Destination Chesterfield

Whittam Cox appointed on £107 million regeneration scheme in Gloucester

Chesterfield’s Whittam Cox Architects have been appointed by Reef Group as Executive Architects on The Forum, an innovative new campus project in Gloucester that is part of the £107 million Kings Quarter regeneration.

The scheme will be a catalyst for an emerging digital and cyber security sector in Gloucestershire.

The 600,000 sq. ft masterplan for The Forum includes more than 125,000 sq. ft of new office space, as well as a shared workspace club and an innovation hub for emerging cyber businesses and incubator businesses.

This will sit alongside a 135-bedroom four-star hotel, a 9,000 sq. ft gym, restaurants, shops, bars and apartments, a multi-storey car park, alongside over one acre of public realm and landscaping work.

Whittam Cox Architects will lead the technical implementation as Executive Architects working in collaboration with Architects Urban R who are leading the concept and planning stages of the project.

David Skelton, Director at Whittam Cox, commented: “We’re delighted to have been appointed by our client Reef Group on such an important scheme for Gloucester. The new digital campus will help transform the City Centre creating a modern sustainable destination for its residents to thrive.”

Esther Croft, Development Director at Reef Group added, “This is set to create one of the UK’s first truly integrated digital societies and will provide the space and the infrastructure to build a seamless link between city centre living and working, in a new social and digital hub.”

Works are due to start on site later this year.

This scheme is the latest in a series of projects Whittam Cox are involved in, including Chesterfield’s Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre. You can find out more about the development here.

Whittam Cox Architects supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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GCL Products launches revolutionary mobile shop

Chesterfield’s GCL Products, a leading supplier and manufacturer of products for groundworks, construction and landscaping have launched a revolutionary mobile shop.

Launched in March 2021, the PermaPave van will be servicing customers within a fifty-mile radius of Chesterfield, stretching out to cover much of the Midlands and Yorkshire.

The PermaPave van stocks a range of products for the booming resin bound gravel sector. Due to the time critical nature of resin bound gravel installations, where laying time can be interrupted by sudden changes to circumstance, contractors often have to abandon a working day in order to find replacement parts, tools or materials.

With the introduction of the PermaPave mobile shop, GCL Products will be able to offer contractors a solution to machine breakdowns, catalysts to affect curing times or tooling to replace breakages.

This whole-solution approach sets GCL Products aside from the competition, with the ability to supply materials, carry out on-site repairs and offer additional accessories, such as workwear (woolly hats and thick socks proving a popular choice during cold spells).

Sales service engineer, Darren Parton said: “The PermaPave van is a unique and innovative way to reach our customers and offer an unbeatable level of service, which can prove critical to the success or failure of
a resin bound installation.”

The PermaPave van is a highly modified Peugeot Boxer van which has been retrofitted by MoreVan of Chesterfield to include a powerful inverter and battery array, allowing forced action mixers to be powered on site for both demonstration and diagnostic purposes.

The internal area of the van has also been fitted with storage cabinetry, a till area and point of sale displays akin to those found in a conventional builders merchants.

The external aesthetics were completed by Signature Branding of Sheffield, who transformed the van from plain, unnoticeable white to a vibrant and conspicuous branded design.

GCL Products Limited Managing Director, Fergus Slack, said: “The PermaPave van is now the second vehicle in our fleet and offers a level of service which totally sets us apart from our competition. We’re able to reach our customers with the products they need, bringing the builders merchant to their working sites or offices”.

GCL Products Ltd. supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Work progresses at pace on the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

Work on the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre is progressing at pace – on track to be ready for tenants in the summer.

In March the dry lining and external cladding will be completed, progress has been made on the brickwork and a local contractor has finished the plastering works.

Councillor Dean Collins, cabinet member for economic growth, said: “It’s fantastic to see this building progressing – it sends a clear message that Chesterfield is open for business and a thriving place to invest in.

“This is a key site which will provide new opportunities for local businesses to start, grow and thrive as we move forward from the impact of the pandemic. Supporting new and growing businesses to develop in the borough ultimately creates more jobs and opportunities for local people.

“As well as helping us build back stronger from the impact of Covid-19, the Enterprise Centre also marks a new standard in environmental sustainability in Chesterfield. The building has excellent environmental credentials which not only means reduced emissions, it also helps save on running costs.”

The Enterprise Centre has been designed to a BREEAM Excellent standard. BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) is a sustainability rating scheme and focuses on building design, construction and use. It helps measure and reduce the environmental impacts of buildings.

Some of the features in the new development include:

  • Encouraging sustainable forms of transport with enough cycle storage space to cater for the number of occupants
  • A flexible building, allowing for future expansion, room subdivision and to allow further segregation and / or open-plan office spaces
  • Refuse areas have space for recycling containers, in compliance with the council’s recycling policy
  • Incorporating the latest water minimisation technologies where possible which will substantially reduce water use
  • Low energy lighting throughout
  • High performance double glazing
  • Bird boxes and mixed planting around the building to attract urban wildlife

Andy Dabbs, Board Director at Whittam Cox Architects, said: “It’s great to see the project progressing so well on site. The Enterprise Centre is such an important part of the Northern Gateway regeneration, providing a unique commercial offer which is designed to be a catalyst for further investment and development.”

“As well as providing high quality facilities for businesses wanting to locate in the town centre, the architecture provides a new contemporary landmark that sets a benchmark, not only in the aesthetic, but also in the environmental credentials it has been designed to achieve. The Enterprise Centre is further evidence that Chesterfield can deliver its ambition and realise a building fit for a long and sustainable future.”

Daniel Cove, Project Manager at Robert Woodhead Ltd, added: “Works are progressing extremely well and we are pressing ahead with the next stages of the internal work.

“Externally we are taking brickwork up to second-floor level, finishing final cladding works in preparation for removing the scaffold. We will then start the external hard landscaping and paving.”

The centre is well connected in a town centre location and is classed as ‘grade A’ office accommodation – a mark of the highest quality. Prospective tenants can find out more about the centre at www.chesterfield.gov.uk/enterprise, by email at economic.development@chesterfield.gov.uk, or call on 01246 345255.

Whittam Cox Architects and Woodhead Group support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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New commercial law firm in Chesterfield to bring ‘fresh approach’ to clients

A group of solicitors have joined forces to deliver a fresh approach to clients following the launch of a new Derbyshire law firm.

Solicitors Anna Cattee, Jason Skelton, Neil Brown and Stacey Pocock have pooled together their business legal knowledge to launch CMP Legal at The Bridge Business Centre in Chesterfield.

Anna Cattee qualified as a solicitor in 2011, having previously completed her Legal Practice Course at Nottingham Law School with a distinction.

Neil Brown has been qualified as a solicitor for 29 years. He started his working life at a large international law firm in Birmingham before moving back home to Chesterfield in 1992 and has practised in Chesterfield ever since.

Jason Skelton was born in Chesterfield and has practised in the town for over 30 years so has a wealth of local knowledge and business contacts as well as having considerable commercial, management and compliance experience.

Stacey Pocock studied law at Sheffield Hallam University and began her career in the legal profession in 1999 as a paralegal. Stacey completed the Legal Practice Course at De Montfort University, Leicester and qualified as a solicitor in 2005.

The niche commercial law firm will deliver expert services to clients located in Chesterfield, Sheffield and across the country in areas such as corporate, commercial, dispute resolution and employment. The firm also has a resident notary public for companies and individuals.

Anna said: “Being passionate about delivering our expertise in a clear and concise way, we understood there was a better way of working with improved technology geared for a national reach. Our investment in digital systems, offers clients complete flexibility in the delivery of the services they require.”

“Our approach is that we are understanding of our clients and colleagues needs, and we work closely to support both, whilst being professional yet approachable, strategic advisers.

CMP Legal supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Chesterfield’s GBS announces new partnership to deliver vital digital skills

Chesterfield’s GBS Apprenticeships has announced a new delivery partnership with Serco to deliver vital Digital and IT skills across Derbyshire.

Delivering on behalf of Serco on the Skills Support for the Workforce programme (SSW), GBS has an opportunity to provide training to those in work across pathways including Digital Marketing and IT.

These programmes will be delivered remotely, with the option of returning to face-to-face delivery when safe to do so. The programmes will be typically delivered over 8 weeks and will provide a great foundation to progress on to higher levels of training.

GBS Director, John Cusworth commented, “The partnership provides GBS with a fantastic opportunity to support the local skills agenda and enrich lives with new digital and IT skills in the Derbyshire area.”

At the end of the programme, individuals who successfully complete the course will receive accredited certification with either NCFE or BCS, both of which can lead to further progression such as higher level apprenticeships in Digital Marketing or IT.

John Cusworth further added, “We are really pleased to have been selected to work in partnership with Serco to deliver the SSW programme. Being able to offer short course provision in a sector in which we specialise can really benefit our network of employers, and at the same time complement our existing offering of apprenticeships and more recently Digital Bootcamps.”

If your business could benefit from fully-funded training in Digital Marketing and IT, contact GBS directly on 01246 925 923 or info@gbs-ltd.co.uk

The SSW programme is co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), so the training can be accessed at no cost to your business.

GBS supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through  Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

John Cusworth, GBS Apprenticeships

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Fire safety advice now available to Chesterfield and Derbyshire businesses

Businesses across Chesterfield are being encouraged to ensure they are minimising the risks of fire, with guidance, support and advice now available from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The service has launched a campaign to contact businesses across the county, who trade in hot works or are having hot works completed on their premises, to offer essential safety advice on keeping their business and employees safe from the risk of fire.

Hot works is the term given to work that involves, but is not limited to, soldering, welding cutting, grinding, and using hot air guns. This work can pose a serious fire safety risk, which is why businesses have a legal and moral duty to ensure their premises, and any works carried out, are safe.

During the campaign, Derbyshire’s Business Safety Advisors and Firefighters will be working alongside local councils and network groups to complete site visits and deliver online presentations, where they’ll offer businesses free support and advice. They will cover topics such as whether the work is necessary or if there’s an alternative, identifying hazards, and how to raise the alarm if an accident was to occur.

Business Safety Advisor Andrew Mosler said: “It’s really important businesses understand the fire risks involved with hot works, and how to reduce them, as the implications can be devastating.

“If not carried out safely hot works can result in a fire which can have financial implications due to the loss of business premises, customers turning to competitors and increased insurance premiums. In the worst case scenario a fire could result in serious injury or loss of life.

“Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service has a whole team of dedicated Business Safety Advisors to help you keep your business safe from the risk of fire. The team provide free advice on ensuring your business is compliant with fire safety legislation, completing your Fire Risk Assessment, the types of fire extinguisher you may require, how often to test your fire safety equipment, or any other fire safety enquiries you may have.”

Whether you’re in retail, manufacturing, hospitality, or any other sector, a Business Safety Advisor will be able to help.

If you would like more advice on keeping your business safe, please get in touch with your local Business Safety Advisor, Andrew Mosler, on 01773 305681 or via email: amosler@derbys-fire.gov.uk

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Chesterfield says ‘we’re back’ for friendly local shopping

Chesterfield Borough Council and Destination Chesterfield are supporting the re-opening of the high streets this April with the message ‘we’re back’ to encourage shoppers back to Chesterfield’s high streets. Find out more at www.chesterfield.co.uk/wereback

The mini campaign includes a video on social media, featuring some of Chesterfield’s many independent businesses and market traders, asking people to come back shopping in Chesterfield. The video reminds people that safety is everything, but we do need to support our local high streets.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “It will be great to see the start of the re-opening of our town centre and high streets this April.

“It is however essential that we keep our own and everyone else’s safety in mind when we go back to shopping locally in Chesterfield to make sure our town centre stays open. I urge everyone to continue with hands, face and space as we start to re-open.

“Our local shops and retailers have worked so hard over lockdown, offering click and collect and delivery options but it has been a massive struggle for businesses and now it’s up to us to get back out shopping locally. Our businesses really need your support.

“Spending a few pounds a week with local businesses will make a massive difference to them. It’s been convenient to shop online but let’s do more of that with local businesses and also shop safely with them once again in our town centre and high streets.

“Chesterfield is a fantastic place to shop. We pride ourselves on being a friendly town, with many great independent businesses who are ready to welcome everyone back. So, come back and support your town this April.”

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield commented: “The lifting of restrictions on non-essential retail is very much welcomed and further progress in the high street’s journey towards normality. Seeing our favourite businesses adapt with online shopping and click and collect services during lockdown has been inspiring, but shopping in Chesterfield is an experience that can’t be replicated at home.

“Lockdown has shown us all the importance of the high street and the contribution it makes not only to the economy but to the lives of local people and I would encourage everyone to support the high street and shop local to help the many businesses based on it in their recovery.”

To also help support local businesses that are re-opening, and to showcase Chesterfield as a great place to visit, the council is offering local businesses the chance to take out free listings on the Visit Chesterfield website until 31 March 2022.

Independent businesses who are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity can find more details on www.visitchesterfield.info/advertising. Businesses will need to complete an application form and send it along with high resolution images or videos to tourism@chesterfield.gov.uk.

Find out more about shopping in Chesterfield here.

 

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Bolt tightening ceremony marks another milestone in Chesterfield Waterside

Progress on the town’s £340 million Chesterfield Waterside scheme has taken another step forward with the completion of the steel framework for One Waterside Place.

Contractor Britcon (UK) Ltd, a leading Civil Engineering, Building and Steel Frame Solutions company, began erection of the steel frame for the seven-storey office block in February earlier this year.

With people still being advised to stay at home amidst the pandemic Cllr Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, joined a bolt tightening ceremony, marking another stage in the development’s progress, via video conferencing technology.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see this building progressing at such pace. When complete One Waterside Place will provide modern office accommodation for businesses and in turn will create more jobs for local residents.

“It is just one of several high-quality developments around the borough that will help ensure we are in the strongest possible position to recover from the impact of the pandemic, as a thriving borough with lots of opportunities for business development and economic growth.”

Peter Swallow, Chair of Chesterfield Waterside Ltd and Managing Director of Bolsterstone Group said: “The bolt tightening ceremony represents another milestone in the construction of One Waterside Place and is further step forward in the creation of a quality modern office environment in Chesterfield; one that that meets the demands of the most discerning occupiers in the post Covid economy.

“Construction is on track to be completed later this year with tenants already committed to moving into some of the floors of this ‘Grade A’ new office building. It is a tremendously exciting time not only for Chesterfield Waterside, but also the town as a whole.”

Nick Shepherd, Managing Director of Britcon added: “We are delighted to be working with Chesterfield Waterside Ltd in delivering this iconic and modern commercial office building. Working in partnership with our client and associated stakeholders we are not only delivering a construction project, but also pulling together our experience and resources to utilise the build process as both an educational and local employment opportunity.”

The event held special significance for Peter Swallow and Nick Shepherd who were once both students at Chesterfield College which sits above the development. Britcon and Chesterfield Waterside are working with closely throughout the whole build process and hope to invite students to site once restrictions allow. Construction of the office block began last year following the securing of a forward funding agreement between Chesterfield Borough Council and Chesterfield Waterside Ltd, as a key strategic investment opportunity for the town.

With the steel frame complete, Britcon will now begin installing the concrete flooring ahead of making the building watertight and then beginning the internal fit-out before tenants move in later this year.

Chesterfield-based accountancy firm BHP Chartered Accountants have already committed to occupy a floor of One Waterside Place once complete.

One Waterside Place is part of a wider business and residential offering in phase one of Basin which comprises offices, a hotel, multi-storey car park and build-to-rent apartments, which will be centred around the new canal basin and pedestrianised public realm which will become the new home for the renowned Dame Barbara Hepworth sculpture.

Recognised as being one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects, Chesterfield Waterside is being led by Chesterfield-based Bolsterstone Group Plc working in conjunction with Arnold Laver Group and Chesterfield Borough Council.

To find out more about the office space available at One Waterside Place, please contact Harry Orwin-Allen at Knight Frank on 0114 272 9750 or Tim Richardson at FHP Property Consultants 01332 343 222.

Keep up-to-date with the latest developments at Chesterfield Waterside at ChesterfieldWaterside.co.uk or follow the development on Facebook and Twitter. You can also find out more on our developments page.

Waterside Ltd. supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through  Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Promising response to Green Entrepreneurs Scheme from Derbyshire businesses

More than 130 people from businesses and community groups across Derbyshire joined the virtual launch of Derbyshire County Council’s Green Entrepreneurs Fund – a £2 million grant fund for organisations interested in developing and investing in green energy and carbon reduction schemes.

Businesses and organisations heard details about how they can apply for funding through the scheme being run in partnership with the University of Derby to help support green economic recovery across Derbyshire.

There are 3 separate funds:

Green Entrepreneurs Demonstrator Fund
£1.2 million set aside for a small number of high-quality projects from entrepreneurs wanting to establish green, alternative energy or low carbon initiatives in Derbyshire to provide community heat and power schemes. The minimum grant available through this fund would be £100,000. Applications for expressions of interest will open 1 April 2021.

Green Entrepreneurs Small Grant Fund
Grants of £10,000 – £20,000 for new and existing businesses with game changing proposals in alternative energy, clean fuel and carbon reduction. £500,000 will be made available through this fund. There will be 3 separate rounds in which to apply for funding – the first will launch on 1 April 2021 followed by further rounds opening on 4 October 2021 and then 3 January 2022.

Green Entrepreneurs Scholarship Fund
A training fund to support individuals to retrain with skills to enable them to enter the field of alternative energy. £100,000 will be made available through this fund. Grants will be awarded monthly from July 2021 onwards.

Leader of Derbyshire County Council Councillor Barry Lewis added:

“We’re championing business innovation and want Derbyshire to become a leader in the field in the development of green energy as part of our bold ambition to cut the council’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2032 and that of the Derbyshire economy by 2050.

“We believe there is a unique opportunity to bring greater benefits to local communities and the local economic conditions to create high quality jobs driven by utilising the local skills base in engineering and manufacturing.

“We’re excited to be able to offer businesses the financial support needed to help turn their ideas into reality, through game changing proposals that help to tackle climate change and impact positively on the way we all live in the future both in Derbyshire and further afield.”

Councillor Tony King, Cabinet member for Clean Growth and Regeneration, said:

“We’ve had an unbelievable response to the scheme so far from businesses and community organisations across Derbyshire.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the applications start to come in with proposals for projects to kick-start the county’s carbon reduction and alternative energy agenda and boost the local economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I would urge anyone who was unable to join the virtual launch to visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/gef to find out more.”

Professor Kathryn Mitchell DL, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, said:

“I am delighted that the Green Entrepreneur launch was such a success. It is really encouraging to see so much interest and enthusiasm from local businesses in taking up opportunities like this to operate more sustainably and to make a real contribution towards reducing their carbon footprint.

“We look forward now to working with the county council to deliver the scheme to our entrepreneur community, and to make Derbyshire synonymous with sustainable business.”

Find more information about the programme including application forms, timetable for grant funding and eligibility criteria.

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Over £23m to be invested in council housing across Chesterfield

More than £23 million is to be spent improving and increasing the housing supply across Chesterfield – as part of Chesterfield Borough Council’s commitment to enhance the borough’s housing offer and meet the needs of residents.

Councillors have agreed to the ambitious Housing Capital Programme – which sets out the council’s investment priorities for 2021/22 and the medium-term investment through to 2024/25.

The Housing Capital Programme sets out the priorities to ensure that council housing in the borough continues to meet the decent homes standard and provide the good quality, affordable homes for people in Chesterfield.

Modernisation and refurbishment of the council’s existing housing stock continues to be a main focus of the council’s programme of works – including roof repairs, the installation of windows and improvements to estate environments to ensure all properties continue to meet the decent homes standard.

Since 2019 the council will have added 64 new homes to its housing stock and a further 53 homes in the pipeline for 2021-2023, meaning the council will meet its target of adding new 100 new homes to the housing register by 2023 – giving local families more choice and access to modern properties.

The council will also continue to invest in homes for older people, with works currently progressing well at Mallard Court and Leander Court. When completed, this will offer modern, affordable and attractive housing for older people in Staveley for the future.

In response to the climate emergency that was declared by the council in July 2019, the council is also committed to ensuring that all of its homes are energy efficient – allowing Chesterfield to become a low carbon, resilient and sustainable borough.

Councillor Chris Ludlow, cabinet member for housing, said: “Our aim as always is to enhance Chesterfield’s housing offer so that people of all ages can find, and live in a quality home they can afford. Our capital programme shows that we are committed to improving our housing stock to ensure it meets the needs of the people of Chesterfield, as well actively contributing to the climate change agenda by ensuring all homes are energy efficient.

“Investing in affordable and social housing has never been as important, given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has had on many people financially, so it is vital that we continue to enhance the borough’s housing needs and supply affordable living. Our programme of investment has been developed and amended to recognise the challenges which have arisen from the Covid-19 crisis and, together with our partners, we are doing all we can to ensure any minor delays to key projects are resolved, allowing us to achieve our goals.

“We are committed to building a sustainable future and in response to the climate change emergency declared by the council in 2019, we’re taking measures to ensure our homes are energy efficient – which will not only help the planet, but will also give our residents access to affordable warmth.”

“During 2020 – 21 we achieved some key milestones in improving our housing stock and we’re proud that 100 per cent of our properties meet the decent homes standards. By continuing to refurbish and modernise our homes and estates, we can continue to ensure we maintain these standards for local families.”

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Chesterfield businesses offered free membership of crime-fighting partnership run by East Midlands Chamber

Up to 2,000 businesses in Chesterfield can sign up for free to an East Midlands Chamber-run scheme that helps to reduce town centre crime and anti-social behaviour. The Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) has secured funding from Chesterfield Borough Council to offer access to Disc, an online crime information-sharing system that connects businesses with local police forces.

There will be no cost for the first 12 months, with subsequent years costing up to £100 – and potentially lower if enough businesses take up the programme permanently.

Jackie Roberts, BCRP manager at the Chamber, said: “Businesses in town and city centres are struggling at the moment and crime will only make this worse.

“The Disc portal is an integral part of crime reduction strategies as it makes it so much easier for businesses to share intelligence about incidents and offender images between members, police, community safety officers and other partners such as the BCRP team.

“We’ve had a lot of reports during lockdown because police resources have been really stretched due to sickness, so the BCRP fills the gap where police can’t deal with petty crime.

“By working with local authorities such as Chesterfield Borough Council, we’re delighted to offer this scheme for free to businesses in order to make them more resilient – a key theme during the post-Covid economic recovery.”

What is the Business Crime Reduction Partnership?

The BCRP, one of 200 such programmes in the UK, is funded by both the Chamber and the Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa.

Its remit to reduce crime in participating towns, cities and retail parks fits into an overall objective to make them a safer place to work, visit, socialise and shop.

Members pay a fee and benefits include a GDPR-compliant data-sharing system that facilitates direct reporting to the police without the need to use the time-consuming 101 system.

Intelligence and crime reports can be submitted electronically to the police and other BCRP members, who also have access to app and web-based image galleries of people who have been arrested or are known offenders.

How BCRP membership will help Chesterfield town centre

There are currently about 80 businesses in Chesterfield signed up to an advanced version of the BCRP scheme that also includes radio connections.

The council’s funding will give about 2,000 businesses in sectors such as retail, hospitality and tourism the opportunity to sign up for the basic package, which uses the online Disc system.

It will be launched at the beginning of May ahead of the reopening of hospitality in the Government’s roadmap to ending lockdown.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “It is fantastic news that this funding has been made available for our local businesses.

“This project will help strengthen the link between retailers and the police which should help limit crime and anti-social behaviour in our town.

“I want to encourage every local business to sign up to this programme because I believe it will be a positive step for our town.”

Hardyal Dhindsa, Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire, added: “Tackling retail crime is a priority for me and I am pleased that my funding of the Business Crime Reduction Partnership with the Chamber is enabling partners like Chesterfield Borough Council to join us in tackling criminality. This is an excellent way of supporting businesses to reduce the crime and antisocial behaviour that they have said concerns them.

“We have been working hard, with local partners, to successfully address other problems in Chesterfield Town Centre through the Chesterfield Town Summit, and this is another tool in the box.

“I welcome the fact that Chesterfield Borough Council has recognised the important of supporting local business and I hope that in time we will be able to roll this programme out across Derbyshire with other local authorities.”

Further plans for BCRP roll-out in Derbyshire

Discussions are ongoing on how to roll out the offer to Staveley, while there are plans to roll out the Disc scheme in Matlock and Bakewell, in which a combined 40 businesses are signed up to the radio system.

Jackie added: “The hope is that by signing up businesses for the first year, they will be able to see the benefits of continuing with the scheme thereafter.

“The more businesses that are involved in the BCRP scheme and sharing information, the stronger it will be – and the better the area will be as a result.

“Councils and regeneration teams are placing crime reduction high on the agenda in order to bring back footfall into their towns.

“It also removes barriers to reporting crime as the Disc system automatically notifies the police when an incident is logged, while police are able to input feedback so businesses can follow what happens to offenders.”

The British Retail Consortium’s 2020 retail crime survey, published in March just before lockdown, found there were 424 violent or abusive incidents towards staff per day nationally, while businesses lost £770m due to theft and £2.2bn resulting from overall crime.

Anyone interested in discussing how to get involved with the Derbyshire Business Crime Reduction Partnership can email jackie.roberts@emc-dnl.co.uk.

 

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