Property and Construction

Custom Solar begins innovative project at Portsmouth International Port

Chesterfield-based Custom Solar has announced its latest major sustainable project at Portsmouth International Port.

The team has started to develop the installation of a ground-breaking solar and battery system at the port, managed by Portsmouth City Council’s in-house energy services team. The project began in February 2022 and will incorporate roof-mounted solar panels across a number of buildings, a large battery, and solar canopies.

When completed, the power produced by the 2,660 solar panels will contribute around 35% of the site’s power; a significant step in Portsmouth International Port’s ambition to be the UK’s first net-zero carbon port. The installation is due to complete in summer 2022.

Portsmouth is the first UK port to have solar canopies and a mega-watt sized battery installed as part of a renewable installation. When completed, the 1.2 megawatt peak system, will be the largest solar and battery installation to date across the council’s portfolio of renewable generation.

As well as generating carbon-free power, the solar canopies will provide shade for cars waiting to board ferries; allowing them to stay cooler for longer, without having to run their engines.

Image by Portsmouth International Port

The battery, with a capacity of 1.5 megawatt hours (enough to run a typical home for 4 months), will capture green power that would otherwise be exported from the site and using it in the port’s buildings when it is needed.

The new battery will work in tandem with an upcoming battery storage pilot announced in the summer; supplying balancing services to the national grid and storing power during lower pricing periods. When complete, it is estimated that 98% of the electricity consumed by the port will come from the solar and battery, combined.

Gary Sucharewycz, CEO of Custom Solar, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Portsmouth City Council in the delivery of this special project, utilising our experience in developing and delivering solar at another established British port.

“We have already broken ground and we are excited to showcase a solar rooftop, solar carport canopy, and battery storage system. We are proud to have been selected to work towards the environmental ambitions of Portsmouth International Port and look forward to delivering another major on-site project in a busy operational environment that will aid in carbon reduction goals.”

Jerry Clarke, pilot and senior project manager at Portsmouth International Port added: “The port is owned by the people of Portsmouth, so we have a duty to control and reduce the impact of port operations on the local environment.

“We’re delighted to work with the wider council and Custom Solar on this exciting project. It will significantly expand our solar generating capability, and is part of an integrated approach that will help us to offer shore power for smaller ships, without having to take extra power from the local electricity grid.

“Combined with other sustainability initiatives, it will help us achieve our ambition of becoming one of the UK’s first zero emission ports by 2050”.

Custom Solar Ltd. supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

From L-R: Gary Sucharewycz, CEO of Custom Solar: Tony Denney, Site Manager for Custom Solar; Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Green Recovery, Cllr Kimberly Barrett; Owen Hughes, Project Manager at Portsmouth City Council’s Energy Services Team; Andrew Waggott; Energy Services Team Manager at Portsmouth City Council.

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Outdoor performance space created at Springwell Community College

A new performance canopy has been built at Springwell Community College with funding provided through the Staveley Town Deal.

The new canopy is next to the performing arts block – providing space for summer concerts and productions to be held outside. It can also be used by students during the day as a covered social and dining space.

Ian Wingfield, headteacher at Springwell Community College, said: “The SCART (Springwell Community Arts) provision at Springwell has had a challenging time through the pandemic and this investment will help to reboot and enhance this highly regarded programme. The new performance space is a welcome addition to our college and creates new opportunities for students to develop their skills and build on stage experience.”

The performance canopy was constructed during half term and benches have been placed under the canopy to provide a sheltered social and dining space.

As part of the Town Deal process, accelerator funding worth £500,000 was granted by Government to deliver projects ahead of the full set of projects that form Staveley Town Deal.

Ivan Fomin, Chair of the Staveley Town Deal Board, said: “The accelerator funding has really helped kickstart the Town Deal and demonstrates the broad ambitions of the Town Deal Board. The projects that have been supported through accelerator funding aim to improve the quality of life for local residents and ensure that Staveley is a place to start, to stay and to grow. I look forward to the summer when we can enjoy outdoor performances at Springwell Community College and I hope the community will turn out to support these performances too.”

Accelerator funding has also been used to create new play facilities on King George V Playing Field, upgrade CCTV in Staveley Town Centre, improve drainage on the Chantry Playing Fields and to undertake preparatory works for DRIIVe a rail innovation and training centre which will be built in Barrow Hill.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and vice chair of Staveley Town Deal Board, said: “The accelerator projects are really just the first step in delivering the wider Town Deal, there will be lots of updates around the eleven key projects that form the Town Investment Plan over the next few months as well as the opportunity for residents to get involved.”

Find out more about Staveley Town Deal on the Chesterfield Borough Council website: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/staveley-town-deal

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Residents encouraged to have their say on Staveley Regeneration Route

New proposals to build a road linking Chesterfield and Staveley have been drawn-up to cut congestion and open up land for employment and housing.

Derbyshire County Council is asking residents and commuters for their views on the proposals for the £130 million Chesterfield Staveley Regeneration Route before finalising its approach to government for funding for the project.

The project is designed to cut the amount of traffic using the A619 through Brimington, Hollingwood and Staveley, reducing issues with traffic delays and queuing, HGVs passing residential property, and improving noise and air quality.

Residents can take a look at the plans online and give their views on the proposals as well as commenting on the current issues with traffic along the A619 and how they might be affected.

Councillor Carolyn Renwick, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Environment, said: “This is a major project to level-up and bring extra investment to support economic growth in the area.

“As well as addressing problems with congestion and traffic flow on the A619 through Brimington, Hollingwood and Staveley, it will unlock opportunities to develop land alongside the route to bring much-needed new homes and jobs to the area.

“I’d urge everyone to take a look at the latest proposals and give us their views.”

The new route is proposed to stretch 3.7 miles from the roundabout by Sainsbury’s on the A619 in Chesterfield to Hall Lane in Staveley.

It is proposed to build 3 new bridges to carry the road over Chesterfield Canal which would need some slight realignments at 2 of the crossing points to accommodate the bridges.

The proposed route will include a 2 metre pavement on both sides of the carriageway, and a segregated cycle track. Connections to the Chesterfield Canal towpath will also be provided at several points along the route.

If funding for the project is approved, more detailed proposals will be drawn-up and further consultation with local communities will be held before any work can begin.

The closing date for comments is Friday 10 April 2022.

Major regeneration is set to take across Staveley over the next few years thanks to the Staveley Town Deal programme, with more housing and jobs set to be brought to the area.

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Brand-new apartments now on-sale at Chesterfield’s Waterside Quarter development

Leading housebuilder Avant Homes has released a collection of brand-new one and two-bedroom apartments for sale at its popular £36m Waterside Quarter development in Chesterfield.

Located off Brimington Road, the new apartments at the development are available in three impressive designs with prices ranging from £124,995 for a one-bedroom flat to £158,495 for a two-bedroom apartment.

The apartment building is located in a prime location at Waterside Quarter with easy access to the entrance while also sitting in a private cul-de-sac, close to the River Rother. Each home across the three-storey buildings include an open-plan living space, double bedrooms and ample storage.

Named The Stevenson, The Hepworth and The Tapton apartments, the homes also comprise a high-quality specification which features a designer kitchen with integrated appliances and boutique bathrooms with full height tiling.

Avant Homes Central sales and marketing director, Dawn Bennett, said: “Waterside Quarter is one of our most highly-anticipated developments within the region, so it’s exciting to launch our apartments to appeal even further to the wide range of buyers looking to purchase in Chesterfield.

“The Stevenson, The Hepworth and The Tapton are exclusive to Waterside Quarter and buyers won’t be able to find them at any of our other developments, so with the limited availability we’re sure they will receive great interest from commuters and first-time buyers, alike.”

Waterside Quarter forms a key part of the wider £340m Chesterfield Waterside project which is one of the UK’s largest regeneration schemes.

Once complete, it will feature 173-homes across a range of one, two, three and four-bedroom properties. Available homes at Waterside Quarter are currently priced from £124,995 for a one-bedroom apartment to £295,995 for a four-bedroom semi-detached home with three storeys.

Based in Chesterfield, Avant Homes Central is part of the Avant Homes group, one of the leading private developers of residential property in the UK. The group currently has 55 developments across its five operating regions.

Find out more about the Chesterfield Waterside development at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/developments/chesterfield-waterside/

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

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Blue Plaque unveiled at University of Derby’s St. Helena Campus in Chesterfield

A Blue Plaque has been unveiled at the University of Derby’s Chesterfield campus to commemorate the building and its significance as a prominent former girl’s school in the area.

The plaque was unveiled at the Grade II listed building, St Helena, formerly Chesterfield Girls High School, by Dr Maureen Strelley, a former pupil and Bolsover GP, at an event hosted in collaboration with the Chesterfield Civic Society on Monday 7 March, 2022.

The building was originally designed by G.H. Widdows, one of the outstanding school architects of his day and was his first major project for the county council. Opened as a new secondary school in 1911 by the Duchess of Devonshire, the school provided transformative education for many pupils, before it closed in 1991.

In 2016, the University fully transformed the building, which is now regarded as a centre of excellence for health, providing some of the best teaching facilities in the UK for nursing courses.

Professor Keith McLay, Provost – Learning and Teaching at the University of Derby, said: “We are delighted that a Blue Plaque has been unveiled at our St Helena building in recognition of its historic significance.

“The University sympathetically restored the building, retaining most of its original features, and is now a teaching and learning environment for students who are going into valuable careers in the healthcare profession. We are proud of the building and its heritage as a pioneering educational establishment.”

Philip Riden, Chairman of Chesterfield Civic Society, added: “It is fantastic that this wonderful building, which provided life changing opportunities for so many young people, has been recognised with a Blue Plaque.“Looking back at its history, the first secondary school for girls in Chesterfield was a private school run from a house called East Bank on Sheffield Road. Faced with the need to provide places under the 1902 Education Act, the county council bought up the school and got it temporarily recognised as a public secondary school on condition that they built a new school as soon as possible, which they did on an extremely ambitious scale.“This school, which was renamed St Helena School in 1947, and Chesterfield School, which offered education to boys, were important as major agents of social mobility for their pupils, which they took from a number of schools across the borough and adjoining county area. Both enabled their pupils to proceed to higher education and onto successful professional careers, which is very much aligned to the work and ambitions of the University of Derby today.”

Other attendees at the event included Dr Denise Baker, Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor Dean of the College of Health, Psychology and Social Care at the University of Derby, Professor Stephen Wordsworth, Interim Deputy Dean of the same College, and Frank Gorman, Secretary of the Chesterfield Civic Society.After the unveiling ceremony, all attendees were invited to lunch and a tour around the campus.As well as learning spaces, the University’s Chesterfield campus is home to the Innovation Centre Chesterfield, which allows small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to incubate new business ideas, increase their speed of growth and de-risk the process of developing new products.

Chesterfield businesses are being invited to a ‘Planning for Growth’ event at the St. Helena Campus on 27th April 2022. Organisations will be able to discover the support available to help make their goals a reality and expand their network through meeting like-minded business leaders. To find out more and book your place, go to: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/events/planning-for-growth-chesterfield/

The University of Derby supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Photo supplied by Richard Richards Photography

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Work continues to enhance biodiversity across Chesterfield

A series of projects that aim to increase biodiversity in Chesterfield have already been successfully completed in 2022 – with even more activities planned throughout the year.

Chesterfield Borough Council has been working with both the Don Catchment Rivers Trust (DCRT) and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to support projects that will help enhance biodiversity across the borough.

In Holmebrook Valley Country Park, DCRT have worked with Fletchers Waste Management to expand the small ponds in the north of the park, which will help create a more diverse range of habitats for local wildlife.

The council, together with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, have planted 1500 trees in Whitecotes Park, Brearley Wetlands and Badger Recreation Ground. Not only do new trees help absorb carbon, but they also create new habitats for wildlife.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, deputy leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “Tackling ongoing climate change issues and improving biodiversity provision are closely related. The work we have been doing with partners aims to ensure that Chesterfield is at the forefront of tackling these emergencies. I’m proud of the work we’ve done but there is still lots more to do and I would encourage everyone to get involved and support our work in this key area.”

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “These interventions in our green spaces not only support our ambitious climate change plans, but they also enhance these green spaces for local people. Our recently approved Parks and Open Spaces Strategy has sustainability as a key aim for works to improve our facilities.  Ensuring that local people have excellent green spaces to enjoy is key to improving the quality of life for all our residents.”

The small ponds in the north of Holmebrook Valley Park were originally created several years ago however the pond liners used became damaged and water was not being held in the ponds.

To ensure the ponds can hold water they have been lined with clay and they are already holding water following heavy rainfall. These ponds will also help reduce the flow of storm waters into the river which could reduce the flood risk downstream.

Fletchers Waste Management volunteered their machinery and staff to help complete the ponds at no cost.

DCRT will now be hosting volunteer days so that planting around the ponds can take place.

The council is working closely with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to plant trees and enhance biodiversity across the borough with funding provided through the Green Recovery Challenge Fund.

Further tree planting will take place in 2022 to ensure the council exceeds its target of planting at least 1000 trees every year.

The council will be working with community groups, tree wardens and other volunteers to ensure these trees are planted and can thrive. Some of these will be planted in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative. More details about these and how members of the community can get involved will be released in due course.

Any residents wanting to support the council’s tree planting programme can volunteer to become a tree warden by emailing greenspaces@chesterfield.gov.uk or calling 01246 959415.

Working on ponds in Holmebrook Valley Country Park

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Derbyshire’s investment strategy named one of best in Europe by FT

Derbyshire’s strategy for attracting overseas investment to the county has been named as one of the best in Europe in rankings compiled by the Financial Times.

Part of Marketing Derby’s Invest in Derbyshire service involves attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to the county.

And in the prestigious Financial Times’ fDi European Cities and Regions of the Future 2022/23 rankings, Derbyshire has been placed fifth within the top 10 Small Regions for FDI Strategy category, which recognises the regions who have devised the strongest strategy for attracting investment.

Derbyshire is ranked alongside other regions in countries across Europe, including Ireland, Switzerland, Finland, Croatia, Spain, Norway, Austria and Serbia – and is the only UK region to feature in the top 10.

John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, said: “This is really good news as we have put a lot of effort into developing the successful Marketing Derby inward investment service into the county.

“We have worked very closely with our partners at Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire Economic Partnership and Destination Chesterfield in doing this.”

Derby and Derbyshire also enjoyed success in a category which recognised the efforts of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).

The D2N2 LEP (Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire) was ranked seventh in the Connectivity category.

fDi Intelligence is a service from the Financial Times and is the largest Foreign Direct Investment centre of excellence globally.

The rankings are one of the industry’s most prominent benchmarks of FDI competitiveness.

For this year’s rankings, fDi’s research team assessed 356 European cities and 148 European regions.

Both awards will be presented at a ceremony to be held at MIPIM, the global property fair that is set to take place in Cannes, in the south of France, next week.

The success comes hot on the heels of the launch of a new Derbyshire Investment Prospectus, showcasing 23 projects that will help lead the county’s regeneration.

Mr Forkin said: “The investment prospectus lists over £1 billion of opportunities across Derbyshire.

“This complements our new Invest in Derbyshire website and promotional films, which have just been released.”

A number of developments are currently underway in Chesterfield, providing a range of fresh investment opportunities across the town. They include Chesterfield Waterside, Northern Gateway, Elder Way, Staveley Regeneration Corridor, Markham Vale and much more.

For a full overview of the developments taking place across Chesterfield, go to https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/developments/

Find out more about why Chesterfield is an ideal place to locate your business, go to: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/business/invest-in-chesterfield/

To read a digital version of the new Derbyshire Investment Prospectus please click here.

 

Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

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“The nature of roles in the construction industry are changing”

Chesterfield Property and Construction group member and Associate Director of Nineteen47 Sarah Wills, has penned her thoughts on the importance of skills and employability initiatives in the town during National Careers Week 2022.

The property and construction industry impacts on all of our lives.  It is an industry that creates and changes the places in which we live, work, communicate, play and exercise.

The professions across the industry are diverse and it is a fascinating space to be when all of those different facets of the built environment come together to create places.  That said, the workforce creating these places that we all interact with every day, should represent the populations we are creating places for and currently, there is a distinct lack of diversity across the sector.

The Chesterfield Property and Construction Group are aware of our role to raise the profile of the industry and encourage and support people from all backgrounds to enter the built environment disciplines.  The forum has supported some fantastic initiatives in Chesterfield including Made in Chesterfield which highlights and celebrates manufacturing, engineering, science and technology industries and careers in the town.

The My Future virtual platform is an exciting resource to showcase careers and apprenticeships available in the local area.  In addition, a significant amount of time is being spent on expanding a mentoring scheme to support young people across North Derbyshire who are interested in pursuing a career working in the built environment.

As an industry, we collectively need to shout about how rewarding it is to work within the sector and make young people or those retraining and changing careers aware that being involved can help shape real places around them; can help tackle climate change, can address housing shortage, can allow biodiversity to flourish alongside new development and can protect our heritage and our future.

With new methods of construction and sustainability at the heart of current directives, the nature of roles in the construction industry are changing and there is a significant opportunity to engage those who have previously felt it was not for them or not been aware of the broad range of job prospects available across the built and natural environment.

I am proud to be part of the property industry.  Awash with real, genuine and kind people who are actively trying to make a difference to Chesterfield and the places that make it special.  I hope that the property and construction industry will be a more accessible, obvious choice for a broader range of young people in the future.

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Plans to boost town centre to be put under the spotlight at Celebrate Chesterfield

After securing nearly £20m of Levelling Up funding, plans to boost the town centre and enhance its cultural offering are set to be unveiled at the annual Celebrate Chesterfield event on Wednesday 23 March.

At the event, Chesterfield Borough Council will unveil its plans for the modernisation and further development of the town centre as part of its journey to become a go-to destination for residents, retailers, and visitors.

A new Inward Investment Campaign for Chesterfield, focused on attracting further investment to the town, will also be launched at the event.

Now in its twelfth year Celebrate Chesterfield, which is organised by Destination Chesterfield in association with The University of Derby and sponsored by CT and Markham Vale, is one of the most hotly anticipated business events in the area attracting around 250 delegates.

This year, the event will also host the Derbyshire Festival of Business Exhibition, designed to showcase Derbyshire’s extensive business offer and capabilities.

Fully booked every year, businesses are being urged to book their tickets now to the free in-person event which is being held at the Winding Wheel from 7.30am – 11.00am.

Speakers at the event include Dr Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council and Professor Warren Manning, Provost Innovation and Research at the University of Derby

In addition to plans for the town centre, the conference speakers will also address progress on the town’s multi-million pound commercial and residential developments, office space and the Digital High Street programme.

Last year the popular Celebrate Chesterfield event was held online. Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield commented: “Chesterfield’s business community demonstrated resilience through the pandemic and continued to make significant progress in all areas. I am pleased we can finally come together in person and celebrate all that we have achieved in such testing times. It’s also important we look to the future and capitalise on the progress we have made to ensure the town remains a place where people want to live, work and invest.”

Dr Peter Dewhurst, Director, Strategic Projects at the University of Derby said: “The University is once again proud to be the headline sponsor of the Celebrate Chesterfield event, which we see as presenting an excellent opportunity to bring together and showcase the talent that is helping Chesterfield recover from the challenges of recent times. What’s more, this year’s event is being promoted as part of the inaugural Derbyshire Festival of Business that is being used to elevate our fabulous county as a great place to launch and grow a successful business.”

Ian Snow, Managing Director of CT said: “CT is delighted to sponsor this event and continue our support to promote Chesterfield as a great business destination. We are proud that our roots are in Chesterfield. The fantastic central location, together with the investment into Chesterfield to build a town people want to both live and work in, is supporting the growth of our business to offer a nationwide IT service. We are lucky to be in good company, surrounded by exceptional businesses from the legal, manufacturing and engineering sectors and we look forward to meeting everyone at this great event later this month.”

Anthony Clitheroe, Director at HBD which is jointly developing Markham Vale in partnership with Derbyshire County Council, said: “Markham Vale is at the heart of the business community, so we’re pleased to be able to support Celebrate Chesterfield and the launch of the Derbyshire Festival of Business – there’s no better advert for Derbyshire as a place to do business than the ambitious, growing companies based at Markham Vale. Benefiting from excellent connectivity and a great local skills base, they continue to create new jobs and attract investment into the region.”

Markham Vale

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, added: “Celebrate Chesterfield is a fantastic opportunity for our business community to come together to hear and discuss the significant investments that the council and its partners are making across our town and borough. We need a strong business community to maximise the opportunities created by these investments and to contribute to our aims of making Chesterfield a thriving borough and improving the quality of life for local people.”

For more information on the FREE event and to book a delegate place at Celebrate Chesterfield 2022, please visit here: www.chesterfield.co.uk/celebrate

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“There has never been more opportunity for young people to build a career in hospitality in Chesterfield.”

Destination Chesterfield Chair, Peter Swallow has given his thoughts about exciting developments taking place across Chesterfield as we enter March.

Spring is in the air. I for one cannot wait for the longer, warmer days and, rather than staying indoors. I, like many of you, am starting to think about venturing out again in the evening.

Whilst some of us may have been hibernating during the winter months, it is pleasing to see that the hospitality sector in Chesterfield has not been. Despite the challenges that the pandemic has thrown at it, new bars and restaurants have opened in the last six months, and more are opening soon.

Most recently Vicar Lane Shopping Centre welcomed Pizza Pi and before that Albert’s Jüngerer Bruder opened in Rykneld Square in November last year. The town centre will also shortly welcome The Dirty Habit on Holywell Street, taking over the unit that once was the Rising Sun. This new bar will also have outdoor space.

The pandemic has helped us all appreciate the outdoors, and it is great to see more businesses using their outdoor space to draw people to their venue. It benefits not only their business but also the high streets and town centre too.

With the transformation of the former Co-op on Elder Way into units for bars and restaurants, which also has fantastic outdoor dining space, it is fair to say that Chesterfield town centre’s night-time economy is set to get livelier in 2022.

As well as boosting Chesterfield’s night-time economy, giving local people and visitors more choice, these businesses are also creating jobs and opportunity. Albert’s Jüngerer Bruder has created 20 jobs alone.

Outside the town centre, Chesterfield’s hospitality scene is thriving. The Batch House at The Glass Yard is shortly to open and will offer everything from Indian street food to craft beer. While Chesterfield’s four-star hotel, Peak Edge, has recently been awarded the best wedding venue in Derbyshire.

With more than 16,000 students in North Derbyshire set to gain their GCSE and A level qualifications in the next five years, there has never been more opportunity for young people to build a career in hospitality in Chesterfield.

It is not just the hospitality sector which offers opportunity to young people.  At the recent Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Skills and Employability Conference it was revealed that that green and digital skills are most in demand from employers. This highlights the need for businesses and education and training providers to work together to ensure that young people are equipped with the skills needed to get good jobs.

Looking to the immediate digital skills needed to support the local economy, however, the Chesterfield Digital High Street campaign has been instrumental in enabling retail, hospitality and leisure businesses across the town to get online and trade digitally alongside their high street presence.

Ensuring young people know about the opportunities available to them now and in the future cannot just be the responsibility of businesses and skills and education providers. The proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ comes to mind. It highlights the importance of community and what we can all do to support young people leaving education this year and beyond.

From offering work experience to simply telling young people about your job, we can all help them take their first step onto the career ladder and build their future right here in Chesterfield, ensuring the local economy thrives now and for future generations.

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Plans approved for Stephenson Memorial Hall

Ambitious plans to refurbish Chesterfield’s historic Stephenson Memorial Hall, which houses the museum and the Pomegranate Theatre have been approved by Chesterfield Borough Council’s planning committee.

This approval means that Chesterfield Museum is now closed to begin the complex process of moving the historic collection into safe storage.

The refurbishment of Stephenson Memorial Hall is projected to cost around £17 million with £11 million of funding being secured via the Government’s Levelling Up Fund. Chesterfield Borough Council has received almost £20 million through this Government fund, the other £8 million will be used to support and enhance the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield Project.

Together this funding will help ensure that Chesterfield is a vibrant market town by improving connections across the town centre and enhancing the visitor economy.

Under the plans the refurbished Stephenson Memorial Hall will bring together an extended Pomegranate Theatre, a reconfigured and modern museum, alongside new gallery space, a café bar, education and community facilities.

The work will also protect the Grade II listed building and ensure that it remains part of the borough’s heritage for many more generations to come.

Creating a more accessible experience is another key aim of the proposals. The plans include three new lifts which will significantly improve the accessibility of the building for visitors, artists, and employees.

Also included in the plans are improvements to lighting, heating, and ventilation.

Revolution House, which tells the story of the Revolution of 1688, will reopen on Friday 15 April. The free museum will then be open every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from 11am to 4pm until Sunday 18 September.

Chesterfield Museum will also be launching Museum on the Move later this year, this will see some of the popular interactive events hosted in alternative venues around the borough. More details on these events will be released soon.

Whilst the Museum collection is moved the Pomegranate Theatre will continue to operate as normal and tickets can be booked by calling the box office on 01246 345 222 or by visiting the Chesterfield Theatres website.

More detail on the ambitious plans will be outlined by Chesterfield Borough Council’s Director of Economic Growth, Neil Johnson at Celebrate Chesterfield 2022 taking place on Wednesday, 23rd March.

To find out more about the event and book your place, go to: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/celebrate/

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