Chesterfield is experiencing a renaissance in house building. The announcement was made at the annual Celebrate Chesterfield event held at the Winding Wheel on Thursday 22 March.
At the sell-out event Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council revealed that nearly 2000 homes are set to be built in the next five years. Speaking at the event he said: “For the first time in many years the Council is able to demonstrate a five-year housing supply while also protecting the borough’s green belt land.”
He revealed that housing developers in the borough, including Woodall, Avant and Miller Homes, were delivering the most new build completions since 2007, with many houses being sold off plan.
Progress is also being made on The Park, the 6-acre residential development on the site of the former Arnold Laver timber yard at the ambitious £340 million Chesterfield Waterside regeneration project.
Speaking at the event, Peter Swallow, Managing Director of Bolsterstone Group Plc, the company leading the project, revealed that construction of up to 170 two, three and four bedroom homes, which will form ‘The Park’, is expected to get underway as early as the first quarter of 2019.
At the sell-out Celebrate Chesterfield event, Mr Swallow also announced that a collaboration agreement with an investment company to fund and deliver new residential apartments, has recently been put in place.
The agreement is the first stage of a process which will facilitate the construction of 310 Build to Rent apartments within Phase 1 of the Basin Square neighbourhood of Chesterfield Waterside. It follows the granting of outline planning consent for the layout, heights and massing of Phase 1 last year.
Speaking at the event Peter, who had recently returned from France, having attended the leading worldwide property event, MIPIM, where the Chesterfield Waterside project was showcased said: “I am delighted with the excellent progress being made at Chesterfield Waterside.
“We will now move forward with the ‘best bids’ process for the construction of the housing units at The Park and, subject to reserved matters planning consent being granted, expect work to start on site on this phase early next year.
“Demand is strong as developers see the massive potential of Chesterfield Waterside as a whole.”
The 16 hectare development is a 10-year project being led by Bolsterstone Group, working in partnership with Arnold Laver Group and Chesterfield Borough Council. The programme aims to create a thriving new community with homes, offices, shops, bars and restaurants surrounding a new canal basin and is one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK.
Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager, said: The housing announcements made at Celebrate are growing physical proof that Chesterfield is a market town with a difference. We have grown and adapted to the changing needs of residents and businesses and, as a result, created a very attractive investment proposition. People want to live, work and do business here and our housing plans are further evidence of this.”
Celebrate Chesterfield, now in its sixth year, is organised by Destination Chesterfield and is one of the biggest business events in the region.
The University of Derby is headline sponsor of the event alongside Central Technology and Markham Vale as associate sponsors of Celebrate Chesterfield.
Destination Chesterfield was launched in 2010 to improve the economic prosperity of the town through a campaign to promote Chesterfield.
Over the past eight years it has brought together the business community as Chesterfield Champions to market the town, drive investment and bring it to the attention of national investors.
