Development

Archaeological Investigation set to resume on Holywell Cross (Donut) Car Park

16th September 2019

Archaeology investigations will be resuming on the Holywell Cross (donut) car park over the coming days.

Works were suspended until a strategy was agreed for the removal of asbestos material found during the dig. It is likely that the asbestos was left in place when the former properties based on the car park were demolished.

Chesterfield Borough Council would like to reassure residents that the removal of the asbestos will be managed safely by a specialist asbestos disposal company with those working on site wearing the appropriate protective clothing.

Works are expected to resume this week (commencing 16 September 2019) to remove the asbestos with the archaeological team in attendance to monitor works and resume the archaeological dig when permitted to do so.

The works are scheduled to run for a week, although activity on site will continue as the archaeological investigation is completed.

During the removal of the asbestos, a water suppressant technique will be used to prevent any contamination of the surrounding area and the remainder of the car park will be open as normal.

The council will be contacting all nearby businesses to advise them in advance of the works and any potential disruption, although this is expected to be minimal.

Councillor Terry Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic growth said: “The safety of residents, visitors and businesses in the area is our number one priority and we will be removing the asbestos as quickly and carefully as possible using specialist disposal experts.”

“The works will allow the archaeological investigation to recommence having been suspended at a key point of interest in the investigation”.

The investigation has revealed a large stone wall built in the northern part of the site, which appears to be earlier than any other buildings discovered so far. It also lies on the line of a large ditch like feature which contained pottery dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. These will be subject to further investigation as the archaeological dig is concluded.

The archaeological investigations undertaken so far have identified the remains of a range of past human activity on the site dating back to the late medieval period. Features already unearthed include:

Old terrace housing located on the Saltergate frontage, at the rear of which were small brick-built structures and five wells containing debris. The dating of the debris suggests these were in use at differing times over the post-medieval period.
On the east side of the site near Saltergate, the west wall of former almshouses was identified, which appears to have been built on an earlier property boundary dated back to an earlier period. Evidence of former 19th and 20th century sheds / warehouses was also found.
In addition to the structural remains, artefacts have been recovered. The most numerous of which were fragments of pottery that dated from the 16th through to the 19th centuries. These also hint at pottery production nearby, whereas all previously known pottery production sites were located on the other side of town.

The completion of the archaeological dig will allow works to begin on the construction of the new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre, which will offer a range of high-quality office suites to start up and growth companies in Chesterfield.

Find out more about the Northern Gateway Development and what it means for Chesterfield here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development

Chesterfield Investment Summit 2019 hears how localised social media could be key to revitalising town’s high street

13th September 2019

With up to 74% of high street retailers not having an active social media presence, Polly Barnfield OBE, a member of the government’s High Street Task Force has urged Chesterfield’s shops and market traders to adopt social media and use it to deliver both improved footfall and sales on demand.

Speaking at the sell-out 2019 Chesterfield Investment Summit, Ms Barnfield, who has been named as one of the top 100 most influential women in technology, believes events and localised social media activity could be the key to revitalising and growing Chesterfield’s high street.

She said: “Social media is a resource that any business can use, and retailers should use this opportunity to engage with and understand their customers.”

“Social media is fundamentally changing the rules of doing business. It’s not a question of a business being online or offline anymore – they must be both. There has been a huge shift in human behaviour over the last 15 years driven by social media. For the first time ever, people now spend more time on their mobile phone than watching TV.”

However, she urged retailers not to just to focus on selling themselves on social media. “Engagement with the community around you is key. You can’t just sell your own product on social media if you want to be successful,” urged Ms Barnfield.

She advised: “Retailers should post on social media every day and talk to their audience not just about what is happening in their business but around them.”

Highlighting the power of social media on retail at the Investment Summit, it was revealed that ALTERIS, owner of the town’s Vicar Lane Shopping Centre, has successfully used the online platform Maybe* over the last six months to increase footfall by 29%.

ALTERIS bought Vicar Lane Shopping Centre out of administration earlier this year promising to create ‘a new town centre retail model for the post e-commerce world’.

Ms Barnfield was one of several speakers presenting at the annual Investment Summit which was held at Chesterfield’s Casa Hotel.

Addressing future investment and development opportunities in Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire, the event was organised by Derbyshire Economic Partnership, Destination Chesterfield and Marketing Derby.

Speaking at the event Dr Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council, also revealed that the town had welcomed 330 business start-ups in the last 12 months.

He commented: “For Chesterfield to grow and survive it needs to be a place where people feel they can do business and do it successfully. This means ensuring we make the most of our competitive advantages in order to attract investment as well as optimise our current development opportunities including HS2, Chesterfield Waterside, Northern Gateway and Peak Resort. Our competitive advantages underpin our recently published Growth Strategy.”

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield, highlighted the town’s successful public-private sector partnership approach to investment, commenting: “Chesterfield is a town of opportunity and we have the partners and collaboration in place to drive forward our ambitions to not only deliver our current development plans but also attract further investment and continue to grow.”

More than 200 people attended the 2019 Chesterfield Annual Summit. In addition to Polly Barnfield OBE and Huw Bowen, delegates also heard from Mark Warrilow, Skills Stakeholder Manager – Phase 2 (Skills Employment and Education) at HS2 Ltd; Peter Storey, Head of Markham Vale at Derbyshire Country Council; Mark Jones, Head of Technical at Kier Living; Cllr Tony King, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, Derbyshire County Council and David Higham, Commercial Director at Learning Unlimited, part of the Chesterfield College Group.

To keep up-to-date with investments and developments in Chesterfield, please visit https://www.chesterfield.co.uk

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Leisure, Made in Chesterfield, Visiting

Chesterfield Medical Partnership and Royal Primary Care join together

9th September 2019

The Chesterfield Medical Partnership (CMP) will officially join together with Royal Primary Care (RPC) becoming ‘RPC Chesterfield North-West’.

CMP provides primary care services to 14,000 patients out of surgeries based in Ashgate, Holme Hall and Whittington – and is rated ‘GOOD’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). RPC – covering areas of Chesterfield South-East (Grangewood, Staveley and Inkersall) and North East Derbyshire (Clay Cross and Grassmoor) has also delivered rapid improvements, achieving the same CQC ‘GOOD’ rating earlier this year.

CMP approached RPC about a mutual and beneficial collaboration, attracted by RPC’s way of working and visible improvements. As a clinical division of Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust) for the last five years, RPC is outside the more traditional primary care model, complimenting the model delivered by CMP. With both organisations innovative and forward thinking, joining together ensures they remain viable and sustainable and can respond to the significant challenges primary care faces.

Patients and staff won’t see any visible difference (staff, surgeries and opening hours will remain exactly the same across CMP and RPC). This new collaboration simply offers a range of opportunities and improvements for the future.

For example, as part of the Chesterfield Vocational Training Scheme, CMP brings expertise in GP training programmes – and it also hosts a long-standing and successful commercial research company. Both CMP and RPC support effective mixed clinical teams, in line with the goals set out in the NHS Long-Term Plan, which advocates the development of ‘fully integrated community-based health care’ – including the creation of multidisciplinary teams, where GPs, pharmacists, nurses, mental health and allied health professionals work across primary care and hospital sites’.

In addition, with a combined and larger clinical team in place, there is the potential for ‘the new RPC organisation’ to run its home-visiting service in a different way; along with more options available to cover surgeries and balance workload at times of high-demand and operational pressures.

Commenting on the approach Chesterfield Medical Partnership made to RPC, Kate Chilton, Practice Director said: “We are a thriving and successful practice. Nevertheless, across the country, fewer GPs are inclined to become partners in a practice – so we were interested in how Royal Primary Care operates, as a way to future-proof and secure our services for our own patients. We felt that we’d really fit with RPC because they have a clinical model similar to ours and want to progress. We are pleased to have the opportunity to ‘join forces’ as we can see the potential it offers. We will benefit from being part of a larger group at a time when the Long-Term Plan for the NHS recommends that GP practices work in networks to proactively manage the health and well-being of their populations. We feel really excited about this opportunity!”

Divisional Director at Royal Primary Care, Dr Peter Scriven agrees that this is an exciting pooling of skills, knowledge and experience: “We are delighted to come together with the Chesterfield Medical Practice in a constructive way, so we can work on a common approach to improving patient and carer experience for the 44,000 local people we all look after. We are like-minded organisations. CMP brings expertise with it that will strengthen RPC – to improve the primary care offer to all of our patients. As a GP I fully understand how important continuity of care is and I want to emphasise that all our patients will continue to see the same GPs, in the same buildings which will be open at the same times as normal, I hope they’ll also appreciate the benefits of being part of a larger primary care group in these challenging times.”

The development has been subject to robust scrutiny – with workforce, working practices, finances, governance, building and facilities all going through examination. The amalgamation has been approved by local commissioners NHS Derby and North Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group, as well as NHS England. There has also been engagement with staff, patient participation groups and other interested parties – sharing details about the agreed merger, its opportunities and any potential risks.

Chief Operating Officer for Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Tony Campbell, is the executive lead for RPC and comments: “We’ve learnt a lot from the two RPC developments we’ve led over the past five years – clearly demonstrated by the CQC ‘GOOD’ rating both of them have now achieved. There have been challenges to overcome, although we have shown that this model can succeed and does improve patient care and services.

“The Trust’s Board of Directors considered the Chesterfield Medical Partnership’s approach over a number of months. We feel that bringing CMP into our Royal Primary Care division is a positive that has a number of advantages. With a larger clinical team that includes a range of professionals, RPC as a whole is well-placed to support the NHS Long-Term Plan and it’ aims to keep patients well and independent, as well as caring for them when they have an urgent clinical need. What matters most is that we work as a single entity to provide safe, high-quality and effective care to our patients.”

It will remain ‘business as usual’ for patients – who will continue to contact their GP surgery as they would do normally for appointments, repeat prescriptions or other queries. Regular updates and information will also be posted on Royal Primary Care’s Facebook , Twitter and Instagram pages, as well as on its website.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development, Leisure

Staveley to benefit from £3.6 billion Towns Fund

6th September 2019

Staveley and Clay Cross are 2 of the 100 places invited to develop proposals for a new generation of multi-million-pound Town Deals which have today (6 September 2019) been announced by Local Government Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP.

The towns eligible for support from the £3.6 billion Towns Fund include places with proud industrial and economic heritage but have not always benefitted from economic growth in the same way as more prosperous areas.

Communities, businesses and local leaders will now join forces to draw up ambitious plans to transform their town’s economic growth prospects with a focus on improved transport, broadband connectivity, skills and culture.

A total of 42 places across the Northern Powerhouse and 33 places in the Midlands Engine are among the 100 pioneers of new Town Deals as part of the government’s commitment to level up all regions by boosting productivity, skills and living standards.

Local Government Secretary, Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, said:

“Ensuring that prosperity and opportunities are available to everyone in this country, not just those in London or our biggest cities, is at the heart of the mission of this government.

We want to level-up our great towns, raising living standards and ensuring they can thrive with transformative investment in transport, technology, skills and culture.

I will now work with local people from the 100 communities announced today to agree proposals to invest up to £25 million in each place. I hope these deals will provide the investment and the impetus for long-term renewal ensuring each town can look to the future with a new optimism.”

The government will soon publish a prospectus to guide towns through the process and set eligibility criteria for funding.

Once approved, new Town Deals will improve connectivity, provide vital social and cultural infrastructure and boost growth – with communities having a say on how the money is spent.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development

Chesterfield manufacturing business expands

4th September 2019

Oxdale Products Limited, a Chesterfield machine manufacturing company is expanding through the purchase of a new Industrial Unit.

The development will house a growing laser cutting and profiling operation and provide 14 new jobs within the community over a 30-month period.

Oxdale Products is a family-run business founded in 2008 that supplies a range of high-quality agriculture and forestry machinery for both commercial and domestic use. The company currently have 62 products which are all manufactured in Chesterfield.

Chris Butcher, Director at Oxdale Products Limited, said, “I’m delighted that Oxdale Products Limited will be expanding its business, thanks to loans from Unity Trust Bank. This development will enlarge our product range and employee base, as well as increase competition within the marketplace.”

Find out more about available commercial property and investing in Chesterfield.

Posted in Business, Development

Chamber reacts to Government’s HS2 delay announcement

4th September 2019

Reacting to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’ announcement that final completion of the northern section of the high-speed rail network would likely be delayed from 2033 to 2035 at the earliest, Scott Knowles, the Chamber’s Chief Executive, said:

“The news of potential delays to HS2, specifically Phase 2b which will have the greatest effect on us here in the East Midlands, needs to be placed in context with the bigger picture.

“HS2 is a huge, transformational infrastructure project which has the enormous potential to benefit our region, and the country, for generations to come. While we want HS2 to be operational as soon as possible, the key focus is that we get it right.

“What is of greater concern is that we put to bed the ‘will it or won’t it happen’ speculation so that we can focus on getting HS2 built – regardless of whether it comes to fruition in 2033, 2035 or later.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebalance our country’s economy and demonstrate both internally and to the outside world that we are a world class country in which to do business, supported by world class infrastructure.

“What is certain is that when people look back on a fully-functioning HS2 in the years to come, the core discussion will centre on the contribution it has made to this country, not the fact that completion was delayed by a few years.”

Chesterfield is set to benefit from an HS2 Station and an infrastructure maintenance depot in the borough, bringing opportunities for the town from creating new jobs to improving skills and from developing new homes and attracting new business investment as well as improving transport infrastructure, rail connectivity and journey times.

HS2 will complement existing rail services and open up regeneration opportunities, enhancing Chesterfield’s role as both a destination and a gateway to surrounding areas, including the Peak District National Park.

The prospect of a HS2 connection at Chesterfield Station is already driving major regeneration of the town centre and adjacent industrial areas. The potential benefits of HS2 for the Chesterfield area include:

Better connectivity for the 1 million plus people already living within 30 minutes of the station;
4,740 new homes and 10,220 new jobs;
£270m net additional GVA; and 176 ha of brownfield land brought back into use.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

£79 million requested from government to deliver Chesterfield-Staveley Regeneration Route

30th August 2019

Derbyshire County Council’s Chesterfield-Staveley Regeneration Route plans have been included in a priority list of road schemes for government funding by Sub-national Transport Body Midlands Connect, with a request for £79 million to deliver it.

The scheme is amongst 11 in the Midlands submitted to the Department for Transport, as part of a £3.5 billion fund available for local road improvements from 2020-2025.

The Chesterfield-Staveley Regeneration Route will create a new 5.7km single carriageway connecting the A619 north of Chesterfield town centre to the A6192 and A619 at Staveley. It offers an alternative to the often congested A619, supporting new jobs and homes, providing new crossings for pedestrians and cyclists, and making five regular bus services that use the existing A619 more reliable.

Midlands Connect was empowered by the Department for Transport (DfT) to work with the 22 councils in its partnership to identify priority schemes to improve local roads in the region. The fund covers upgrades to the Major Road Network (MRN), a new category of the busiest and most economically important local authority ‘A’ roads, and Large Local Majors (LLM) schemes, which focus on bigger upgrades to local roads and includes the Chesterfield-Staveley Regeneration Route.

Following detailed consultation and a rigorous assessment, Midlands Connect has submitted 11 schemes to the DfT for consideration, in the East Midlands and West Midlands.

The total cost of the Chesterfield-Staveley Regeneration Route is estimated at £93 million, including local contributions of £14 million. If successful, Derbyshire County Council would deliver the physical infrastructure required.

The total Midlands-wide funding request to the government is £596 million, with an additional £143 million to be funded locally.

Simon Statham, Midlands Connect’s head of technical programmes, said: “North Derbyshire has huge regeneration plans, including 5,700 jobs alone in the Staveley and Rother Valley Corridor Area Action Plan. This new route is critical to these developments, not to mention the proposed HS2 Infrastructure and Maintenance Depot at Staveley, another huge opportunity to create jobs.

“We are confident that we have provided all of the evidence the government needs to fund all 11 of our priority schemes in full, and we expect to be celebrating a £600 million investment in to the region to help our local authority partners get on and deliver this transformational programme of upgrades.”

Councillor Simon Spencer, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways said: “Unlocking economic growth and access to economic opportunities is a key priority for us and getting the right infrastructure in place is key to its delivery.

“This scheme would be a huge step towards major regeneration in the area, helping to bring much-needed jobs and reduce congestion on the existing road network which would further support local businesses to thrive in Derbyshire.”

Toby Perkins, MP for Chesterfield, said: “I am urging the government to back this investment, which will support new homes and jobs at major development sites, including the HS2 Infrastructure and Maintenance Depot at Staveley. It will make a huge difference to the quality of life and economic prospects of the local community.

“This much-needed investment will reduce congestion on the A619 and make sure we have a resilient alternative to the M1 during incidents and events. I will continue to work with Midlands Connect to support the scheme’s delivery.”

Midlands Connect is encouraging the government to allocate funding for shortlisted schemes as soon as possible to ensure their smooth delivery.

Read the Major Road Network priority scheme submission to the Department for Transport summary report here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development, Leisure, Visiting

Shorts and Dawson Radford part of team advising on sale of Freight Despatch Worldwide

27th August 2019

Shorts, alongside fellow Chesterfield Champions Dawson Radford Solicitors and other financial services companies, acted as advisors, legal representatives and funders, to Steve Bowling and Derek Libberton on the purchase of Sheffield based Freight Despatch Worldwide (FDW) Limited.

International Freight Forwarding Specialists FDW was established in 2004, by John Collumbine who had over 30 years’ commercial and forwarding experience. Over the last 15 years, the company has forged close relationships with UK & Overseas Carriers and freight partners throughout the world.

Martin Dean, Corporate Finance Executive at Shorts comments: “We are delighted to have advised Steve and Derek on the successful completion of this transaction, and we look forward to seeing the continuing success of the business under new ownership.”

Joanna Dawson, Solicitor acting on behalf of the purchasers said: “Derek and Steve have a great opportunity to grow the business established by John, and I am pleased that we have been able to support them with that. I look forward to seeing their progress as the company develops”.

John Collumbine said “When I made the decision to sell, I was extremely happy that Derek and Steve wanted to take over running the business. As part of the existing senior management team, I know that FDW is in safe hands with them and I am very much looking forward to watching them continue to grow and succeed.”

Steve Bowling and Derek Libberton added “As far as existing clients are concerned it will be business as usual and we are very excited for the next phase of what promises to be an exciting period for the company. We are very much looking forward and are ready for the challenges ahead.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

Village of luxury homes begins to take shape near Chesterfield

23rd August 2019

This computer-generated image offers a tantalising glimpse of the unique new village being created at a luxury housing development in Derbyshire.

Jones Homes is building a superior collection of three, four and five-bedroom properties at Van Dyk Village, a landmark project taking shape near Clowne, off the A619 between Chesterfield and Worksop.

The development will eventually comprise a total of 52 homes with a large area of public open space.

More than 1,000 people had registered their interest in the homes before the development opened, taking turns to visit and check on the progress of the new village, which has been designed to appear as though it has grown organically over a period of decades.

The first homes at Van Dyk Village are now available for sale and its first residents are likely to move into their homes later this year.

Jayne Swift, Sales and Marketing Director for Jones Homes, said: “We were overwhelmed by the response to the launch of Van Dyk Village. It is a fascinating project which has taken years to plan to ensure every detail is correct.

“We are building a wide variety of mews, semi-detached and detached homes. These will range from three-bedroom properties to a one-off, five-bedroom manor house, which will form a focal point of the village.

“Our visitors are fascinated to see how the plans have evolved and to find out more information about the homes. We are looking forward to opening a show home later this year and to welcoming more people to Van Dyk Village to showcase our vision.

“There has been a huge amount of interest in the homes at Van Dyk Village, and five of these superb homes have already been snapped up by buyers, so I would encourage anyone interested in moving to this highly sought after development to contact our sales team as soon as possible to find out more.”

Van Dyk Village was previously home to a garden centre which had been closed for some years. The land belonged to the owners of the Van Dyk Hotel, located opposite Van Dyk Village on the A619. The sale of the land is helping to fund the expansion of the hotel, which plays an important role in the local ecology.

Before work could begin at Van Dyk Village an extensive archaeological dig took place. It uncovered evidence of people making their homes at the site around 4,000 years ago.

A selection of five-bedroom homes are currently available at Van Dyk Village, with pre-show home prices starting at £595,995.

A computer-generated image of the Van Dyk Village development near Clowne

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development, Leisure, Visiting

Phase 2 of Clay Cross business park reaches a successful practical completion

22nd August 2019

Phase 2 of Railway View Business Park in Clay Cross has recently reached practical completion with the speculative development of 3 new industrial units.

Unit 3 Railway View has been let to Edie Fabworx Limited providing a new unit for the local metalworks business and Unit 5a has been let to C&C Vehicles services for a new commercial vehicle accident repair centre in Clay Cross. Unit 5b is currently under offer and is likely to complete in the following months. Unit 4 has a high level of interest, however remains the only available unit on the site (pictured).

Chris Proctor from FHP Property Consultants commented: “Railway View Business Park has been a highly successful scheme so far and is a testament to both the high-quality specification being delivered and the practical approach of Roe Developments with negotiations and securing suitable tenants and purchasers on the site.”

“We are in deep discussions with an occupier to take Phase 3 of the development which offers a total remaining site area of 37,000ft² and we hope to be on site with the development of this unit by Q3/Q4 of 2019”.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

Planning application submitted for Activity Centre

21st August 2019

A planning application has been submitted to Chesterfield Borough Council to build an Activity Centre at Peak Resort.

The indoor activity centre will be built at PEAK in Chesterfield and represents the beginning of the phase one delivery of the resort.

The application which has been submitted for consideration by the council is for an indoor activity centre including zip lines, climbing walls, caving, ninja course, trampolining, rope courses, fun walls, adventure golf and e-karts, based at PEAK, Sheffield Road, Unstone, Chesterfield.

PEAK plans to be an integrated leisure, health, sport and education destination on the edge of the Peak District National Park; set on the 300-acre Birchall Estate in Chesterfield.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “The council has worked closely with the developer of PEAK for a number of years and is pleased to receive the planning application for the activity centre which if approved will enable the first element of the PEAK resort to be delivered on the site.

“If successful it is anticipated that the centre will create 100 jobs in Chesterfield with more employment expected as the remainder of the PEAK resort development comes forward.”

Developers of the PEAK site are planning a phased development, with phase one costing in the region of £100m and representing approximately one third of the total outline planning permission.

Attractions in phase one are hoped to include: – an indoor adventure activity centre; a lake and amphitheatre; gateway building and travel hub; hotels, covered events space, multi discipline cycling trails and car and coach parking.

Works previously completed on site, thanks to a £2.8 million Sheffield City Region Infrastructure Fund grant, saw a new roundabout created with access directly connecting the site with the A61 Dronfield bypass.

New multi-user greenways have been formed to link the resort with cycling, horse riding and walking routes in the Peak District National Park, Chesterfield, Sheffield and the countryside in between.

Peter Swallow, Chair of the town’s marketing campaign, Destination Chesterfield said: “It’s fantastic to see the PEAK development continue to move forward with plans for a new indoor venture. As well as creating new jobs for local people and supporting the town’s economy, the site will be an exciting addition to Chesterfield and will be popular with residents and visitors alike.

“Destination Chesterfield has promoted the progress of the PEAK development since its announcement and looks forward to welcoming the development to the town.”

The application is likely to be heard by the planning committee in forthcoming months.

Find out more here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Leisure, Made in Chesterfield, Summer, Visiting