateway Centre and Jomast Developments’ transformation of the former Co-op, on Elder Way, into a Premier Inn hotel has made it possible for smaller independent businesses to open and the developments are encouraging more Peak District tourists to stay in the town.

However, the council was disappointed with the Conservative Government’s decision to scrap plans to extend the high-speed train railway line HS2 beyond the East Midlands due to spiralling costs which would have provided a further boost for the region.

The original HS2 scheme before it was altered to exclude Chesterfield, Sheffield and Leeds in November, 2021, had been a key part of Chesterfield’s plans to regenerate its railway station area and the eastern leg would have served Chesterfield along with plans to build a train maintenance depot at Staveley to benefit Derbyshire.

However, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced further plans to reinvest originally earmarked money for the HS2 scheme into a £36.5bn Network North plan for other transport projects for rail lines, roads and tramlines and there are plans to reopen the former Barrow Hill railway line, in Derbyshire, for passengers further boosting the Chesterfield and Staveley area’s regeneration plans after this route was terminated in the 1960s.

Cllr Gilby has welcomed the Government’s announcement to reopen the former Barrow Hill railway line for passengers, further boosting the region’s regeneration plans decades after the route was terminated in the 1960s.

It is hoped that the reopening of the Barrow Hill Line for passengers will resolve limited public transport problems, limited employment opportunities, address car dependency, reduce congestion, and help with levelling-up for deprived communities.

The borough council’s Staveley 21 Project for Staveley town centre and its Market Place is one of many projects tied into the council’s overall Government-funded £25.2m Staveley Town Deal regeneration scheme for Staveley.

Chesterfield Borough Council’s chief executive formally rolled-out the newly-revised multi-million pound plans at a Staveley Town Council meeting in September for the town centre improvement scheme for Staveley aimed at attracting more people, boosting commerce, creating jobs and raising the town’s profile.

The Staveley 21 project includes plans for a proposed new commercial centre called The Pavilion Building, plans to rejuvenate the High Street with a shop front improvement scheme, an improved Market Place, and new paving and a public realm, and there are also plans for improved connections between the canal and the town centre with new lighting and signage.

As part of the Staveley Town Deal, Chesterfield Borough Council’s planning committee has also recently approved Derbyshire County Council’s application for a new mixed-use Staveley Town Basin centre with car parking, landscaping and related works at the Staveley Basin Development area, on Hall Lane, Staveley.

And another element of the Staveley Town Deal includes the allocation of £3.7m for a new rail training facility called The Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle centre, at Barrow Hill, which will provide opportunities for people including those from schools and universities as well as post-graduates.

Cllr Gilby said: “We’ll be presenting more detailed plans for Staveley town centre and also working to develop the Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle in Barrow Hill.”

The council also hopes to invest in more affordable housing and it has recently embraced plans for 22 new affordable properties to be built across the borough in Staveley and Middlecroft to help meet waiting lists and the rising need for homes.

Cllr Gilby said: “We will also be continuing to invest in more affordable housing for our community. We recently broke ground in Staveley which will see more than 20 new council houses will be built – with most of these being ready to welcome families throughout 2024.

“The new homes will benefit from renewable energy sources – helping them to achieve an ‘A’ energy efficient rating. The project includes the construction of much needed three-bedroom bungalows too, and will provide our tenants with lifetime homes. As well as increasing our housing supply we’ll also be making further investments into heating systems, windows and doors that will help reduce energy bills for our tenants.”

Work is also being done with Derbyshire County Council for Chesterfield and Staveley’s regeneration with plans to redevelop land and hopefully put in a new route with the potential for £2bn of growth featuring the £25.2m Staveley Town Deal delivering projects with new homes, alongside the Chesterfield and Staveley Regeneration Route and Staveley Corridor plans.

However, Chesterfield and Staveley councillors have raised concerns after learning that financially-troubled Derbyshire County Council has put the proposed £166m Chesterfield and Staveley Regeneration Route bypass project on hold as part of cost-saving plans due to the county council’s estimated £33m budget deficit for the 2023/24 financial year.

But Derbyshire County Council has stated that this scheme is still considered as a ‘stated priority’ in its Council Plan and after working with Chesterfield Borough Council on an outline business case that has been submitted to the Government seeking £141m grant funding to support the project’s delivery.

The Government-backed multi-million pound Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project also aims to develop the town centre with the remodelling and refurbishment of Chesterfield’s Stephenson Memorial Hall improving Burlington Street, Corporation Street, Rykneld Square, Spire Walk, Market Square, New Square and Packers Row.

Chesterfield Borough Council has also joined forces with other local authorities including Derbyshire County Council to be part of the Vision Derbyshire business support scheme.

The council also aims to continue supporting Chesterfield’s famous Medieval town centre market, in Market Place, which will be central to the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project with investment in the town centre ensuring it can thrive for years to come.

And Chesterfield councillors have recently backed a bid for two key development sites to be included in a proposed new Investment Zone to attract more businesses to the town and create new jobs.

The council has earmarked the Staveley Growth Corridor and Hartington regeneration sites, including the proposed Hartington Industrial Park, to be included in the pending East Midlands Combined County Authority Investment Zone scheme, which should bring in tax incentives, capital and additional revenue funding to support the sites and businesses, and create job opportunities and attract investors.

Cllr Gilby said: “Working closely with external partners is key to ensuring we successfully grow the local economy. We’ll be working with organisations like East Midlands Chamber to support local businesses but also with other public sector bodies like Derbyshire County Council to re-open the Barrow Hill Line and realise our ambitious Station Masterplan.”

In the meantime, Chesterfield Borough Council is still facing serious funding gaps on its budgets – like many other local authorities – due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis and exceptionally high inflation rates – but it has stressed that it aims to protect essential services and continue supporting the most vulnerable.

Following austerity, uncertainty over future Government funding, the budgetary impacts from Covid-19 and high inflation, the council has announced that is facing dramatic budget shortfalls, and in its most current forecast it revealed an estimated budget shortfall of £4m in 2024/25 which is expected to increase in future financial years.

However, Cllr Gilby said: “Heading into 2024 we continue to face some difficult decisions around our budget, but we will ensure that putting our community first is at the heart of everything we do.”