Author: Dom Stevens

New future planned for former Co-op store

29th September 2015

A planning application is to be submitted to Chesterfield Borough Council seeking permission to convert the town’s landmark former Co-op store for a mixed leisure and restaurant use.

Find out more about the scheme and download the opportunities brochure

The large site in Elder Way has been empty since the town’s Co-op department store shut its doors to customers for the final time in July 2013.

Now, Central England Cooperative, which still owns the site, is working in partnership with Jomast Developments Ltd, who will shortly submit a planning application for a scheme. It is anticipated that this application will include:

An 89 bedroom hotel on the upper floor
Six family restaurants, of between 2,929 sq ft and 3,796 sq ft in size, on the ground floor
A 16,000 sq ft health and fitness area in the basement

The developers plan to refurbish the existing building and keep most of its original features.

Councillor John Burrows, Chesterfield Borough Council’s leader and cabinet member for regeneration, said: “The former Co-op store is a really important site because it occupies such a large and prominent part of the town centre.

“Our economic development and planning teams have done a huge amount of work behind the scenes with Jomast and Central England Co-operative to enable us to get to a day where a planning application can be submitted that proposes a new future for this important site within the town.

“However, as with all planning applications, the council’s planning committee will have to consider the application with an open mind, balancing all aspects of the scheme, and taking into account the opinions of the public, businesses and other bodies, before coming to a decision.”

It is expected that a planning application will be formally submitted in the week beginning 12 October. It is anticipated that a decision will be made within eight weeks. During this period there will be a 21 day consultation with the public, businesses and other interested parties.

Adam Hearld, development director for Jomast, said: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity to revitalise a significant landmark building and create a vibrant leisure destination comprising restaurants, hotel and health and fitness accommodation in the heart of Chesterfield town centre.

“We are in the process of talking to a number of established national operators who are keen to locate in the town and benefit from a market which is currently lacking in real choice for leisure consumers.

“We will hopefully be successful in securing planning consent and able to commence works on the scheme in the New Year.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

Who will be Chesterfield’s Young Chef of the Year?

16th September 2015

Chesterfield College student set to be named as 2015 Young Chef of the Year

Three budding chefs are hoping to take the title of Young Chef of the Year at the 2015 Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, organised by Destination Chesterfield and sponsored by Chesterfield College. The winner of the award will be announced on Wednesday 28 October.

Chesterfield College students James Greatorex, Leanne Billyeald and Liam Slinn, all in year two of the Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Professional Cookery course, have been named as the three finalists in the tough competition after preparing a two course meal for judges.

Judges included winner of the 2014 Chef of the Year title Adam Warwick from Blu Bistro, category sponsor Patrick Coleman, the Vicar from The Parish Church of St Mary and All Saints ( the Crooked Spire Church) and Chris Mapp chef and owner of The Tickled Trout in Barlow, Chesterfield.

James Greatorex (18) from Chesterfield, who also works at The Devonshire Arms at Middle Handley, prepared Szechwan Lamb and Lemon Grass and Coffee Pavlova for the judges. He said: “I am used to working in a busy kitchen producing high quality food for customers but I know I had to do something extra to impress the experienced judges. I was pleased with what I produced but the dishes the other competitors produced looked really impressive too so you never know. We’ll have to wait for the results on awards night.”

The judges were wowed with Leanne Billyeald’s menu of Roast Corn Fed Chicken Breast and Lemon and Passion Fruit Cheesecake. Leanne (18) from Chesterfield said: “It’s brilliant to be part of the Young Chef of the Year competition. I hope I managed to control my nerves and impress the judges. Cooking in those kind of conditions really tests your skills and it’s brilliant experience for working in the industry.”

Liam Slinn (18) from Chesterfield served up roast belly pork and lemon meringue pie to judges. She said: “This competition really puts everything you learn at college and in work to the test. It proves how much I have learnt since I decided I wanted a career as a chef. Cooking for judges who are so well respected in the local industry adds some extra pressure but I enjoyed the challenge!”

The winner of the Young Chef of the Year title will be announced at the glitzy award ceremony at Chesterfield College’s Heart Space building, which is being hosted by celebrity chef Theo Randall. As well as sponsoring the awards, the College also uses the awards ceremony as a learning exercise for its hospitality students. This year, fifty students from the College will also be catering and silver serving a two course meal to more than 250 people attending the event, working over three days on all areas, including kitchen and front of house.

38 businesses and individuals are up for 13 awards in this year’s Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards. A full list of the finalists can be seen at www.chesterfield.co.uk/foodanddrinkawards

Other supporters of the awards include the Derbyshire Times, Peak FM, Franke Sissons, Holdsworth Foods, Banner Jones, Black Eyed Susan, Reflections, Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers, Chesterfield Borough Council, East Midlands Chamber, Hooper’s, Jumble Design, BHP Chartered Accountants, Kier and MSE Hiller,

To find out this year’s winners of the Chesterfield Food and Drink awards live on the night, follow @DesChes on Twitter using hashtag #cfda15 or visit www.chesterfield.co.uk

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Artists Turn up the Volume at Chatsworth

16th September 2015

More than 25 leading artists, curators and writers are heading to the Peak District this weekend (Friday 18 – 20 September) to launch ‘The Chatsworth Festival – Art Out Loud’, a major new literary festival dedicated to art.

Festival speakers include Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry CBE considering art history’s web of connections and influences and what they mean for artists; and the writer, broadcaster and art historian Tim Marlow talking about Ai Weiwei as a major new exhibition of the artist’s work opens at the Royal Academy.

They are joined by journalist and author Simon Jenkins; portrait artist Jonathan Yeo; BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz; novelists Esther Freud and Hannah Rothschild and many more (see ‘notes to editors’ for full list) to discuss their work, their influences and inspirations and the latest developments in the arts world.

Conrad Shawcross, who stole the show at this year’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, will also be speaking about his work including his vast modular sculpture ‘The Dappled Light of the Sun’. A variation of this sculpture is on view at Chatsworth as part of ‘Beyond Limits: The Landscape of British Sculpture 1950-2015′ (14 Sept-25 Oct), Sotheby’s 10th annual monumental sculpture exhibition, which is running in the garden.

Talks will take place in a marquee on the private South lawn and in the historic Theatre. Tickets are on sale at www.chatsworth.org priced at £12.50 per talk and include entry to the garden and the sculpture exhibition, Beyond Limits.

‘Art Out Loud’ continues Chatsworth’s long association with the literary world. The Duke of Devonshire owns the antiquarian bookshop ‘Heywood Hill’ in Mayfair where his aunt Nancy Mitford, author of ‘Love in a Cold Climate’, worked during WWII, while his mother Deborah Cavendish was a successful published author of more than a dozen books including ‘Wait for Me’ and ‘Tearing Haste’.

‘Art Out Loud’ is the latest addition to a burgeoning arts scene at Chatsworth. As well as ‘Beyond Limits’, the ‘Make Yourself Comfortable’ exhibition of contemporary seating takes place in the house until October while the ‘Grand Tour’ programme of exhibitions and events began in July in conjunction with Nottingham Contemporary, the Harley Gallery and Derby Museums.

Beyond Limits features more than 30 monumental sculptures in the grounds at Chatsworth – the largest Beyond Limits show to date. Other highlights include Barbara Hepworth’s ‘Three Obliques (Walk-In)’ and Anthony Caro’s ‘Sunshine’, alongside works by Antony Gormley, Sarah Lucas, Reg Butler and Philip King.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Employment continues to rise in Chesterfield

16th September 2015

The number of people out of work and claiming job seeker’s allowance in Chesterfield fell again in August, according to figures released this morning.

There were 1071 JSA claimants in Chesterfield – 84 fewer than in July and 540 fewer than a year ago.

Chesterfield is now below the national average for the percentage of claimants for the first time since records began in 2006.

In the East Midlands as a whole, the number of people in employment increased over the three months to the end of July to 2,172,663, a rise of 18,539 compared with the 2,154,124 in the previous three months.

The employment rate for the region over the same periods rose from 74.4% to 75% and unemployment dropped from 5% to 4.8%.

Scott Knowles, Acting Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber, said: “Yet again, Derby and Derbyshire are recording strong employment growth. That is excellent news, especially as there will have been a cohort of 18-year-olds leaving school this summer – the first since the school-leaving age was increased from 16 – and appearing on the figures for the first time.

“What is important is that these jobs are sustainable, which means they must be created alongside improvements in productivity [output per employee] if regional growth is to be sustained.

“Over the next few months we can expect to see a spike in employment as companies recruit temporary staff, some on zero hours contracts, to cope with the Christmas rush.

“What we must hope is that, come the new year and the end of those contracts, we don’t see a large dip in employment or spike in JSA claimants.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Aviva Secures landmark deal at Markham Vale

16th September 2015

Henry Boot Developments has recently completed the sale of two distribution and industrial investments at Markham Vale in Derbyshire, to Aviva Insurance, for a price reflecting a net initial yield of 5.3%.

The newly constructed properties comprise a 100,000 sq ft manufacturing facility let to Smurfit Kappa, which is currently occupied by inspirepac, a national corrugated packaging company acquired from the Logson Group in 2014.

The sales also include the 52,000 sq ft distribution warehouse at Markham Vale West which is let to Gould Alloys, one of the fastest growing specialist metals stockholders in the country. The sale to Aviva follows the successful £36million forward funding deal of Great Bear’s 480,000 sq ft new distribution facility by M&G Real Estate earlier this year.

Ben Ward, Director at Henry Boot Developments, said “The demand for these fully let investments demonstrates the confidence in Markham Vale as a location of choice for both occupiers and investors.

We are extremely pleased with the recent deals announced this year, and with our next phase of development currently underway, we are offering a wealth of opportunities for investors and occupiers at Markham Vale.”

Markham Vale’s strategic location adjacent to Junction 29a of the M1 alongside its Enterprise Zone status has seen excellent levels of take up over the last couple of years. The next phase of development, Markham Vale North, is currently being prepared for development and there is already a strong interest from a number of parties for large scale distribution buildings.”

Burbage Realty and JLL represented Henry Boot Developments in the latest Aviva investment deal.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

East Midlands Chamber Welcomes Rail Franchise Extension

16th September 2015

East Midlands Trains has secured an investment of around £13m from the Department for Transport to improve services for customers as part of a new rail franchise.

The current East Midlands Trains franchise was due to end in October and the operator had been in discussions with the DfT for a number of months about a Direct Award to the franchise.

Stagecoach, East Midlands Trains’ parent company, has now secured an agreement with the DfT that will see services continue to run until at least March 2018.

Chris Hobson, Director of Policy at East Midlands Chamber*, said: “This is fantastic news for the region and for one of our key members, East Midlands Trains, which will ensure that rail passengers can continue to access the same award-winning service for at least the next two-and-a-half years.

“The announcement of this franchise agreement is timely, given that the Chamber is leading a delegation of business – including East Midlands Trains – and local authority leaders to Westminster today to meet with local MPs and get their support for the electrification of the Midlands Main Line, which is currently on hold.

“The Midlands region, and the East Midlands in particular, has created jobs at a faster rate than anywhere else in the country over the past 18 months and has been a significant driver of the growth of the UK economy from recession to recovery. Businesses here stand ready to push the economy forward again, but they need support.

“The electrification of the Midlands Main Line is critical to the delivery of a modern, cost effective and reliable transport system serving the economy of the East Midlands and should proceed without delay.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Runners prepare for Chesterfield’s big race day

16th September 2015

More than a thousand runners are preparing to hit the streets of Chesterfield this weekend when they take part in one of the town’s biggest mass participation events.

Chesterfield Marathon Road Closures and Route Information

Runners from as far afield as America are expected to take part in the Drainage 2000 Chesterfield Marathon on Sunday 20 September, raising funds for Kids ‘n’ Cancer and many other worthwhile local causes.

Participants will be running in the full marathon, half marathon and the team relay event, where four competitors take a share of the course, with all events starting and finishing at Queen’s Park in Chesterfield.

In addition to the races, Kids ‘n’ Cancer has organised a massive ‘Party in the Park’ to bring the community of Chesterfield together to celebrate another fundraising achievement.

There will be something for everyone to enjoy, from a cocktail with local bar and restaurant Maison Mes Amis, to hours of fun at Proctor’s Fun Fair and activities including a rodeo bull and sumo wrestler suits.

The park will also be full of food and market stalls, as well as face painting, hair braiding, and target football. Live music on the main stage will kick off at 1.30pm to keep the music lovers entertained until 8:30pm, bringing the day to an end with a firework display.

The full and half marathons and the team relay race will all start at 8.30am and road closures will be in place on race day around the route, with local diversions in place.

Organisations that are already set to benefit from the scheme include MacMillan, The Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity and the British Heart Foundation, as well as community groups like Chesterfield District Scouts and the Friends of Holmebrook Valley and Eastwood Park groups, thanks to the volunteers that have already registered.

The event will also see the reunion of around youngsters who have received proton therapy treatment at either the ProCure Proton Therapy Centre in Oklahoma City or the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville, US.

Former patients, aged between three and 20, and their families from around the country will come together on race day, with doctors and welfare staff also travelling from the US to Derbyshire for the reunion.

Mike Hyman, co-founder of Kids ‘n’ Cancer, said: “We’re really excited that race day is nearly upon us and we can’t wait to see people of all ages and abilities taking to the starting blocks at Queen’s Park.

“Last year was an absolutely fantastic day and we are looking forward welcoming spectators and supporters to help us celebrate and raise vital funds for some incredibly worthwhile causes.

“We hope the race will help to put Chesterfield on the map and, with people coming from abroad to support runners, it will be fantastic for the local economy. We are sure it will be a memorable day for everyone.”

The Chesterfield Marathon route will see runners head out of Queen’s Park, through the town centre onto the A617, then looping around onto Slack Lane, Park Road and Chesterfield Road before hitting Mansfield and Hasland Road.

Once the runners hit Hady Hill the Half Marathon participants will then head back towards Queen’s Park for the finish, with Full Marathon runners making their way along the A61 to the Casa Hotel, towards Pevril Road and through to Dunston. From there, the route will pass through Loundsley Green and Holme Brook Valley Park before reaching Ashgate Road and heading back towards the town centre – finally returning to Queen’s Park for the finish.

The event was recently granted an official road race licence from UK Athletics (RunBritain), which now means that runners who are affiliated to a club can now take their time from the event and add it to their official results from the racing calendar.

The male and female winners of the full marathon will receive a cash prize of £250 and free entry for next year, and the half marathon winners will get £200 and free entry next year.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Chesterfield Food Producer shortlist announced

24th August 2015

Latest finalists announced ahead of glittering 2015 Chesterfield Food and Drink awards ceremony

Chesterfield’s tastiest food and drink producer is closer to being unveiled. Ten nominees for the title of Food and Drink Producer of the Year were narrowed down to a shortlist of three recently at a tasting event held at Hollingwood Hub, the home of the Canal Trust Partnership in Chesterfield.

Granny Mary’s (Original Recipes), Liza Bakes and Teresa Lambarelli’s will now battle it out for the prestigious title at the glittering Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards ceremony being held at Chesterfield College’s Heart Space building on Wednesday 28 October.

Sponsored by NatWest, the award recognises local food producers, growers and manufacturers within 10 miles of Chesterfield. The shortlisted businesses were selected from hundreds of nominations received by Destination Chesterfield, organiser of the awards in association with Chesterfield College, also headline sponsor of the awards for the third year running.

Each of the shortlisted businesses had to present three variations of their products to a panel of local judges, including Chesterfield Champions. They were awarded marks out of 10 for both presentation and taste. The shortlisted businesses have also had to submit a business plan which will be assessed by Destination Chesterfield and will contribute to their final score.

Chatsworth Road-based Liza Bakes Ltd, which distributes its produce all over the country but prides itself in using local goods, won the coveted title last year. Louise Milroy, owner of Liza Bakes, said: “I am delighted to be nominated for the award. It would be amazing to win and be a really big achievement for the team who work tremendously hard. It is a privilege to be here amongst such great producers- winning would be the icing on the cake.”

Teresa Lambarelli, a finalist for the third year running said: “I am absolutely honoured to have been named as a finalist for Chesterfield Food Producer of the year again! It has always been my aspiration and drive to give Chesterfield and now the UK a true flavour of Italy! It comes at such a very exciting time for my business as I am looking to outsource the development of my pasta sauce to meet demand.”

Craig Maxfield Sales Director of Granny Mary’s – a finalist for the first time, said: “To be nominated means a lot for the company. We are really pleased to be a part of the process. There are some fantastic producers shortlisted and the competition is fierce! It would mean a lot for us to win, but being nominated alongside such outstanding producers is an achievement in itself.”

Dominic Stevens, Manager of Destination Chesterfield said: “It was a very strong field and the judges had a very difficult decision to narrow it down from ten to three. Each finalist was passionate about their products and took great pride in them. They were also equally passionate about their role as food and drink producers in Chesterfield and how they are actively helping the town receive the recognition it deserves for its thriving food sector.”

The winner of the Food Producer of the Year category is just one of 14 which will be announced by celebrity chef Theo Randall at the glittering awards ceremony. He said: “Good food is one of life’s simple pleasures. The support shown for the awards in both the nomination phase and the awards shows that good food is passion of many people in Chesterfield.”

The shortlist for the Chesterfield Food Producer of the Year is the latest category to be announced in the 2015 Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards ahead of the awards ceremony. Already 24 eateries, pubs, bars and venues have been shortlisted across 10 categories in the popular awards. This year also sees the introduction of a brand new category – Conference Venue of the Year – and also 11 new contenders for the awards, including Tickled Trout, Batemans Mill, Chesters, Little Castle, H&F Tea Rooms, Libby’s, Four One Three, Coffee St, Qoozies, Three Cottages and the Proact Stadium.

A full list of the finalists can be seen at www.chesterfield.co.uk/foodanddrinkawards

Other supporters of the awards include the Derbyshire Times, Peak FM, Franke Sissons, Holdsworth Foods, Banner Jones, the Crooked Spire Church, Black Eyed Susan, Reflections, Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers, Chesterfield Borough Council, East Midlands Chamber, Hooper’s, Jumble Design, BHP Chartered Accountants, Kier and MSE Hiller.

Posted in Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Summer, Visiting

Chesterfield charity requires new trustees

24th August 2015

The Chesterfield Children’s Charity is seeking new trustees to develop the charity further.

They are seeking expressions of interest from potential individuals to appoint 3 new Trustees, this is a voluntary role. and will ensure C3 can continue the work of the past 10 years with over £108,547 of fundraising so far.

Vic Risorto said ” The aims of the charity are to relieve sickness suffering and poverty as well as improve the conditions for sick and terminally ill and under privileged children, their families and carers in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire or such other geographical area the trustees determine”

They are looking for trustees with skills in marketing, fundraising, events management, project management, financial management and graphic design, supporting the planning and final delivery of 2 main fund raising events and 4 locally held meetings.

Anyone interested in getting involved can email events@c3.com before the closing date of the 7th September 2015.

Posted in About Chesterfield

BRM Solicitors provide free will service to help Chesterfield appeal

14th August 2015

BRM Solicitors has joined forces with Macmillan Cancer Support to exclusively offer a free will-writing service during September and October to raise money for the Chesterfield Royal Macmillan Cancer Centre Appeal.

Over the two months, BRM Solicitors will waive its fees, and instead will encourage clients to make a voluntary donation of £54 per single will and £108 per double will to the Chesterfield Royal Macmillan Cancer Centre Appeal. The amounts were chosen as £54 is the equivalent of funding two hours of a Macmillan Nurse and £108, four hours.

Macmillan is trying to raise £2.5 million to build the new state-of-the-art Cancer Centre. This exciting new development will mean that people with cancer in North and North East Derbyshire will be able to receive their vital treatment, care and support in one purpose-built facility – providing joined up services closer to home.

Currently cancer care and treatment is given from different clinics across the hospital site, and the chemotherapy unit is no longer large enough for the number of patients it sees. There is also only a limited information service. The new centre will change all that – enabling specialist teams to provide a range of appointments in one place – including all out-patient chemotherapy and clinical haematology. The centre will also include a specialist information and advice service.

Rob Woodhead, Head of Wills and Probate at BRM Solicitors says: “BRM Solicitors is very proud to volunteer our legal expertise to help such a worthwhile cause. The money raised from this free will-writing initiative will help Macmillan to provide vital support services to people affected by cancer.”

98% of Macmillan’s funding comes from voluntary donations; over a third of which is from gifts in wills.

Rob Turner, Senior Fundraising manager for Macmillan in Chesterfield said: “This is a vital new centre for the people of North and North East Derbyshire. Being diagnosed with cancer is one of the toughest things that anyone can face and the Chesterfield Royal Macmillan Cancer Centre will give local people the very best in treatment and support. But we won’t be able to do this without the generosity of local people and support of local businesses like BRM Solicitors.

Posted in About Chesterfield

England Under 19s celebrate A-level results at Queen’s Park

13th August 2015

Several members of England’s Under-19 squad have picked up their A-level results before the second Royal London One-Day International against Australia at Queen’s Park tomorrow; 10.30am start.

Aneurin Donald of Glamorgan, who is also the England Under 19s Captain, was one of the players who picked up his results ahead of tomorrow’s fixture at Chesterfield.

England Under-19s are also in action at The 3aaa County Ground for the third Royal London One-Day International on Monday 17 August, with the game televised LIVE on Sky Sports.

“My mum went into school down in Swansea and phoned me up this morning,” said Donald.

“I got an A, a B and a D, which I’m happy enough with. It’s not been an easy year because we had an Under-19s trip to Australia in the spring, but we all took our work with us.”

Lancashire’s Haseeb Hameed, who attended Bolton School, was also happy with a B and a C, and like Donald has decided to postpone the possibility of going to university to concentrate on his cricket career.

It is the same story for George Garton, Sussex’s left-arm seamer who had very good news from Hurstpierpoint College with results of A, A*, B.

Ben Green, an all-rounder from Devon who is on the Somerset staff, is one of the younger members of the squad but he also had good news from Exeter School, with an A, a B and a C in his AS levels.

All four celebrated in suitable style after practice at Queen’s Park, with an ice cream from the ice cream van outside Chesterfield’s famous Frederick’s Gelateria.

Posted in About Chesterfield