New ‘centre of excellence’ planned for Chesterfield is ‘great boost’, town boss says

The proposed centre would be created using a share of cash from the Government’s Getting Building Fund, which aims to help the country’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

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It is one of ten projects in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire which have been allocated a total of £44.4million from the fund this week.

Peter Swallow, chair of Destination Chesterfield, told the Derbyshire Times: “Skills are critical to Chesterfield’s post-pandemic recovery and the funding is a great boost to the town.

“Attracting this level of funding is testament to the wealth of opportunities for jobs and investment that are being brought about by Chesterfield Borough Council and businesses in the area.”

The planned centre would be part of Chesterfield College’s facilities.

Chesterfield College said it was unable to comment at this stage – but a Government spokesperson said: “This project will develop a centre of excellence for modern construction techniques and technology, developing higher-level skills.

“The centre will provide learners with a range of skills and knowledge including 3D rapid prototyping, utilising augmented and virtual reality, and the production of buildings using modern modular construction techniques.”

The ten projects across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have been allocated the Government funding through the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership.

David Williams, interim chair of D2N2, said: “We very much welcome the announcement by the Government.

“This will provide a major stimulus for our communities across the region.

“We believe the size of the allocation demonstrates a belief in what the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership can deliver.

“We will continue to work with the Government on future funding for investments to support our ambitions for the region.”

In total, more than 300 projects across England will receive a share of the £900m Getting Building Fund, which was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in June.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said the funding will ‘give a much-needed boost to our economic recovery’ from the pandemic.

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