Development

Local Enterprise Partnership decision

Chesterfield Borough Council has resolved to remain as a member of Derby Derbyshire Nottingham Nottinghamshire (D2N2) Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and to relinquish its membership of Sheffield City Region (SCR) LEP. The Council will, however, remain a non-constituent member of the Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “This is a decision that I neither take lightly nor is it a decision that I believe is necessary. But there is no option if we are to comply with the Government’s requirement for Chesterfield’s businesses and communities to in future be represented by a single LEP.”

“Chesterfield’s businesses and communities have benefitted greatly from the Council being a member of both D2N2 LEP and SCR LEP since 2013 with £60 million plus of external funds having been secured for investment in infrastructure, business growth, skills and employment support.”

“We would like this position to continue, however, Whitehall appears determined not to allow the geographies of two LEPs to overlap.”

At a meeting of full Council on 27 February this year, councillors received and considered a detailed report on the Government’s July 2018 review of LEPs.

Councillors noted in particular that councils were to be represented by one LEP from April 2020 contrasting with the position that has existed across many parts of England since 2013 where the businesses and communities of particular local authority areas have been represented by two or more LEPs. This has been the case in Chesterfield borough, where our businesses and communities have been represented by both D2N2 LEP and SCR LEP.

Councillors also noted the Secretary of State’s statement that there would be consequences for non-compliant LEPs. This would include withholding payment of additional capacity funds to support LEPs to develop their respective Local Industrial Strategies and reducing the value of post-Brexit funding allocations (UK Shared Prosperity Fund).

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, continued: “I have a responsibility to act in the best interests of Chesterfield borough’s businesses and communities and indeed of all businesses and communities located within the D2N2 and SCR geographies in not limiting the ability of the two LEPs to realise the full value of their respective post-Brexit funding entitlements.”

“By taking this decision today, D2N2 LEP and SCR LEP will be able to finalise their respective proposals to the Government for geographies which best reflect real functional economic areas and remove overlaps.”

“Whilst our LEP membership will remain with D2N2, Chesterfield Borough Council will continue to maintain an active interest in SCR through its non-constituent membership of the Mayoral Combined Authority. This is viewed as essential to ensure the future alignment of D2N2’s and SCR’s key strategies on critical cross-boundary matters such as HS2 and strategic road networks.”

Elizabeth Fagan, Chair of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “We’re pleased that Chesterfield Borough Council has confirmed its decision to remain a member of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership area. The UK Government had requested that all local authorities, located where two Local Enterprise Partnerships’ areas overlap, must decide which LEP they wished to be a member of.”

“We very much recognise that the borough’s location means its communities look towards both Yorkshire and Derbyshire.”

“We will continue to work closely with our colleagues in the Sheffield City Region LEP, to provide the Chesterfield area with the best support for its economy.”

The Leader of the Council will provide a full account of the reasons behind the decisions now made at the next meeting of full Council, which takes place on 17 July.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Made in Chesterfield

Pronto Industrial Paints announces major investment in new factory

Pronto Industrial Paints Ltd have announced the acquisition of a new site that will open in the Holmewood community in the near future.

Named PP2, the main investment is an additional factory for Pronto Industrial Paints Ltd located within close proximity to their HQ. The premises will more than treble their existing footprint to 80000 sq. ft.

Further investment in their production site will increase potential output to over 36,000 litres of paint a day.

David Beckford, Managing Director at Pronto, commented “the new purchase comes at a time when other manufacturing businesses are pausing investment, I believe this is a time to be brave and believe in our team and what we can offer. A program of work at Pronto Paints HQ is also underway to make the most of PP2. It is yet to be confirmed how the company will utilise all of the new space. As the building is in need of some restoration we have plenty of time to decide on the most suitable use moving forwards.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development, Made in Chesterfield

Chesterfield local plan submitted to Government

The Chesterfield Borough Council’s Local Plan has been submitted to Government.

The local plan will provide the framework for the provision of the borough’s development needs up to 2033 – where the housing, retail and business needs of the community will be provided and how important countryside, ecological and heritage features will be protected.

Councillors agreed at the full council meeting on 12 December 2018 that a public consultation on the pre-submission local plan should be organised before submitting the plan to the Government for independent examination.

Cllr Terry Gilby, portfolio holder for economic growth, explained: “The public consultation on the pre-submission local plan took place between 14 January 2019 and 22 February 2019. A total of 438 representations were made.

“The local plan, along with supporting documents and copies of all the representations that were made during the consultation, will be submitted to the Government on 28 June 2019”.

The local plan will now be subject to an independent examination by a planning inspector. This will provide a detailed review of the entire document.

The council expects to receive a timetable for the examination shortly and this will be updated on the council’s website at: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/localplan.

The programme officer, who works on behalf of the planning inspector, will contact everyone who responded to the 2019 pre-submission consultation to provide further detail on the examination process.

The examination is likely to include a series of hearings on what the inspector deems to be critical issues affecting the plan.

Respondents who made representations proposing changes to the plan during the pre-submission public consultation may be invited to take part in a hearing. Those selected will be contacted by the programme officer once the hearing ti­­metable has been finalised.

During the examination period, the submission and examination material will be available to be viewed by the public on the council’s website www.chesterfield.gov.uk/localplan.

Printed copies of the local plan and submission documents will also be available to view at the council’s Customer Contact Centre, at Chesterfield Library and at Staveley Library.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development

New sports pitch to inspire future athletes

Chesterfield’s new artificial sports pitch on the site of the former Queen’s Park Sports Centre is now taking bookings in readiness for its opening during the summer.

The floodlit all-weather pitch built and maintained by Chesterfield Borough Council is big enough to support either one seven-a-side game or two five-a-side games at a time.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, the council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing said: “With the success  of the Women’s World Cup and the great results so far the England team inspiring a new generation of sportswomen, the need for somewhere for them to train and play their games is greater than ever.”

“I would encourage any group, club  or organisation wanting to access this excellent facility to make contact as soon as possible as we are expending demand to be high given the high specification of the development.”

The pitch helps to meet a need identified by the Football Association and Sport England to increase the number of artificial pitches available in the borough.

The pitch is built on the site of the former Queen’s Park Sports Centre.

Anyone interested in using the pitch, contact the team at Queen’s Park Sports Centre by emailing qpscenquiries@chesterfield.gov.uk or call (01246) 345555.

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

Avant Homes given green light to bring 173 new homes to Chesterfield

Avant Homes is set to build 173 new homes at a new £36m development in Chesterfield after planning permission was approved by Chesterfield Borough Council.

Located  just off the A61 on Brimington Road, the 12-acre former timber yard site will form a key part of the residential area at Chesterfield Waterside – a £340 million regeneration scheme located close to   Chesterfield town centre.

Named Waterside Quarter, the development will form part of ‘The Park’ area of the scheme and will be Avant Homes largest site in the Chesterfield area to date.  Waterside Quarter will include a mixture of Avant Homes’ contemporary, two, three and four-bedroom homes, designed for modern living, offering buyers 11 different house types to choose from. Groundworks are due to commence in July and the first homes will be ready for occupation in June 2020.

Avant Homes Central managing director, Stuart Rowlands, said: “The Chesterfield Waterside scheme is a hugely important regeneration project for the town, and we are thrilled to be a key part of it.  Our design-led collection of homes will give customers more choice, more flexibility and the opportunity to live in an aspirational home at an attainable price.

“We are very pleased to have planning granted and now look forward to works commencing in the coming weeks and delivering what will be a highly desirable place to live for buyers in Chesterfield.”

Chesterfield Waterside is recognised as being one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects and is being led by Chesterfield-based Bolsterstone Group Plc working in conjunction with Arnold Laver Group and Chesterfield Borough Council.

Peter Swallow, managing director of the Bolsterstone Group Plc, said: “The granting of planning permission for Avant Homes’ construction of 173 new homes at Chesterfield Waterside is a significant step forward for the scheme in 2019.  Avant’s stylish and contemporary homes will now bring forward an exciting new phase in Waterside, one that I know is very much anticipated in Chesterfield and will go towards meeting the demand for additional high-quality housing in the local market.”

For more information about Waterside Quarter, visit To register your interest please contact 01246889785 or visit www.avanthomes.co.uk/waterside-quarter/

Find out more about the £1 billion of  developments taking place in Chesterfield

Avant Homes' Waterside Quarter Chesterfield Waterside

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development

Business Analytics Consultancy Announces Move to New Town Centre Location

Chesterfield based business analytics consultancy Peak Indicators have expanded to a new office location in Chesterfield town centre.

Peak Indicators Ltd took receipt of the keys to Hayfield House in February and following an 8 week programme of works the team have moved into their new home benefiting from a town centre location and excellent public transport links.

Andy Ball, Chief Operating Officer at Peak Indicators, said:

“We are looking forward to continuing our journey of growth in our new home here at Hayfield House, it’s a great time for us all. Chesterfield is a very accessible location allowing us to access talent and skill pools from surrounding Cities, which is vital for a niche consultancy such as ours”

“Following the investment in a new building and creating a fantastic working space the plans are to continue to build further world-leading analytical solutions that support an ever-expanding customer base.”

Peak Indicators were formed in 2008 as a Business Intelligence consultancy. The company is now very much focused on developing machine learning and augmented, advanced analytics applications for clients in the retail, financial services and consumer goods sectors.

Over the last 10 years Peak Indicators has created 50 jobs and their client base and service offering continues to grow.

Peak Indicators

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

New Buildings Progress at Markham Vale

Derbyshire based construction company B and K Building Services Ltd are making excellent progress on constructing the new building for Protec International at Markham Vale.

The steel framework has been completed enabling the placing of roof liner sheets to commence. The sub-base has been trimmed and works will commence shortly on casting the ground floor concrete slab. Other works to start during the month include fixing the wall cladding, the installation of a gas membrane and the installation of foul water drainage and the construction of surface water interceptors and outfalls.

A similar level of construction activity is underway on Enterprise Way on the MV55 speculative development for Henry Boot Developments.

Markham Vale is a 200-acre industrial and logistics development located at Junction 29A of the M1 in Derbyshire, a joint venture between Henry Boot Developments (HBD) and Derbyshire County Council.

One of the region’s most successful industrial locations, Markham Vale is home to the likes of Great Bear, Gist, Ferdinand Bilstein and Sterigenics.

Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, Councillor Tony King, said: “We look forward to welcoming even more businesses at the site very soon and for those looking to relocate or expand, we still have opportunities available so please get in touch for more information.”

Find out more about relocating to Markham Vale and investing in Chesterfield.

Markham Vale

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

University of Derby rises in Guardian University Guide 2020

The University of Derby, which has a campus in Chesterfield, has risen three places in The Guardian University Guide from 29th to 26th place – its highest ever ranking.

As well as being ranked in the Top 30, Derby has been placed joint third out of 121 institutions for the number of students satisfied with teaching quality – a jump of 18 places in the league table for the metric.    

The University has also been placed in the Top 10 for student satisfaction with its courses and feedback. 

Welcoming the results from today’s The Guardian University Guide 2020, Professor Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, said: “At Derby we have worked to deliver a powerful regional university that addresses the needs of our students, region and beyond. This has established us as a leading institution for social mobility, achieved through our academic and student frameworks, and highlighted by this latest Guardian University Guide position.

“This improvement is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our staff and students, the support of key partners across the region, and our commitment to delivering excellence in teaching and learning, providing an outstanding student experience, and increasing graduate employability.

“It also demonstrates how our Strategic Framework and our values, which we launched almost a year ago to the day, are driving us forward to where we want our University to be – making a positive impact in our city, county and region, creating the next generation of game-changers, and opening doors of opportunity to anyone wishing to access education, regardless of their background.”

As well as an overall ranking, The Guardian University Guide 2020 also produces league tables for each subject area, which has seen some equally impressive performances for Derby.

These include Top 10 rankings for:

·         Accounting and Finance

·         Building and Town and Country Planning

·         Business, Management & Marketing

·         Criminology

·         Hospitality and Event Management

The University of Derby has also been ranked in the Top 20 for:

·         Art

·         Fashion & Textiles

·         Journalism, Publishing & Public Relations

·         Nursing & Midwifery

·         Social Work

The Guardian university league tables, published today, rank universities according to a variety of criteria considered most relevant to students, including students’ satisfaction with the course, teaching, feedback and student-to-staff ratio. Institutions receive an overall score and individual assessments are also given for a whole range of criteria including employability, spend per student and, new for this year, continuation.

Many prospective students rely on annual guides published by national newspapers and elsewhere to decide on where they will study, and Derby showed improved performance across a variety of criteria.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

Huge jobs growth at Markham Vale

A record number of 2,236 people are currently employed at Markham Vale, an increase of almost 600 new jobs over the past twelve months.   The figures are the result of Derbyshire County Council’s Markham Vale Annual Jobs survey.

The 2,236 employees at Markham Vale is now more than the 2,000 people that were employed at the former colliery site in its 1980’s hey day.

There are over 50 companies based at Markham Vale across a range of industry sectors and of varying sizes, with a number of start-up companies employing two or three people and then there are the large multi-nationals employing two to three hundred.

Markham Vale is a 200-acre industrial and logistics development located at Junction 29A of the M1 in Derbyshire, a joint venture between Henry Boot Developments (HBD) and Derbyshire County Council.

One of the region’s most successful industrial locations, Markham Vale is home to the likes of Great Bear, Gist, Ferdinand Bilstein and Sterigenics.

Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, Councillor Tony King, said: “We look forward to welcoming even more businesses at the site very soon and for those looking to relocate or expand, we still have opportunities available so please get in touch for more information.”

Find out more about relocating to Markham Vale and investing in Chesterfield.

Markham Vale MV55

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development

Former Post Office sold for residential development

FHP is pleased to announce the sale of the first and second floors of the old Post Office, Chesterfield to Balmoral Investment & Development Limited.

Following the refurbishment and letting of the ground floor to Loungers by PDR Construction, the upper floors were marketed with the benefit of a planning consent to convert the upper parts into 10 high quality apartments.

Phil Daniels at FHP commented “There is still an appetite for small scale town centre living and this property’s excellent location on the historic Market Square appealed to the purchaser for their rental model. We are currently advising a number of clients on former office properties suitable for residential development, with this market continuing to remain buoyant”.

Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager said: “There are already a number of residential developments already underway in the town centre and the Old Post Office will further add to this. Town centre living is a key component to creating a modern town centre which has a thriving daytime and evening economy – which are both important to the town’s fortunes.”

Work will commence shortly on site for a scheme aimed at the rentals market.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

Markham miners memorial unveiling marks halfway point

Eight new life-size steel figures have been unveiled as part of a memorial to miners who lost their lives at Markham Colliery marking the halfway point in the project.

There are now 53 figures as part of the award-winning ‘Walking Together’ memorial – led by us – which will eventually feature 106 figures stretching between the village of Duckmanton in Chesterfield and the former pithead.

Each figure is part of a walking trail which symbolises a miner’s journey to the pit and back home again and represents the 106 men who lost their lives in three accidents at the site.

On 21 January 1937 an underground explosion claimed the lives of nine men and in 1938, 79 miners lost their lives and 40 were seriously injured in a second explosion.

Eighteen miners died and 11 others suffered serious injury in the third disaster at the colliery when the mechanical brake on a lift carrying them to the coalface failed on 30 July, 1973.

The former colliery site has now been reclaimed by us and Henry Boot Developments and is home to the Markham Vale regeneration scheme which is working to create 4,100 jobs for local people.

Derbyshire County Council, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration Councillor Tony King said: “It was a special and emotional day remembering the brave men that lost their lives in the three disasters at Markham Colliery.

“We are delighted that we have now commemorated 53 out of the 106 men with a life-size figure and have reached the halfway point in this important project.

“If you’d like to take part and support the project by sponsoring a figure please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.”

Each figure carries a tag with the name of one of the miners, along with their age and job role.

These most recent additions have been dedicated to:

  • Colin Gee-Pemberton, 30, Belt-hand
  • George Davison, 51, Contractor
  • Harry Taylor, 32, Belt Erector
  • James Allen, 25, Contractor
  • John Henry Bradford, 46, Ripper
  • Lawrence Jacklin, 28, Contractor
  • Leonard Keller, 26, Belt Turner
  • Stanley Lodge, 40, Belt erector

Relatives of the miners commemorated at the unveiling also attended the event to pay tribute.

The latest figures have been sponsored by:

  • Sutton-cum-Duckmanton Parish Council
  • Rex Procter and Partners and RPP Management Ltd
  • DLA Piper UK LLP
  • Burkitt and Foulkes families
  • Ian Whibberley
  • NT Killingley Ltd
  • Derbyshire County Council and through public donations

The Walking Together memorial has been designed by Cheshire-based artist Stephen Broadbent.

The memorial won the award for best volunteer project and the Markham Vale Heritage Group was also highly commended recognising the involvement of young people in heritage with its Story Mine project at this year’s Derbyshire Heritage Awards.

Markham miners memorial unveiling marks halfway point

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development