Calls for council to ‘think differently’ and residents to back Chesterfield businesses to boost town centre after ‘serious setbacks’

An audience of over 80 residents packed a public meeting at St Thomas’ Church Centre, hosted by the Chesterfield and District Civic Society, to raise their concerns regarding the town centre and hear speakers discuss potential solutions.

The Civic Society said the town centre has become a matter of “lively discussion in the last few months.”

They noted fears that Chesterfield is “threatened with decline, characterised by empty shops (and other buildings) and falling support for the open market, alongside other problems of longer standing, such as graffiti and anti-social behaviour.”

The group added that “none of these problems is unique to Chesterfield, and some towns are in a worse position. On the other hand, there is a feeling that unless something is done, probably through the efforts of both private enterprise and public bodies, the situation will get worse, rather than better.

Neil Johnson from Chesterfield Borough Council (CBC) explained that the authority had been awarded almost £20m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund – which will be used as part of their project to ‘Revitalise the Heart of Chesterfield.’

£11m was allocated towards the costs of an extensive remodelling of the Stephenson Memorial Hall.

These plans will see the Pomegranate Theatre extended and the Chesterfield Museum modernised, along with the creation of a new gallery space, café bar and education and community facilities.

The remaining £8.9m of funding will be used to regenerate Chesterfield’s town centre – with proposals to improve the route from the railway station, through Rykneld Square, to the Market Place.

Members of the public who attended the meeting focused on the high price of car-parking in Chesterfield – especially when compared to the free parking available at nearby shopping centres such as Meadowhall. They also raised the possibility of dividing large empty shops, such as Eyre’s, into smaller units for independent traders – and how best to sustain the open market.

Councillor Howard Borrell, the Liberal Democrat shadow cabinet member for the town centre and visitor economy, addressed the rise in online and out-of-town shopping. He said that, while changing habits have impacted businesses in the town, many Chesterfield residents still appreciate the town centre – adding that more creative measures were needed to entice people back.

“There is an acceptance that out-of-town shopping, large supermarkets, the demise of department stores, Covid, the increased cost of living and online shopping have all impacted on most town centres – and our habits are unlikely to return to what they were. People like the convenience of driving up close to the supermarket door and obtaining almost everything they need.

“Oddly they then wonder why – as they all say – ‘town's not what it used to be.’ They're right – town isn't as busy as it used to be because people now choose to buy over 30% of goods online and to shop out-of-town. That, in turn, threatens the viability of the remaining shops. As Dom Stevens of Destination Chesterfield pointed out, nostalgia won't stop change.

“So, assuming that people value their town centre – and the recent Civic Society meeting suggests they do – we need to find new ways to draw people back.”

He said that a more visually-appealing town centre, with a new focus on leisure and culture, would help to boost footfall in Chesterfield.

“Currently, across the country, two thirds of visits to town centres are for things other than retail. We need to find yet more non-retail reasons to attract visitors back. The centre needs to be visually attractive, well-maintained, have greenery and develop attractions that will entice families into the town – such as water features for youngsters to play in during warm weather.

“Leisure businesses need to be attracted to stop Chesterfield residents travelling to Sheffield to play indoor golf, electronic darts and trampolining – to name just three of the activities on offer elsewhere.

“The re-design of the market area will retain a core fixed area to cater for the regular traders and free up the remaining space for new initiatives. We need to look at ways of bringing artisan makers into the town to create an opportunity to develop their businesses.

“Culture is a very misunderstood word, but we need to recognise that there is little currently on offer. Let's ask the public where we should site three murals and what they should depict. Let's develop walking trails that recognise our history and maybe even look for sponsorship to create a fun animal sculpture trail (Sheffield has tried elephants, the Yorkshire Coast has 42 giant puffins and Ipswich had 40 owls last summer) that would bring in many visitors.

“Ask yourself, why are Buxton, Belper and Wirksworth home to so many artists? There's no reason why Derbyshire's largest town can't emulate their success by working hard to create a welcoming cultural mood.”

Lisa Hopkinson of Transition Chesterfield, a group focused on making the town more sustainable, also spoke at the meeting. She stressed how unattractive the present walking routes into the town centre were, how much litter and graffiti there was everywhere, and how the town failed to make the most of its two river frontages to the Rother and the Hipper.

The need to overhaul the town’s walking routes was also raised by Cllr Borrell, who said: “Neil Johnson from the council highlighted the fact that only 9% of Chesterfield people who shop do so in the town centre. All of us need to realise that by staying away from the centre we're making it harder for traders to keep going in these difficult times.

“Let's improve the walking routes into town – apparently shoppers that arrive on foot spend up to six times more than those that arrive by car.

“We need to look to better connect with Ravenside to make the two areas feel as one, of course the owners fining those that then walk into town makes that ambition harder.”

Residents at the meeting criticised private owners who refused to engage with CBC in its efforts to fill empty shops or failed to maintain their property.

There was support for converting the unoccupied upper floors of town centre buildings into flats – but only if these were of an acceptable standard.

Cllr Borrell raised one method by which the council might counteract uncooperative private landlords – by establishing a specific premises or area for fledgling independents.

He said: “High rents, often set many years ago when the economy was very different, need to be moderated, but for most properties this is in the hands of private landlords and not of the council.

“No start-up business can afford to furnish new premises and pay huge rents when they are starting out. Maybe a separate area for start-up independent businesses is required.

“We should continue to encourage quality housing, ideally family homes, in the central area. This would create a community vibe, which in turn would support local businesses. This is the norm in Europe – let’s start by encouraging the owners to convert the upper floors of shops.

“The answer is never to do more of the same but to think differently if we are to succeed in bringing more life back to a centre that has suffered serious setbacks.

Please, we all need to show all the traders that we value their efforts and back them and the many varied attractions hosted by the town centre.”

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Dom Stevens of Destination Chesterfield also spoke at the meeting, and gave some insights into what the business and professional community would like to see happen in the town centre.

Commenting on the event, Civic Society chairman Philip Riden said: “The meeting was a good opportunity for members of the public to hear about what is going on, and to say what most concerns them about the town centre.

“We hope that through a combination of council and private sector efforts improvements can continue. Chesterfield has much to be proud about, with its large open market and a good range of independent shops, but no town can afford to be complacent about the future.”

He added that the Civic Society would organise further meetings about the town centre, when there were particular issues to discuss.