Plans to build a major regeneration route which would relieve congestion and open up new opportunities for jobs and homes have won substantial backing from people living in the area.
The Chesterfield Staveley Regeneration Route (CSSR) will involve building a new 3.7 mile single carriageway road between the Sainsbury’s roundabout in Chesterfield, across Works Road, and through to Hall Lane in Staveley.
Estimates suggest the project could cost £130 million to deliver and Derbyshire County Council is now working on detailed proposals for the route so that it can apply for government funding.
The County Council carried out a non-statutory consultation during March and April so that the views of people living in the area can be factored into the emerging proposals.
More than 2,000 people visited the Virtual Consultation website which was set up online to give as many people as possible convenient access to all the information about the proposals.
Consultation documents were also made available at 5 sites in Chesterfield, Staveley and Brimington for those without internet access.
A total of 377 people made detailed comments about the CSRR proposals, with more than 60% of them in favour.
Councillor Carolyn Renwick, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Environment, said: “The Chesterfield Staveley Regeneration Route represents one of our most significant opportunities to help level-up north Derbyshire. Not only will it reduce congestion, it will also support investment in the economy in areas like Barrow Hill and Staveley, bringing brownfield land back to life.
“Securing public support for these proposals is therefore critically important as we build up to an application to government for funding to help deliver the route and all the opportunities it creates.
“We understand that people will have concerns about the potential impact of a new road on traffic, amenities and the environment. This is why we carried out this non-statutory consultation so that we can listen to people’s views and respond to them as we move forwards.”
The route will involve diverting 2 sections of the Chesterfield Canal and DCC will work closely with the Canal Trust to develop proposals. It will also be subject to a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment and will include detailed plans for walking and cycling links.
Besides opening up access for new homes and jobs, analysis has shown that building the new route could reduce daily traffic volumes by up to 75% on Chesterfield Road in Staveley, and by up to 45% on the Chesterfield Road Crematorium area and Ringwood Road at Brimington.
Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “The Chesterfield Staveley Regeneration Route is critical to ensuring we realise the potential of Staveley and Chesterfield. It will create new and positive opportunities for our residents and businesses – complementing the significant and ongoing investment across the borough by the council and our partners.
“It will act as a catalyst for further investment in the Staveley Works corridor and support the investments made through the Staveley Town Deal. It will also help alleviate congestion for our residents by creating a better connection to the M1. I look forward to working closely with our partners to achieve this ambitious infrastructure project.”
Further work will now be carried out to develop detailed proposals for the Chesterfield Staveley Regeneration Route and it is expected that a formal statutory consultation will take place later this year or early next year.
A planning application to build the route would follow, and subject to approval and government funding, construction work could begin in 2025.
Find out more about regeneration in Staveley at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/developments/staveley/
