Empty Chesterfield office block to be demolished to make way for housing

The application for the Manor Offices site, in Old Road, was granted outline approval by Chesterfield Borough Council’s Planning Committee.

Speaking on behalf of the applicant CSC Computer Sciences Ltd, agent Megan Bracha said while the site had not been allocated for housing in the council’s spatial strategy, it was a brownfield site which did not have high environmental value.

“It’s located within walking distance of a number of key services and amenities,” she added. “It’s recognised that there’s no requirement for offices within this locality due to more appropriate and centrally available space elsewhere in the borough.”

Councillor Howard Borrell, who is ward member for the area, said he had been approached by a number of residents who wanted to ensure the trees were protected, in particularly those which lined the main road, which he pointed out would act to screen the development from view during the summer months. The agent said because the application was only at the preliminary outline stage she was unable to guarantee that.

Councillor Janice Marriott said she lived nearby and had actually worked at the offices previously. She said the site had never had a problem with parking in her recollection, adding that the new houses were likely to have two cars each, resulting in more than 100 additional cars which would add to parking and congestion problems.

“Congestion at certain times of day is ridiculous and Storrs Road certainly becomes a parking lot at 5pm at night, so you’re going to put 100 extra cars on there with no new traffic regulations,” Coun Marriott commented, requesting that the Highways department at Derbyshire County Council do a site visit to the area to assess it.

“I’m really happy that they’re going to build on a brownfield site, I am uneasy about the impact on the local residents,” she said, but questioned the strain the development could potentially put on local schools and healthcare facilities and whether the agreement developer contribution of £27k towards the expansion of GP surgeries was sufficient.