This is what people in Staveley think the town needs - as a multi-million pound homes investment for the area is announced

Walking through the streets of the town and speaking to residents this week, many believe the area has indeed been neglected for far too long.

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

But Chesterfield Borough Council insists it is committed to improving life for residents – and in a welcome announcement, the authority has revealed that millions of pounds is to be injected into Staveley to modernise local homes.

Janet Humar, 67, who has lived in the area all her life, said: “Over the years Staveley has definitely deteriorated – so many people say that.

“Some of my relatives used to be involved in local Government and they’d cringe if they saw Staveley now.

“I’d like to see the town centre rejuvenated with more things to do – a cinema would be great.

“It’s good the borough council says it’s investing in Staveley – but I find they make a lot of promises which unfortunately don’t come to fruition.”

Michael Ashton, 75, added: “In my opinion, this town has definitely gone downhill.

“It’s not the place it used to be – but then again, where is?”

Just two stalls were out on the market place when the Derbyshire Times visited Staveley on Friday.

Traders Pam Ripper, 61, Marie Chambers, 65, Jean Yates, 54, and Tricia Revell, 48, want more people to head out to support local businesses.

Pam said: “It would be great to see more traders and customers on Staveley market – I think that would really give the town a boost.”

Marie added: “There’s a lot of people out of work in Staveley so we need more jobs created.”

However, it’s not all doom and gloom from residents.

Roger Kench, 66, described Staveley as a ‘great place’ to live.

He added: “It’s got everything I need and I think there’s a good community spirit here.

“One thing I would like to see more of is affordable housing for younger people.”

Other residents said they feel optimistic about ambitious projects in the area, including the redevolpment of the former Staveley Works site which promises to deliver 700 new homes, a primary school, and retail and community facilities.

Meanwhile, Spanish train manufacturer Talgo has announced plans for a £10million innovation and training facility at Barrow Hill Roundhouse – creating 200 new jobs.

This week, the borough council said it was investing £7.1m to refurbish houses in the Staveley area.

Homes at Pullman Close, Mallard Court, Leander Court and Aston Court are set to benefit from extensive internal and external improvements.

Mick Bagshaw – a community campaigner who says he is ‘dedicated’ to making Staveley a better place – welcomed the investment.

“Improvements to homes and living standards are always welcome, particularly in the Staveley area,” he told the Derbyshire Times.

Councillor Chris Ludlow, the borough council’s cabinet member for housing, said the refurbishment work would help to freshen up the town.

She said: “The council is committed to improving the quality of life for local people and we can help achieve this by investing in our housing stock to ensure that we maintain a supply of affordable, modern and attractive homes for every stage of life.

“A key part of our housing strategy is to make sure that our homes are of excellent quality and create a modern and desirable environment.

“This project will help us ensure that homes in Staveley meet the expectations of our residents with regard to accessibility, affordable warmth and security.

“We are really looking forward to seeing the modernisation works progress at Staveley as we aim to improve the local housing offer in the area and create an attractive place for people to choose to live, regardless of their age or housing needs.”

The Derbyshire Times asked Chesterfield Borough Council what it was doing to improve Staveley in general – and here’s what they said.

What refurbishment work is taking place on the homes in Staveley?

Homes at Pullman Close will have new doors and windows installed.

A borough council spokesperson said this will help create a ‘fresh and modernised look as well as providing tenants with more secure homes and additional environmental benefits’.

The refurbishment plans for Mallard Court and Leander Court will see ‘affordable, modern and attractive’ housing provided for older people in Staveley.

Every home will benefit from a newly-renovated kitchen and lounge area.

Each bathroom will be converted into a wet room with a level access shower.

The communal areas and outdoor spaces will also be restored, creating brighter open spaces for residents to get together, socialise and combat loneliness, according to officials.

The proposed refurbishment at Aston Court will see ‘high-quality properties delivered for people’ and also includes plans to build an additional four new town houses, increasing the supply of council homes in Staveley.

Contractors started work at Pullman Close in mid-June and are making ‘good progress’.

The designs for Mallard Court and Leander Court are almost complete with work expected to start this autumn.

The borough council spokesperson said: “The council is currently in consultation with residents to ensure the individual needs of each resident can be met and permanent or temporary moves can be provided while the works are completed.”

MORE: Stickers placed around Chesterfield urging people not to wear face coverings

A message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Nancy Fielder, editor