A group of business representatives across Chesterfield say they’re optimistic that the upcoming revitalisation of the town centre will have a major impact on tourism and footfall.

Works to revamp the heart of Chesterfield began this month, with improvements set to transform the look, feel and flow of the town’s key public spaces.

The 18-month-long project will begin in Market Square, where improvements will create a new market layout with new stalls and enhancements to paving, seating and lighting. New Square will then be transformed into a flexible events space to support speciality markets and a wider range of uses. Rykneld Square and the area around the Crooked Spire will also see improvements.

Furthermore, work is continuing at the historic Stephenson Memorial Hall, which houses the Pomegranate Theatre and Chesterfield Museum. Works to improve Corporation Street will create a new gateway to the town centre for visitors arriving by train.

The developments have received the backing of Chesterfield’s business community in a recent round table discussion. Held in conjunction between Destination Chesterfield and the Derbyshire Times, business leaders discussed several areas of the town’s visitor economy, with town centre regeneration dominating the list of key talking points.

Market Square Chesterfield – artist’s impression

Cllr Kate Sarvent, Cabinet Member for Town Centres and Visitor Economy, explained how some of the plans for our town centre are taking shape. She said: “The first thing we wanted to do is to link the whole of Chesterfield better with the Railway Station, so we are improving the public realm right from the station into town, via Corporation Street.”

“With the Pomegranate Theatre and Museum, we want to combine the two offers because they were separate before. So, once the Stephenson Memorial Hall reopens, you’ll effectively go to the theatre and the museum at the same time.”

“Lastly, we want to improve facilities for our market traders, so we’re modernising our stalls. We want to improve the layout of the stalls and populate the space better to allow for a more flexible space which can include entertainment. We’re also making New Square into a more flexible space as well, so we can bring more high-profile events and activities into our town centre.”

Jordan Hartshorne, Managing Director at Spire Radio spoke of his excitement to see the work getting underway: “Things are actually going on now, and I think that’s so positive to hear. What a lot of our listeners say to us is they’ve heard a lot about the regeneration, but they haven’t seen anything yet.

“I think what’s helping now is that people can see the work taking place at the theatre and the work done recently on Packers Row. A lot of people want to see that happen immediately, but of course, that is not always realistic. It’s moving in the right direction and you can see there’s a good plan for the town. It’s just about getting it enacted.”

Ryan Smith of Voeberg Hospitality, the organisation currently developing a new boutique hotel adjacent to the Holywell Cross (Donut) Roundabout, believes the investment will encourage a more diverse range of traders to the town.

He added: “The improvements will encourage savvy online traders to set up pop-up shops within the market. Businesses can test the water with a market stall as an incubator for their business, so they don’t have to go through the process of buying or renting a full premise.”

Joby Parsons, Events and Sales Co-Ordinator at West Studios agreed that attracting more pop-up and artisan businesses will add to the vibrancy of the area: “If we can have more independent businesses, more pop-ups and unique experiences, I think it will certainly attract new people.

“Most of us now have the convenience of being able to shop online, but the benefit of them coming to town is the experience they get; that community feeling and having a relationship with small businesses and the stall holders.”

Delegates at the Round Table also agreed that ensuring the right mix of businesses and investors would be key to bringing more visitors to the town.

Cllr Kate Sarvent said: “You want to attract the quality of development and investment that is then going to attract more redevelopment. We want people to live in the town centre who are going to use it and spend money there too.”

James Snipe, Audit and Accounts Manager at Shorts Chartered Accountants is hopeful the town can provide the right balance to set Chesterfield apart from other areas.

“You’ve got Sheffield just up the road, which is home to all the large stores, but then you’ve also got Bakewell within half an hour which is a small artisanal town, and home to many independents. So, in Chesterfield, we’ve got to ensure we have the best of both worlds.”

Joby Parsons agreed that giving Chesterfield a clearer identity would further enhance perceptions of the area: “We are quite a large town and we do have a lot to offer but we’re not quite as big as the cities which surround us.

“However, there are lots of different positives to Chesterfield. We have different hubs where we do things well, but I think that we can make more of those. When someone says they don’t know about our town, I always say, ‘it’s the one with the spire,’ and then it usually clicks. I know people say we overdo it with promoting the Crooked Spire, but it is one of the fundamental things we should continue to promote because in terms of our identity, Chesterfield and the spire go hand-in-hand.”

Deon Jacobs is Business Development Director at Cawa, a bakery and café with stores in Chesterfield’s marketplace and at the railway station. He told colleagues that encouraging more artisans to the high street will be crucial to its future success: “I think because we’re an artisan brand, we find that works well.

“We find that there are a lot of other artisan places around as well, and that makes a big difference. People now go to towns and cities because of the smaller, independent businesses rather than the national brands.”

If you would like to find out more about supporting Chesterfield’s independent businesses, go to: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/visiting/.

If you own a business locally, find out more about becoming part of our network of Chesterfield Champions, and join a community of organisations committed to raising the profile of the town.