Development

Chesterfield Champions working together for local house hunters

18th July 2019

Two Chesterfield Champions are now working together to provide house hunters in Chesterfield with a sleek and professional home buying service.

Chesterfield based mortgage advisers Mortgage 1st and local Estate Agent Pinewood Property Estates are now proudly working together to enhance the home buying experience for their customers in Chesterfield and surrounding areas.

When a customer visits Pinewood Properties in search of a new home or buy-to-let investment they are met by an award winning team of estate agents, led by Stacey Davies-Bowler, who will assist them in finding the ideal property.

To put in an offer to buy a property, the customer needs an AIP (Agreement in Principle) which is proof that they can get a mortgage. Mortgage 1st has a team of experienced mortgage advisers, led by Jon Stones, that can search the market to find the best mortgage deal available to them based on their circumstances.

The two local businesses have come together to do what they do best and will provide expertise, guidance and exceptional levels of service to meet the needs of the modern house hunter of today.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Leisure

£1.15 million refurbishment of homes completed

15th July 2019

An event took place to re-open Chesterfield Borough Council’s Glebe Court in Old Whittington after a 1.15million refurbishment was completed.

Located on The Glebe Way, the property includes 22 one bedroom flats and has been refurbished throughout to create both a bright and welcoming living environment for residents.

Glebe Court is one of the council’s housing schemes for older residents in the borough.

During the renovations Glebe Court’s residents were relocated to other nearby properties, with the choice to either return to their former flats after the works were complete or to stay in their new accommodation. Eight of the original residents returned to the scheme following completion of the works.

The flats have all been altered to feature a balcony allowing fresh air and natural light to fill the newly refurbished kitchen and lounge areas, including space to fit a washing machine. The bathrooms have been converted into wet rooms with level access showers and the bedrooms all feature built-in wardrobes creating the sense of more space within the same footprint.

The communal lounge has been given a facelift with new floor to ceiling windows installed. The small kitchen space in the communal area has also been opened up into the lounge with the addition of a breakfast bar meaning that even when making drinks, residents can remain part of any activities that are taking place. A quiet room has also been designed upstairs to allow residents to escape the communal areas if they want to.

What was once the laundry room has been transformed into a treatment room complete with specialist equipment making it useable as a hair salon and nail care room with mobile businesses visiting residents regularly to offer their services.

External areas at the property have been extensively re-modelled, including a patio area outside the communal lounge, a mobility scooter store and a walkway which provides a short cut to the local shops.

The opening event was attended by a number of guests including members of Chesterfield Borough Council, staff and contractors linked who were involved in the renovation works.

Councillor Chris Ludlow, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “The new facilities at Glebe Court are great. I have spoken to a number of residents about what they think about the refurbishments and have received positive feedback. It’s good to see that all options have been considered from creating welcoming shared spaces to comfortable flats that are bright and inviting.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development

Two new businesses open in Markham House

15th July 2019

Chesterfield’s Lordsmill Street is reinventing itself as the Harley Street of Derbyshire, following the opening of two new businesses in the former Markham House.

The two-storey building has been transformed into premises for The Goldsmith Clinic and Lucy Shakespeare Personal Training and Sports Therapy. The businesses are private specialists in non surgical aesthetic treatments, health and wellbeing and were unveiled at a launch event held on Thursday 11 July.

The Goldsmith Clinic and Lucy Shakespeare Personal Training and Sports Therapy are the first businesses to take up residence in Markham House which was acquired by Chesterfield based property investment company Lodge Farm Estates in September last year. At the time, the deal represented the single largest transaction in Chesterfield for a number of years.

Both businesses have relocated from outside the town centre into their new Lordsmill Street premises following growth in demand for their services.

The premises have undergone a radical facelift following its previous guise as a nightclub. Now unrecognisable, Lucy Shakespeare Personal Training and Sports Therapy which is based on the first floor, features an air conditioned, fully equipped gym which offers one-to-one and group training sessions.

Owner of the business Lucy Shakespeare said: “This is my dream. I am passionate about health and fitness and helping people be the best version of themselves. The Goldsmith Clinic and I share the same strong desire to provide high quality, accessible and friendly service. Having the two businesses side by side means that we can provide a completely holistic approach to health, fitness and wellbeing. It’s a very exciting time for both of us.”

Formerly known as TAG Aesthetics, The Goldsmith Clinic, which is owned by the highly respected registered nurse practitioner and aesthetics specialist Theresa Goldsmith, is based on the second floor of the building and boasts a light and airy reception with three modern treatment rooms and a training room.

Theresa said: “Lucy and I have both created unique spaces in beautiful surroundings. Together we have brought to life a dream we have long had to create the ultimate space for aesthetics, health and wellbeing. It is something we believe that Chesterfield can be truly proud. We represent the very best in industry standards and training in our respective fields and we are delighted to bring our shared vision under one roof at Markham House.”

David Tate, director of Lodge Farm Estates commented: “I am delighted that Lucy and Theresa have brought a bit of Harley Street to Lordsmill Street. They are the first occupiers of this landmark building which is undergoing a significant amount of investment and breathing life and energy back into one of the town’s major gateways. The investment is ongoing as we continue to refurbish 14,000 sq ft and we shortly hope to welcome further occupiers to Markham House.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

‘Step Up’ Programme Comes to Vicar Lane

9th July 2019

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre, Chesterfield is working with Derbyshire Adult Community Education (DACES), who work on behalf of Derbyshire County Council, to run an education programme for young adults in Chesterfield.

‘Step Up’ is a programme aimed at young people who have completed year 11, being run in the Hunloke Adult Education Centre for 4 weeks this July. The programme is aimed at 16 year olds with no fixed destination for further education, such as college place or apprenticeship.

Vicar Lane is working with organisers on an ‘employer challenge’ within the programme, whereby the young people are set a task within a real-life employment environment. Participants are required to visit the centre to familiarise themselves with the task at hand, meet the team and gather as much information as possible, before going away to work on their ideas. They then have to present their proposed solution back to the employer at the end of the programme.

Vicar Lane has set this year’s participants the task of developing creative solutions for the utilisation of vacant units within the centre. An initial briefing was held at the centre on 4^th July, when the young people visited the centre, explored the empty units, began work on their initial ideas and met with existing retailers to gain insight into life at the centre.

Proposals will be reviewed and winning plans selected on 24^th July. Their plans will be compared to the centre’s own thoughts to see how they align.

Shaun Brown, Centre Manager, Vicar Lane said, “We’re thrilled to be working with Derbyshire Adult Community Education on this valuable initiative, supporting young people who are unsure of their next steps in education or employment. We can’t wait to see what solutions they come up with for our challenge.”

Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager added, “It was great for the team at Destination Chesterfield to be able to support DACES to find a partner to deliver this project in Chesterfield. We thank Chesterfield Champion Vicar Lane for their support of this initiative.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Development, Manufacturing

New jobs on the way as Superior Spas announces £1.6m expansion

8th July 2019

The UK’s largest independent distributor of high-quality hot tubs and swim spas, ‘Superior Spas’, located in Chesterfield, has successfully secured £1.6m funding to complete its planned expansion, which will see the family brand relocate to specialist 20,000 sq ft premises.

The announced expansion comes as a result of continuing growth and success, which has seen the family-run company quickly become the UK’s leading name in high-end spas. In addition to helping the brand to expand its European reach and capacity, ‘Superior Spas’ is excited to announce the move will also create 30 brand new jobs for the local community.

Currently based in Brimington’s Station Road, ‘Superior Spas’ will be moving to a state-of-the-art warehouse location, which will provide the brand with comprehensive showroom, offices and parking facilities at the former GKN Stokes site, on Sheepbridge Lane in Chesterfield.

Being a family-owned business built on a foundation of family values, ‘Superior Spas’ is committed to playing an active part in supporting the local community. Reflecting this commitment, the company is thrilled to be creating 30 new local jobs as a direct result of the expansion.

Superior Spas was able to obtain financial support for the ambitious expansion, securing £750k from NatWest with the support of Relationship Director, William Islip and also a £150k loan from University of Derby’s Invest to Grow programme.

Assisted by the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub Access to Finance team, Superior Spas has also secured a £249k grant from the Sheffield City Region Business Investment Fund.

Neil MacDonald, Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership Board Member, said: “The Sheffield City Region Business Investment Fund helps businesses across the region to unlock investment to secure growth and jobs. It’s great to see Superior Spas’ expansion, which is in turn creating 30 new jobs for the region and helping to grow our economy.”

Andrew McDaid, a Partner from Mitchells Chartered Accountants who supported Superior Spas with the raising of finance, said: “Having maximised turnover from their current location, the next natural step was to secure funding for larger premises to enable Superior Spas to continue its growth strategy in Europe.

“We specialise in helping businesses grow, assisting firms of all sizes, to overcome big challenges. We are delighted to assist Superior Spas’ expansion into new premises and drive the company forward in an exciting period of growth.”

On completion the newly built warehouse will bring many benefits to the company including more efficient storage, which will dramatically reduce despatch timescales, a high-end showroom and larger offices allowing for the expansion of the workforce.

The Managing Director of ‘Superior Spas’, Robert Carlin, commented: “The move to our new premises will bring with it a range of benefits to both the company and the local community. The facility will dramatically improve our efficiency by reducing dispatch times, whilst also providing a high-end showroom and offices.

Mr Carlin continued: “With our UK and European business growing year on year, we’re happy to confirm that we’ll be needing another 30 employees to support our success. As a leader in our marketplace, we’d simply outgrown our old premises and needed more modern space to continue moving from strength to strength, both in the UK and abroad.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

Local Enterprise Partnership decision

5th July 2019

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, Manufacturing

Pronto Industrial Paints announces major investment in new factory

2nd July 2019

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, Manufacturing

Chesterfield local plan submitted to Government

1st July 2019

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

28th June 2019

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

26th June 2019

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

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development

Business Analytics Consultancy Announces Move to New Town Centre Location

18th June 2019

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.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development