Landmark Chesterfield Hotel to be demolished

The iconic Chesterfield Hotel is set to be flattened after approval was given for its demolition.
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Chesterfield Borough Council has approved plans to raze the landmark Malkin Street building, close to Chesterfield train station, “to allow future regeneration/redevelopment of the site”.

In its application, owner Prestige Hotels (Midlands) said the reason for the demolition is “to accommodate redevelopment of the site as a commercial building with a car park”.

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Demolition was given the green light, despite one council officer raising concerns about the site’s future.

The Chesterfield Hotel is facing demolition.The Chesterfield Hotel is facing demolition.
The Chesterfield Hotel is facing demolition.

Commenting on the application, Francesca Siviter, council conservation officer, said: “This architecture, scale and presence of the hotel site in the street scene is beneficial and provides a positive contribution to the sense of arrival and entrance to the town centre conservation area.

“I raise concerns that demolition will not necessarily result in redevelopment and the site will be vacant with no positive contribution to the area.”

Meanwhile, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has called for a bat survey of the site to be undertaken before demolition begins, with the council saying the work cannot proceed if bats or bat habitats are found.

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The Chesterfield Hotel, formerly the Station Hotel, opened in 1877 and closed in 2015 after the previous company which owned it went bust.

The boarded-up entrance to The Chesterfield Hotel.The boarded-up entrance to The Chesterfield Hotel.
The boarded-up entrance to The Chesterfield Hotel.

Prestige bought the hotel for £900,000 in April 2017 and is understood to have spent up to £300,000 on repair and refurbishment work.

At that time, a Prestige spokesman said: "The building has lots of potential and we want to make it a better place."

The hotel was then due to go under the hammer in an online auction towards the end of 2018, but was withdrawn before the sale.

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It was being marketed as a former 73-bedroom hotel with “extensive function and leisure facilities”, including a swimming pool and gym, large car park and “development potential”, with a guide price of £1.25 million.

The Chesterfield Hotel is currently boarded-up.The Chesterfield Hotel is currently boarded-up.
The Chesterfield Hotel is currently boarded-up.

A spokesman for agent Lambert Smith Hampton, ahead of the auction, said: "It's being looked at by multiple developers for uses including student accommodation, other accommodation, a hotel and office space."