Council prepares to submit £25.2m Staveley regeneration plans for Government approval

The Staveley Town Deal features 11 projects that have been designed to make the town ‘a place to start, to stay, to grow’.

In a presentation to the D2 Joint Committee on Economic Prosperity, Huw Bowen, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Chief Executive, said business cases needed to be submitteded to central Government for approval by March 24 2022.

Mr Bowen said about Staveley: “At one time 3,500 people were employed in the two mines, which have both gone.”

He described the town as being a place of ‘deprivation’ in terms of income, education and employment.

“If you’re a man living in Staveley you will die ten years earlier than a man living in Walton, which is only four miles away,” he added.

“And we’ve got 3,500 children living in poverty in the area.”

Mr Bowen said the development of nearby Markham Vale had had a positive effect on Staveley however, with a 19 per cent increase in jobs.

The council is hopeful the Government will approve all 11 business cases as follows – DRIIVe commercial and training space, Hartington Industrial Park, Construction Skills Hub, Staveley Miners’ Welfare FC Academy, Staveley Station, Wheels to Work Staveley Hub, Staveley 21, Staveley Waterside, Staveley Hall Conference Centre, Chesterfield Canal and Barrow Hill Memorial Hall.

However, potential problems that could affect progress were noted, including a shortage of consultancy support and the rising cost of construction materials.