Office Space in Chesterfield

Demand for Chesterfield office space soars following completion of flagship developments

Demand for office space has soared in Chesterfield, Derbyshire’s largest town, following the completion of several high-quality schemes, according to new figures published today by Destination Chesterfield.

Demand for space in Chesterfield’s enterprise centres, which provide flexible accommodation for start-ups and businesses with high growth potential, has increased since Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre, the town’s newest centre, opened in July 2022.

More than three-quarters (81 per cent) of the office suites are now occupied at Northern Gateway, well ahead of a 50 per cent 12-month target set by Chesterfield Borough Council. Almost half (14) of tenants at Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre are new to Chesterfield, and have either fully relocated to or opened satellite offices in the town since July 2022.

Occupancy rates at Chesterfield’s established enterprise centres have rebounded to above pre-pandemic levels. 85 per cent of space at Dunston Innovation Centre and 87 per cent of Tapton Park Innovation Centre is now let. Occupancy at both locations was below 80 per cent at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and had fallen to 67 per cent at Dunston and 57 per cent at Tapton Park during the third national lockdown in early 2021.

Two floors of One Waterside Place, a 35,000 sq ft office block next to Chesterfield’s mainline railway station are now occupied and Chesterfield Borough Council reports strong interest in the remaining space. Opened in January 2023, One Waterside Place is located in Basin Square, a major part of the £340m Chesterfield Waterside regeneration scheme.

One Waterside Place

One Waterside Place

Private landlords are also succeeding in attracting businesses to new developments in Chesterfield. Occupancy has reached 94 per cent at The Glass Yard, a 50,000 sq ft office and retail park opened in 2022 by Blue Deer on Sheffield Road, Chesterfield. And FI Real Estate Management has secured deals on 1,143 sq ft and 7,647 sq ft spaces at The HQ, a former Royal Mail building delivering 44,000 sq ft of open-plan office space after refurbishment work completed in April 2023.

Chesterfield Borough Council is supporting a series of projects to provide high-quality commercial space for businesses. It has helped bring to market almost 300,000 square feet of modern office, industrial, manufacturing and logistics space since the start of 2022, and expects to make further premises totalling more than a million sq ft available by the middle of 2025.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and Vice Chair of Destination Chesterfield, comments: “Our local economy is growing and the investments we have made in modern attractive office space has helped bring new businesses into the town and created new jobs for our residents. Our investment coupled with our central location, culture of invention, competitive cost base and quality of life, is driving growth across the borough. Demand is soaring from local start-ups, relocating entrepreneurs from the likes of London, Leeds and Sheffield, and bigger businesses wanting more space or to consolidate their facilities in a single, central location.”

Tim Turner, Managing Director at Blue Deer Ltd, comments: “Chesterfield is a thriving business location and the perfect place for the mix of office and retail space we offer at The Glass Yard. Demand for space here has been particularly strong since we opened last year, both from local companies and incoming businesses.”

The Glassyard

The Glassyard

Dom Knowles, Head of Offices at FI Real Estate Management (FIREM), comments: “We’re passionate about putting Chesterfield on the map as a great place to work, improving its offering in line with nearby cities and enriching the lives of the local business community. We recently carried out a £1.2m refurbishment of The HQ to update the building to a Grade A workspace and we’re already receiving high levels of interest. The HQ offers excellent bespoke office solutions and benefits from well-connected rail and road transport networks, making it a great choice for businesses.”

HQ-Chesterfield-exterior

The HQ, Chesterfield

Chesterfield’s business population has grown by more than a fifth (21 per cent) in the last decade, creating 2,000 new jobs, including 1,800 high-value roles in sectors such as advanced manufacturing and professional services. The town recently published an ambitious growth strategy to attract 400 more businesses and 2,000 more jobs by 2030.

To find out more about the wide range of high-quality office spaces in Chesterfield, go to: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/office

Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

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Chair’s blog: “Businesses certainly see strong benefits to investing and growing in Chesterfield”

Creating vibrant town centres continues to be a priority for Chesterfield.

Like all towns across the UK, we know we must evolve to attract more residents, workers, and visitors to spend time in our high streets.

At the beginning of summer, I wrote about many exciting festivals and events taking place locally. All encouraging you to make memories with your loved ones and to support our shops, eateries and leisure businesses.

This month, I am highlighting the successes of the new office spaces in Chesterfield town centre. Developments like these are bringing hundreds of new jobs to the heart of our town. Exactly what we need to increase the footfall from Monday to Friday.

The new offices are proving popular – thanks to their attractive location, as well as being energy efficient. In less than a year after its opening, the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre is now more than 80% full. Meanwhile, several more firms have expressed a strong interest in One Waterside Place, following the two floors that have already been snapped up.

Furthermore, it’s fantastic to see a full refurbishment now completed at The HQ. What used to be the Royal Mail offices – set adjacent to Queen’s Park – has been transformed into an exciting hub for businesses to thrive.

Quality office spaces continue to be promoted by Destination Chesterfield, with the next marketing campaign underway, targeting firms looking to relocate and grow. I’m pleased to say that almost 3,000 enquiries have been made over the past five years for business premises, keeping Chesterfield Borough Council’s economic development team very busy!

Businesses certainly see strong benefits to investing and growing in Chesterfield, with over 3,000 enterprises now operating here.

But we won’t stop there. It is Chesterfield’s aim to attract a further 100 higher value businesses by 2030, generating more higher wage jobs for local people. This will be complemented by new educational facilities in Staveley, giving people the chance to learn advanced skills in sectors such as construction and rail.

Looking ahead to October, the Chesterfield Investment Summit is a key annual event that allows us to showcase our strengths to inward investors and growing businesses. Returning to Casa Hotel on Wednesday 18th October, it will highlight the wide range of regeneration taking place across our area, whilst explaining the benefits of locating your business here.

This year’s event will focus on quality and sustainable housing, the Gateway at PEAK – which will be an exciting new visitor destination, and the latest progress on Chesterfield town centre’s upcoming £20 million transformation… I’ll be writing more about that in the next post!

As we look towards the future, I have no doubt that Chesterfield will continue to build on its strong foundations and thrive as a top destination for visitors and investors.

Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

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Sports agency announces move to Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

Chesterfield’s Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre has welcomed yet another tenant, with I Am Sports Management announcing the building in the heart of Chesterfield as its new home.

The ‘Grade A’ office space is already more than 60% occupied, with firm taking advantage of the central location, modern facilities and wide range of business support.

I Am Sports Management is a Christian Based Sports Agency. The organisation manages player representation, as well as providing a wider personal service to young players as well as established professionals.

On top of representing athletes in the world of sport, the company’s clients are supported with Mental and Spiritual wellbeing, family support and finance guidance.

Business owner, Steve Jacques commented: “All that we do is based on the foundation of our faith and is delivered in a transparent, ethical and moral basis and treating players as people not assets.”

I Am Sports Management joins several new arrivals to the Enterprise Centre, with digital transformation firm Konektio and charity CP Teens also announcing a move to the development in recent weeks.

Steve explained why the centre provided the perfect base for his organisation: “We wanted a central location but something that was a more contemporary feel and this was exactly what we were looking for. We actually expected to have to go to a city to get this environment.”

“I was born and bred in Chesterfield. In spite of working significant amounts of time in London and with extensive overseas travel, Its my town! It’s ideally central for travel by car, rail and air and has a great mix of activity and peace round the corner in the Peak District.

“Don’t be fooled by the idea of a ‘sleepy market town’. The facilities here are excellent and superb value for money for B2b businesses.

Find out more about basing your business in one of Chesterfield’s quality grade A office spaces at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/business/invest-in-chesterfield/office/

i am sports management

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Family Law Group moves to new office space in Chesterfield

The Derbyshire branch of Family Law Group has announced a move to Chesterfield’s Hayfield House.

The office space, situated prominently in the heart of Chesterfield will provide the business with a central location to improve the firm’s quality service to clients.

Established in 2005, Family Law Group has over 130 employees across 10 offices in Nottingham, Chesterfield, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Wellingborough, Derby, Loughborough, Peterborough, Bedford and Cambridge.

Family Law Group provides expert legal advice across the full range of Family Law matters including Divorce & Separation, Child Arrangements & Social Services, Care Proceedings, Matrimonial Finance & Property, Mediation, Collaborative Law, Forced Marriage and Domestic Abuse Injunctions. Family Law Group is Investors in People and Lexcel accredited.

In the company’s Chesterfield office, Associate Solicitor Johanna Brewer, Solicitor Aimee Booth and SQE Apprentice Stephanie Smart together have substantial experience in divorce proceedings, finance settlements and child contact arrangements, as well as Legal Aid work. They are looking forward to supporting their local community through the new Family Law Group presence in the town.

Johanna Brewer, Associate Solicitor at Family Law Group commented: “As a team, we’re really excited to be moving to Hayfield House. The building has excellent facilities and will enable us to grow our presence in the local area.

“Chesterfield is undergoing a lot of regeneration at the moment, which will transform the town for years to come. We’re excited to be part of that transformation, and our investment shows our belief in the growth of Chesterfield and the surrounding area.

“We are always happy to help residents in the town with any of their family law matters, so please do get in touch if there is any situation in which you require our services.”

Find out more about the fantastic range of flexible, affordable and high-quality office spaces available here in Chesterfield at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/business/invest-in-chesterfield/office/

Family Law Group supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Johanna Brewer Family Law Groupimage

Johanna Brewer, Family Law Group

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Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre is officially open

Chesterfield’s new flagship enterprise centre, which will support new and expanding businesses to respectively start and grow in the town, is now officially open.

The Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre was officially opened by Councillor Terry Gilby, formerly the council’s member for economic growth who started the project in 2017, at a small ceremony on Wednesday 13 July.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of the council, said: “The opening of the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre represents the completion of the first phase of the Northern Gateway master plan. It will support local people to bring to life their business ideas and strengthen the local economy as we recover from the effects of the pandemic.

“We’ve built on our experiences at Tapton and Dunston Innovation Centres to develop this new building and with nine local businesses already signed up take space it is already evident that we have been successful in creating a modern environment where Chesterfield’s budding entrepreneurs can collaborate and flourish. We look forward to welcoming more tenants to the centre over the coming months.”

Roaring Mouse Public Relations have officially moved into the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre, with more companies already lined up to move in over the next few months. East Midlands Chamber has also confirmed it is adding to its existing presence in the town by taking up space at the centre.

The Enterprise Centre includes 32 office suites in a range of sizes, all of which are fitted with the latest hi-tech features that are now standard requirements for modern businesses. It has conferencing facilities allowing businesses to host hybrid meetings and secure cycle parking and shower facilities to allow tenants to bike to work – supporting low carbon transport options. There are also features like break out rooms where businesses can network and find out how they can work together.

Tom Woodhead, Business Services Director at Robert Woodhead Group, said: “After a difficult start in 2020, we’re very happy to be handing over the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre to Chesterfield Borough Council. This modern facility will be extremely valuable to Chesterfield’s thriving business community, helping it to grow and flourish, especially with the hi-tech and hybrid-working features which have been included.”

But the Enterprise Centre provides much more than just office space, as tenants will be able to access bespoke business support services that can help them grow and develop, supporting the creation of more jobs and boosting the local economy.

The building also boasts some great sustainability features which will help keep energy usage down and ensure the building is fit for the future.

Nick Fenton, Associate Director at Whittam Cox Architects, said: “We’re delighted to see the Enterprise Centre complete on site. The Centre is an important part of the Northern Gateway regeneration scheme, providing a new and unique commercial offer which is designed to be a catalyst for further investment and development.

“The project is the third generation of office development for the Council which reflects their aspirations to promote and enhance small enterprising start-up businesses.

“As a local practice, we’re passionate about the region. It has been a privilege to work with the Council to deliver a sustainable building that will help the council move towards their net zero carbon target by 2030. The sustainability agenda is hugely important to us, a critical driver in all that we do is to reduce carbon to the greatest extent possible.”

Andy Dabbs, Board Director at Whittam Cox Architects and Chair of Chesterfield Property and Construction Group said: “The importance of this scheme should not be underestimated. Things do not just happen! The successful delivery of the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre relied on Chesterfield Borough Council creating a vision, successfully securing funding, and then labouring for many years, including navigating some incredibly challenging market conditions, to realise the delivery of a fantastic new commercial offer for the town.

“We are proud to have worked alongside the Council through all stages of the development. The true quality of a team is revealed when things don’t quite go to plan – and the pandemic certainly was not part of it. Despite such challenges, we are proud as a local practice to have supported our Town in delivering such a high-quality facility for businesses wanting to locate in the town centre. This building is further evidence that Chesterfield is open for business and is a sound investment for the future.”

The Enterprise Centre was part funded through a grant from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Investment Fund, with additional funding provided by Chesterfield Borough Council.

Laurie Thomas, Assistant Director, Programme Management Office from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority said: “We believe the Northern Gateway development will help breathe new life into the area and promote the growth of business activities in the ICT and professional service-based sectors”.

“South Yorkshire Investment Fund invested £5.83m in the construction of the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre, signalling a boost in confidence for investors. The investment will leverage in £12.5m investment by the private sector, support the creation of 150 jobs and indirectly create further jobs once the premises are fully let.”

To find out more about your business being based in the Enterprise Centre contact the Enterprise Chesterfield team by calling 01246 903 900 or emailing enterprise@chesterfield.gov.uk.

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