Work to transform a key gateway into Chesterfield town centre is set to begin after planning permission was granted by Chesterfield Borough Council.

An eight metre-high sculpture by local artist Melanie Jackson will start to be installed at Hornsbridge Roundabout from July with completion expected by the end of the year.

The design, which was voted for by residents and Chesterfield Champions, features a wheel, or cog, integrated into the landscape showing the borough’s industrial heritage with an opening bud or flower rising out of the centre.

Councillor John Burrows, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Leader and Executive Member for Regeneration, said: “It’s good that work is about to start on Hornsbridge island.

“This is a key gateway into Chesterfield when you drive into the town centre from the M1 or when coming into or leaving the town by train and is a great opportunity to showcase what is great about Chesterfield.”

John Dillon, Managing Director at Barratt Homes North Midlands, said: “Community investment is extremely important to us as a company and we are really excited to be involved in a project which promises to have such a significant impact on the landscape of the town itself.”

The project has been funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Barratt Homes.  This funding can only be used to make environmental improvements to install public art at key sites and entry points to the town centre.

Source:Chesterfield Borough Council

The latest jobs figures for Markham Vale have been revealed – with a further 200 still to come.

The site, which is situated next to junction 29A of the M1, is currently home to 28 businesses and has so far helped to create 565 jobs – an increase of 208 on the previous year.

Councillor Joan Dixon, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Jobs, Economy and Transport, said:

“We are delighted that Markham Vale is going from strength to strength and helped to create many jobs in the last year for local people.

“We are committed to building a strong Derbyshire economy that creates jobs and grows businesses and Markham Vale plays a key role in helping us achieve this.

“The long-term aim is to help create 5,000 jobs and we will continue to work hard to attract more companies to reach this goal.”

New businesses which have recently opened or are set to in the next few months will help to create an extra 200 jobs.

These include Northern Ireland’s biggest egg processor Ready Egg Products which is developing a manufacturing facility and Derbyshire food company Holdsworth which set up a base on Markham Vale four years ago and is building a new warehouse and cold store.

And thanks to funding of £14.2 million from the Government and £12.5m from the county council’s private sector developer Henry Boot Developments Ltd, work has started to unlock a further 81 acres of land on the former Seymour Colliery site.

The work is expected to generate £82 million of private sector investment and create capacity to bring an estimated 2,100 jobs to the area.

Source:Derbyshire County Council

A new development in Chesterfield is helping to boost the local economy.

Euro Garages, one of the leading UK independent forecourt operators, is due to open at Markham Vale next week, bringing more than 60 new jobs to the area.

Facilities will include a new Shell petrol forecourt including for HGVs, SPAR convenience store, Subway, Greggs and a Starbucks Drive-Thru together with public toilets, seating area and a free cash machine. The Shell petrol forecourt and Subway will be open 24 hours a day.

Councillor Joan Dixon, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Jobs, Economy and Transport, said:

“It is great news that Euro Garages has decided to set up at Markham bringing another 63 jobs to the area and we are pleased we were able to help unemployed people find work at the new site, including young people.

“Markham Vale is going from strength to strength attracting more companies to Derbyshire because of the site’s location in the centre of England and its excellent transport links.”

Ilyas Munshi, Commercial Director at Euro Garages, said:

“Markham Vale Services is an exciting addition to our national estate portfolio of nearly 180 forecourt retail sites and it is the first development where we have partnered up with Henry Boot Developments.

“Euro Garages have been actively supported by stakeholders including Derbyshire County Council and local agencies with a view to delivering much needed jobs and economic prosperity. In summary, we want local people and commuters in and around Derbyshire to have access to world-class facilities.”

We have invested £77 million to reclaim the former mining area at Markham, between Chesterfield and Bolsover, with the long term aim of creating 5,000 jobs.

Working with development partner Henry Boot Development Limited, in the last year alone we have lined-up developments promising to bring 500 jobs to the site.

Vivienne Clements, Director of Henry Boot Developments comments:

“The opening of Euro Garages at Markham Vale is the next piece of the jigsaw in delivering a comprehensive offer for existing and new occupiers together with their work force.”

Last month the Government announced plans to expand Markham Vale Enterprise Zone bringing enterprise status to another 18 hectares of land on Markham Vale and offering benefits for businesses setting up in the area including tax breaks from Government.

And in February, Markham Vale received a £14.2m boost after successfully bidding for Government cash to open up prime economic development land.

Source:Derbyshire County Council

Staveley Basin’s next phase of development has begun with contractors currently on site working to build wing walls to support the basin’s lock bridge.

Derbyshire County Council, which manages the project, has agreed to fund £89,000 towards the scheme, with Chesterfield Canal Trust contributing £76,000 in funds and volunteer time.

Ace Developments from Chesterfield has started an eight week contract to build the wing walls which will support the unfinished lock bridge already in place ready to carry a road over the canal.

The Staveley Basin project is part of work being completed with the help of volunteers to restore and improve Chesterfield Canal; making more of the waterway navigable.

The project has already seen the development of a mooring basin which can house up to 20 large canal boats and 12 smaller crafts.

Councillor Joan Dixon, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Jobs, Economy and Transport said:-

“This latest work on the Staveley Basin project is part of plans to help develop Chesterfield Canal as well as improve the area for visitors and boats. The work of the volunteers helping us to develop the project has been fantastic and we cannot thank them enough.”

Groups who have been involved in helping the project include the Chesterfield Canal Partnership and the Waterway Recovery Group.

Chesterfield Canal Trust, which has also been helping since 2012, has raised over £45,000 towards the project through donations.

A group of around 15 volunteers from the trust meet every Sunday to help build the lock at Staveley Basin.

George Bunting, 65, from Brimington has been a member of the trust since 1995 and is currently helping with construction.  He said:-

“The main benefits of the work at Staveley Basin will be the boost it gives tourism with people who come in on boats hopefully spending money in Staveley.  The thing I most enjoy about volunteering is the camaraderie and the idea that we are achieving something for the local community and leaving something for future generations.”

(Image courtesy of Chesterfield Canal Trust

Source:Derbyshire County Council

A grant application of more than £1 million will be made by Chesterfield Borough Council to fund extra facilities at the proposed new Queen’s Park Sports Centre.

An expression of interest to Sport England’s Strategic Facilities Fund has been successful and the council has now been formally invited to submit a full application.

A decision on whether the bid will be successful or not is expected to be made by Sport England’s board in the summer.

If funding is granted, it will enable the council to add extra facilities requested by users, the public and sports groups during the public consultations.

This could include increasing the number of lanes in the swimming pool from six to eight and adding two more courts to create an eight court sports hall, which would enable a wider range of sporting activities to take place at the same time.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Chesterfield Borough Council’s executive member for leisure, culture and tourism, said:-

“We said from day one of this project that we would be seeking to make grant applications that could enable us to add more facilities as soon as we were at the stage in the process that enables us to do this.

“The application will have to be considered by Sport England against other worthy bids so there are no guarantees of success.

“But we are pleased that Sport England recognised the local importance of this project and its potential to contribute to their community sport objectives when they supported us in the expressions of interest stage of the process.

“We believe we can put forward a really good and convincing bid as the grant would enable us to deliver an even better leisure centre that inspires more Chesterfield residents to get fit, active and healthy.”

Sport England’s Strategic Facilities Fund offers grants of up to £2 million for local authority projects that bring together multiple partners, including input from the public and private sectors. The fund is also designed to encourage applicants and their partners to invest further capital and revenue funding to ensure sustainability.

It is expected a decision on the planning application for the replacement Queen’s Park Sports Centre can be made within the next couple of months.

If the bid to Sport England is successful the grant funding would be added to the money already committed to the building by Chesterfield Borough Council and Chesterfield College.

Source:Chesterfield Borough Council