New Derbyshire town square project due to get underway as part of £24.1m scheme

The £24.1m Government-funded Clay Cross Town Deal – which was given planning approval in November – features four main parts including a new town square, food, beverage and leisure units along the route from Broadleys to the town square, a Derbyshire Adult Education Centre called the Clocktower, and plans to re-purpose an historic building with food, drink and leisure opportunities.

And NE Derbyshire District Council – which has representatives on the Clay Cross Town Deal Board – has now announced the appointment of Inside Limited as the preferred contractor for the Town Centre Regeneration project which means work on the town square scheme will begin in the summer.

Clay Cross Town Deal Board chairperson Lee Barnes said: “We’re really looking forward to having Inside Limited on board with us. We have absolute confidence in their ability to bring Clay Cross’s future town square to life.”

The new town square will feature a multi-function open space, greenery, a refurbished heritage building, and flexible business units for independent enterprises and street food outlets linked to an improved Market Street, Bridge Street and Smithy Street.

Market Street and Bridge Street developments, in the town centre, aim to introduce commercial units and car parking areas creating a mixed-use retail, leisure, workspace with a town square events space.

The Bridge Street – Smithy Street project also aims to link the town centre, at Market Street and Bridge Street towards the Tesco and Aldi stores on High Street.

Other future projects under the overall Clay Cross Town Deal scheme – which is expected to be completed between 2025 and 2026 – include the transformation of the Adult Education Centre into the Clay Cross Skills and Enterprise Hub and the currently on-going construction of a new Clay Cross Leisure Active Hub, at the former Sharley Park Leisure Centre site which is well underway.

The Clay Cross Town Deal Board also recently stated the key milestones for the overall scheme were ‘progressing well’ and that the budget and the work plan would be closely monitored but the project ‘remained on target’ and was within its budget programme.

News that planning for the main scheme of the Town Centre Regeneration had been agreed was well received by the board members at a meeting and they also welcomed an update that there was still a strong interest in the business units at the Broadleys site.

The Town Board also confirmed that the steel framework for the Clay Cross Active Project was virtually complete and despite a seven week delay due to the discovery of asbestos and sports hall structure issues it is still hoped the facility will open by December, 2024, providing there are no further unexpected delays.

There has also been a lot of interest from businesses, according to the board, in the project’s Low Carbon Challenge Fund which aims to provide funding to accelerate the deployment and take-up of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies reducing carbon emissions and ensuring Clay Cross becomes an example of community best practice within Derbyshire.

This could see the agreed introduction of improved insulation, solar panels, lighting, heating and renewable energy as well as other exemplary technologies.

The Town Deal Board – which last convened at a meeting on March 22 – includes representatives from the district council, Clay Cross Parish Council, Chesterfield College, Derby University, NE Derbyshire MP Lee Rowley and other concerned parties from the region.