A housing developer has added a huge St George’s Cross flag to accompany a Union Jack flag on the front of a building in Chesterfield.

James Holmes said of the latest addition to the former North East Derbyshire District Council offices at Saltergate: “I initially put it up for St George’s Day but I won’t be taking it down. The World Cup is also coming up, I’m not a football supporter, but I think you should be supporting your national team. More importantly, you should be supporting your country.”

The flag was unveiled on Thursday, less than an hour after Robert Jenrick of Reform UK announced the biggest St George’s Cross flag in the world in Nottingham.

But at 25mx 8m, the flag in Chesterfield topped the one which measured 18x 8m in Nottinghamshire. Despite there being no official record about the biggest St George’s flag, James’ latest unveiling has thrust Chesterfield into the national spotlight again.

Giant flags on the building on Saltergate, Chesterfield.

placeholder image — Giant flags on the building on Saltergate, Chesterfield.

James said: "We could have gone bigger but I didn’t want to overdo it. I'm hoping I'm brightening up Chesterfield, brightening up that building whilst working on it.”

In October 2025, James unfurled a 100ft Union Jack flag on the front of the building that he had acquired four years previously.

He said: "I did the first flag because it was the right thing to do and I think it's made a building currently in need of redeveloping prettier. The vast majority of comments online are supportive.

"Initially this was about let's be proud of our flag – what it represents. Our country has contributed far more good around the world than any other country; from the Industrial Revolution to Christian values to all the inventions to taking the rule of law to a quarter of the world.” James is founder of the Fly the Flag campaign to encourage pride in our heritage and bring the Union Jack back into everyday life. He said: “The reason I did Fly the Flag is to wake people up to 'look you're being cowered into not even flying the flag of your own country’. I didn't do it to be political.

James Holmes in front of the giant St George's Cross flag at his building on Saltergate, Chesterfield

“I drive around in a car with the Union Jack on it and I never get insults from people of colour - it's always from white, woke liberal.”

Planning permission is in place for James’ development company to convert the dilapidated building into 59 rented apartments in a project which James estimates will cost more than £5million.

He said: "We've got a major problem with the housing crisis; we've got to build a lot more homes. If the country can't provide homes for people, why would people have pride in their country, why would they bother getting a job, why wouldn't they just move abroad. I don't think flats - even newbuild or especially converted stuff should really be sold because they don't go up in value in the same way that house does. Rental flats should be one of the stepping stones so people can try moving in with their mate, try moving in with the girlfriend, try moving to a different town to get a job - they shouldn’t be locked up in a mortgage. We shouldn't be letting young people get trapped in negative equity with large service charges.”