Chesterfield Borough Council issued the below statement on 19/03/2020:

Following the latest Government guidance, we have taken further difficult, but responsible, decisions to change some of our service provision.

Leisure Centres

Queen’s Park Sports Centre and the Staveley Healthy Living Centre will be closed to the public until further notice, from 10pm Friday 20 March.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We have made the important decision to close these facilities to the public in line with Government guidance and with the aim of reducing the possible spread of the coronavirus.

“At this difficult time, it is vital that we all take our own health and wellbeing seriously, I would like to remind residents that our parks remain open in order to allow you to walk and exercise whilst maintaining social distancing.”

Anyone who is a member of our leisure centres will have their membership suspended. Direct debit payments will not be collected until our centres return to being fully operational.

For further information or advice on membership suspension please email your enquiry to (for Queen’s Park Sports Centre) qpscenquiries@chesterfield.gov.uk  / (for the Healthy Living Centre) hlcenquiries@chesterfield.gov.uk

Our staff have been working extremely hard to respond to our customer enquiries. If you do contact one of our centres, please bear with the team as they are responding to a significant number of enquiries at this time.

If you regularly pay Council Tax, rent or make any other payments at the Healthy Living Centre, these should now be made online by visiting www.chesterfield.gov.uk or calling 01246 345 345.

We have kept payment stations open at the Customer Service Centre in Chesterfield town centre. Please only use this facility if you are unable to pay online or over the phone. You can continue to make payments at PayPoint outlets and through the Post Office but please only do this if it is safe for you to do so.

If you are suffering from coronavirus symptoms and / or are required to self-isolate, please call us and we can discuss your situation to find a solution.

Chesterfield Area Walking Festival

Together with our partners, we have taken the difficult decision to cancel the Chesterfield Area Walking Festival, which was scheduled to take place in mid-May.

This decision was taken in order to ensure that proper social distancing measures, as recommended by the Government, can be maintained and we can ensure the health and wellbeing of the volunteers who support the festival.

Our Visitor Information Centre team are working hard to ensure that anyone who has booked tickets for the festival is informed of the changes. We will refund any customers who have paid for tickets. Please be patient with the team and wait for them to contact you, they are receiving a high number of enquires and it is taking slightly longer than usual to reply to everyone.

The latest service related updates will be available on the council’s website www.chesterfield.gov.uk/coronavirus or on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Click here to view our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Business Support Page

Chesterfield Borough Council have issued the below statement:

The safety of our residents and staff has been considered carefully following the latest government guidance relating to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak and as a result we have had to make a number of changes to service delivery.

Customer services arrangements

We would like to reassure residents and businesses that Chesterfield Borough Council remains open and people can continue to contact us through our website, by telephone or if absolutely necessary, can visit us in person at our Customer Service Centre.

Our preference is for people to make contact through our website (www.chesterfield.gov.uk) or by telephone (01246 345345), to enable us to reduce face to face contact as much as possible.

It is very likely that the council will move a number of services to essential response only, as more stringent social distancing measures are expected to be introduced in the coming days. More information will be published as any changes are made.

Chesterfield Borough Council’s Leader, Councillor Tricia Gilby, said: “We understand this is a difficult time for everyone, but I want to reassure residents and those who have businesses and work in the borough, that public safety is our top priority. We are working closely with our partner agencies and monitoring the guidance provided by the government so that we can ensure that the council’s services continue to operate wherever possible.

“We will continue to coordinate our response to this unprecedented situation as it develops, and updates to services will be published on our website and social media channels. We are a resilient borough with a strong sense of community, and I am sure this will help us all tackle the serious challenges that lie ahead.”

Theatres, museums and Visitor Information Centre

We have made the decision to postpone or cancel all events at the Winding Wheel Theatre and Pomegranate Theatre up to and including Saturday 2 May.

This position will be regularly reviewed, and customers will be advised if the closure period is to be shortened or extended past this date.

If you have tickets booked for one of the shows at our theatres, a member of the team will be in touch as soon as possible to provide more information.

Our Visitor Information Centre has also been closed. However, the services provided at the Centre can still be obtained by reference to the above customer services arrangements.

Chesterfield Museum and Revolution House will also be closed to the public until further notice.

Local events and other venues

Events due to take place at local parks have also been cancelled. Hasland Village Hall and the Assembly Rooms will also be closed until at least May.

Leisure

Queen’s Park Sports Centre and the Healthy Living Centre have suspended, until further notice, the provision of group activities such as swimming lessons, fitness classes, climbing instruction and gymnastics classes. This is to remove the opportunity for larger groups to come together in the leisure centres in line with the Government guidance issued earlier this week.

Currently customers can still attend the leisure centres to undertake personal fitness activities, however, we are constantly reviewing the situation and more information will be published in due course.

Facilities are available at both centres for customers to wash their hands with soap and water, as well as there being a number of hand sanitiser points.

Extra cleaning regimes have also been implemented including to regular touchpoints such as gym equipment, door handles, lockers and water fountains.

Our leisure teams will contact customers where appropriate to advise of any further changes including through the use of social media and the council’s website.

If you are a member and unable to attend our facilities at this time, memberships can be suspended, and Direct Debit payments can be frozen. These can then be reactivated at a later date.

For further information or for advice on membership suspension and payments please email your enquiry to (for Queen’s Park Sports Centre) qpscenquiries@chesterfield.gov.uk / (for the Healthy Living Centre) hlcenquiries@chesterfield.gov.uk

The latest service related updates will be available on the council’s website www.chesterfield.gov.uk or on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Chesterfield Canal Trust’s ambitious plans to preserve and reinstate the historic canal lines that run from Staveley to Kiveton Park have recently continued after the charity confirmed the purchase of two unoccupied houses located on the proposed route.

Further to the transactions, facilitated by leading law firm Banner Jones, the two semidetached, unoccupied properties can now be demolished to make way for the canal route when it is re-opened in the future, which will run through Killamarsh, leading into Rother Valley Country Park.

Without the invaluable purchases, it would not be possible to reinstate this section of the canal as the two houses have been built on the planned route.

The proposed new route will leave the Nethermore Lake in Rother Valley, from the eastern side via a short length of new cut under Barber’s Lane Bridge and a new minor road bridge, before reaching the bottom of the Moorhouse Flight, which raises the canal back to the original line of the canal.

The Trust are also in discussions about the feasibility of replacing the locks at this section of the canal with an iconic boat lift which could become a huge tourist attraction for the area.

Marking a significant milestone in the organisation’s wider plan to connect the last nine miles of the canal network, on completion there will be three pairs of double locks to take the canal down to Quarry Lane and under Sheffield Road.

In the interim period, the Trust will look to utilise the purchased properties as an additional revenue stream to fund their ongoing charitable work.

Banner Jones Solicitors advised Chesterfield Canal Trust on the purchase of the two residential properties, in addition to negotiating and agreeing key access and construction rights in respect of an adjacent property, that will allow the Trust to start work on the site at the relevant time.

Peter Hardy, Chairman at Chesterfield Canal Trust, commented: “The aim of the trust is to promote the full restoration of the Chesterfield Canal so that people all across Derbyshire and South Yorkshire can enjoy it’s beauty, and in doing so encourage a better sense of community that will positively affect people’s health and wellbeing.

“I would like to thank Banner Jones Solicitors for guiding us through this process ensuring that these transactions could be achieved quickly and effectively.”

Ian Osborn, Commercial Solicitor at Banner Jones said: “It’s a pleasure to work on projects like this one, as the nature of the end objective is unique and presents enjoyable legal challenges.”

“We would like to wish Chesterfield Canal Trust the best of luck as the project now progresses, and we’re very much looking forward to assisting with the ongoing legal requirements of the charity.”

Banner Jones offers a full range of services to businesses, including commercial agreements, company formations, support with commercial property and more.

Ian Osborn took part in the recent Chesterfield Champions Round Table event which focused on small business support. You can read more here.

Click here to find out more about the Chesterfield Canal 2027 Restoration Appeal