2023 has seen significant investment in Chesterfield, with sites including One Waterside Place, Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre, and Hartington Business Park all helping to grow our town’s economy.
Meanwhile, announcements of further developments in the town continue to drive forward economic activity, with multi-million pound projects set to get underway in Chesterfield and Staveley’s town centres. Planning permission has been submitted for the much anticipated Gateway @Peak development, giving visitors a base to explore Chesterfield and the Peak District.
With major progress being made across our town in 2023 and further ambitions for growth in 2024, the town’s network of Chesterfield Champions have shared with us their biggest successes from the past 12 months.
Peter Swallow, Chair, Destination Chesterfield
“This year, it has been great to see the success of the town’s new flagship office spaces, One Waterside Place and the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre. Elsewhere, Markham Vale continues to attract new businesses to the area, and Staveley’s Hartington Business Park has also demonstrated a strong appetite from businesses to invest in our town. In 2024, I look forward to projects such as the Gateway @Peak, the refurbishment of Stephenson Memorial Hall, and the revitalisation of our high streets boosting Chesterfield’s regeneration even further.”
About Destination Chesterfield.
Cllr Tricia Gilby, Leader, Chesterfield Borough Council
“There is lots to be excited about in 2024. We will continue to put external funding to good use by investing in the future of our borough, our project to revitalise Chesterfield town centre will begin and link with the transformation of Stephenson Memorial Hall into a world-class theatre and museum. Working with our Staveley Town Deal partners, significant progress will be made towards realising the ambitious projects that will ensure the town is a place to start, to stay and to grow. We will also be investing in more affordable housing for our community. Heading into 2024 we continue to face some difficult decisions around our budget, but we will ensure that putting our community first is at the heart of everything we do.”
About Chesterfield Borough Council
Dom Stevens, Manager, Destination Chesterfield
“2023 has been a year of positivity and progress. New events such as Peddler Market, Chesterfield Children’s Festival, and Eat in the Park, alongside established favourites, have helped to support our independent businesses and the wider economy. In 2024, I look forward to more of the same, with partnerships and collaborations helping bring forward our town’s ambitions.”
About Destination Chesterfield.
David Pratt, Building Control Manager, DBCP
“The new office developments in Chesterfield have been a triumph for the town in 2023. They have attracted businesses into the town and set the bar for construction standards and high quality where building control is concerned. With all the developments happening now, and in the future, it is an opportunity for the town to lead on build quality next year and beyond.”
Amy McCroray, Marketing Administrator, Rosewood Wealth Management
This year, Rosewood has enjoyed being part of Chesterfield’s flagship regeneration project, Chesterfield Waterside. Joining 3 other businesses in relocating to the environmentally-friendly Basin Square office building, the development will encourage more visitors to Chesterfield and create stronger local business links. Looking ahead to 2024, the Rosewood team is most optimistic about the continued regeneration of the town with upcoming projects to include the refurbishment of Chesterfield train station.
About Rosewood Wealth Management
Nick Grayson, Managing Director, Pinelog Limited
“2023 was the year that Pinelog became part of Chesterfield’s business community, after we relocated our manufacturing premises from Bakewell to Sheepbridge. Being able to see Chesterfield’s success developing in real time and the growth in business premises has been immensely encouraging. There is so much happening in the town, and I am delighted that the business is now part of the story. 2024 will be an exciting year for Pinelog and Chesterfield.”
Anna Melton, Owner and Director, In the Works PR
“What a year 2023 has been! Full of highs and lows, which Chesterfield has dealt with and, in many cases, emerged stronger. Looking to the future, I have high hopes for the town centre. There is a lot of investment taking place and the new offices at the Donut and Waterside are adding to footfall. I think 2024 will be the year that local people rediscover Chesterfield town centre.”
Rob Woodhead, Head of Private Client and Executive Director, BRM Solicitors
“2023 has seen a year of progressive change for Chesterfield and we’re looking forward to seeing what 2024 will bring for the town. We’re delighted to continue to be one of the leading providers of commercial and private client legal services in the area and we’re delighted to champion Chesterfield as a great place to do business as well as being a sought-after place to live. We’ve had another successful year supporting the local community and being a part of the ongoing regeneration of the town through various commercial property deals.”
Siân Spencer Bray, Clinical Director & Lead Psychotherapist, Therapy and Lifestyle Clinic
“2023 has brought to light the togetherness of our businesses. With many collaborations and partnerships, you can see how passionate Chesterfield businesses are about working closely with each other to offer more to customers and service users. The increase in events in and around Chesterfield brings a great sense of community and showcases many of the wonderful businesses we have too. It is wonderful to see so many businesses championing positive mental health and wellness in their workplaces and within the community.”
About Therapy and Lifestyle Clinic
Josh Dickens, Business Development & Marketing Manager, SMH Group
“Chesterfield FC is the biggest success story in our opinion, and we aren’t just saying this because of our sponsorship of the stadium. The team’s captivating performance promises the potential for promotion, anticipating increased attendance, TV exposure, sponsorship opportunities, and financial support for various developmental aspects. Additionally, the Community Trust’s takeover has fostered stability and trust, attracting businesses and fans eager to support the restructured setup.”
Mike Jones, Customer Relationship Manager, Windowcharm Blinds & Curtains
“Over the past year, there have been many successes for Chesterfield. One of the biggest achievements has been the town’s ability to maintain a strong economy despite the challenges posed by the cost-of-living crisis. The community has shown resilience and adaptability, and I believe this will continue to be a driving force for growth in the years to come. With continued investment in infrastructure and businesses, the town has the potential to become a hub for innovation and a destination for visitors.”
About Windowcharm Blinds & Curtains
Chris Sellars, Chief Executive and Legal Counsel, Bridge Help
“The floods were devastating for the town, including a member of the Bridge Help team whose home was flooded. However, to see how everyone pulled together helping residents and businesses, confirmed that Chesterfield’s spirit continues to be strong in adversity. 2024 will be a challenging year for the country, however I have no doubt that Chesterfield will not only come out fighting but stronger – if past performance is anything to go by.”
James Pogson, Managing Director, Northern Tea Merchants
“The floods brought devastation to Chatsworth Road and surrounding areas this year, and Northern Tea Merchants was one of the many businesses affected. Whilst terrible, I was delighted at how the community rallied to support each other. Changes need to be made, so I am looking forward to seeing new and successful flood prevention measures in 2024, that will preclude this from happening again and will benefit residents and businesses.”
Jamie Wajs, Owner, Lime Living Estate Agents
“The town continues to show that it has an attractive and strong local business and employment economy and there has been a good level of positive investment in new infrastructure during 2023 and with more in the pipeline for 2024. This is making Chesterfield an attractive place to live and work, with the town having a lot more to offer.”
About Lime Living Estate Agents
Katie Ash, Head of Employment Law, Banner Jones Solicitors
“I’m excited to see that there have been so many new business start-ups over the year and businesses relocating to Chesterfield. As a Chesterfield business of 145 years, it is important for us that the local economy grows and strengthens. We continue to build strategic partnerships with local businesses (including other Chesterfield Champions) offering a full range of commercial legal services and employment law services”.
Stuart Rooker, Careers Lead, Direct Education Business Partnership
“It’s been fantastic to see a brand-new programme piloted in Chesterfield this year and set to expand over the next four. The ‘Careers Made in Chesterfield’ (CMiC) workshop programme is an exciting initiative to deliver careers-related workshops in schools and forge links with local businesses. The pilot focused on the property and construction sector, and the project will widen to include health and care, and engineering and manufacturing.”
About Direct Education Business Partnership
David Whiteley, Co-Director, FWD Motion
“Chesterfield’s ongoing resilience is what really stands out for me in 2023. It has been incredibly moving to see the community come together to support one another. We simply hope that in 2024 we see our residents, workers, and businesses back on their feet.”
Rod Auton, Secretary, Chesterfield Canal Trust
“I’m delighted that One Waterside Place is now fully occupied. Hopefully this will be the encouragement needed for the rest of the developments around the canal basin at Chesterfield Waterside to get underway. I am very much looking forward to the Staveley Town Deal’s canal projects starting on the ground after years of planning. These are the construction of the first building at Staveley Town Basin, the new Trans-Pennine Trail Bridge and the subsequent restoration of the canal further east.”
About Chesterfield Canal Trust
Dominic Staniforth, Partner, BHP Chartered Accountants
“Chesterfield is experiencing a renaissance, with schemes like the £340 million Waterside Regeneration project playing a vital role in attracting both talent and high-quality businesses to the area. Our home, One Waterside Place, a desirable location next to the station, has proved the mantra ‘build it and they will come’, with its six floors of Grade A office accommodation now fully let. It was fantastic to see the Government award a £20 million grant from the Levelling Up Fund which will support the refurbishment of Stephenson Memorial Hall, modernisation of Chesterfield Museum with new education, and community facilities.”
About BHP Chartered Accountants
Amy Revell, Co-Founder and Director, We Are Spaces
“The office market in Chesterfield has been a great success! One Waterside Place is now fully let, The Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre is more than 85% occupied, The Glass Yard is around 95% occupied and The HQ Building is proving popular. These successes then support further developments to materialise and ensure a good level of Grade A office space continues to be available. I believe we are very well placed to ensure businesses can recruit and retain skilled people in high quality and affordable workspaces.”
Paul Lewis, Head of Partnerships, Mortgage 1st
“It is tough to narrow it down to one standout moment from the year but the town benefitting from £20m over the next 10 years via the Government levelling up investment fund was a pivotal success for Chesterfield in 2023; this along with further investment in and around the town will hopefully see the town centre flourish once more. The hope of enhanced amenities and job opportunities means that we can all look forward to 2024 with great optimism.
Matt Close, UK Business Lead, NeoDyne
“2023 marks a milestone for NeoDyne with our first Christmas in Chesterfield. The Borough Council has successfully attracted and supported new businesses in 2023, and we’ve certainly experienced the welcome and benefitted from their support. Looking forward to 2024, we’re excited about the continued investment in the town centre and Waterside regeneration projects. We intend to play our part by championing Chesterfield as a great place to live and work.”
Richard Fowler, Technical Sales and Account Manager, RA Information Systems
“Having worked alongside our customers for over two decades, we have seen a remarkable transformation in Chesterfield’s business landscape. The recent success of Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre and One Waterside Place, coupled with a surge in office space demand, reflects the town’s commitment to fostering a dynamic and tech-driven environment for businesses. This achievement positions Chesterfield as a robust hub, creating a ripple effect that not only attracts investment but also contributes to technology-driven workspace provision for the local community. Exciting times lie ahead as we continue to shape Chesterfield’s economic success story.”
Emma Pymm, Head of Partnerships and Client Relations, ActionCoach
“The real success for Chesterfield is the continued progression of our business community working together and building impactful relationships. I hope that we can continue to put Chesterfield on the map as not just a through town to the beautiful Peak District, but a thriving gateway for visitors to enjoy and make unforgettable memories. In turn, this will build our economy for future generations. I believe the Gateway at PEAK will play a major part in supporting this.”
Kriston Harvey, Director, Rodgers Leask
“I think the biggest success in 2023 has been the strength of the public and private sector collaboration to drive forward the numerous local projects. It was evident from the full house at the Chesterfield Investment Summit just how broad the support is within the local business community. On a personal level, I was delighted to be involved with the Careers Made in Chesterfield initiative. It was great to see the enthusiasm from the students and excellent to hear that a number were now considering a career in the construction industry!”
Jimmy Drew, Commercial Manager, Derbyshire County Cricket Club
“Our five days of cricket at the picturesque Queen’s Park are the highlight of our calendar, especially the T20 match. In front of a sold-out crowd, an incredible atmosphere and a record victory of 144 runs in 2023, we hope next year’s festival can be bigger and better than previous years, as we continue to put on a brilliant event for the residents in the north of the county.”
About Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Emily Bowman, Managing Director, Junction Arts
“Here at Junction Arts, we are extremely proud of the Chesterfield Children’s Festival that we delivered this year. We welcomed over 8,500 people across the two-day event, boosting the town centre economy and encouraging families to experience a range of creative activities. We are excited to build our offer for Chesterfield next year and are looking forward to creating more memorable moments for families to come together, share ideas and get creative!”
Catherine Wenborn, Managing Director, Vines Legal Limited
“The biggest success for Chesterfield over the last year is the continued creation of great spaces for work and leisure encouraging businesses to relocate and visitors to the town. In the coming year I hope to see currently unoccupied premises filled or redeveloped to good purpose.”
Nick Gorman, Owner, CCM Change Consultancy
“The sustained and growing synergetic relationships in our Chesterfield business community continue to be a highlight of working in the town. The networking and knowledge share are vital to the quest for a thriving and rewarding business environment. Our future strategy should involve a plan that looks to capitalise on the environmental ambitions of CBC, matching our local business passion, acumen, professionalism, and innovation with a pursuit of sustainability.”
Georgia Severn, Sales Co-ordinator and Head of Marketing, Custom Solar
“The biggest success for Chesterfield 2023 from my perspective at Custom Solar is the increase in local business’ investments into renewables. We’ve helped multiple clients in our local hometown start their journey to Net-Zero with Solar PV installations, which inevitably, supports the town’s goals too. For 2024 we are excited to continue supporting our neighbouring companies reduce their Carbon emissions as we already have multiple projects for Chesterfield in our pipeline.”
Ben Knights, Trainee Estates Manager, FI Real Estate Management
Within 2023 FI Real Estate Management has seen numerous changes to businesses ways of working and how they want to utilise the space in which they work from. Chesterfield itself is almost perfectly adapted to these requirements with the council identifying these trends early and creating space to help nurture growing local businesses. Something we also did ourselves was helping create high quality office space at both The HQ and The Quad in Chesterfield.
About FI Real Estate Management
Emma Woodhall, Director, Learning Curve Group Hair and Beauty Academies
“It’s been a great year for us; we were awarded Training Provider of the Year at the 2023 VTCT Awards. Looking to 2024 our aim is to support hundreds more learners in the region to achieve qualifications to succeed in the industry, training the next generation of beauty therapists and hairstylists! We are looking to build upon current relationships to retain talent within Chesterfield, and support local business.”
The businesses featured in this article support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.
