A multi-million-pound project to transform Staveley town centre is ready to welcome visitors to the town.
Chesterfield Borough Council’s Staveley 21 project, funded through the Staveley Town Deal, has included improvements across the market place along with a striking new landmark pavilion building – together the improvements will make Staveley a more attractive destination and bring more visitors into the town centre.
The enhanced square includes new feature paving which provides a better surface, new lighting to help ensure the town centre looks its best at all hours of the day and night, new seating and planting to make it a more inviting environment, new CCTV to help ensure the town remains a safe place to visit, and a new flagship play area which was designed in consultation with students from Staveley Junior School and ensures the town centre is a place for all ages to enjoy.
Improvements also include a new sculpture which was created by artist Coralie Turpin and draws inspiration from the Cuckoo Boats which were unique to the Chesterfield Canal. It depicts nature scenes from the canal and features works created by students at Staveley Junior School and Netherthorpe School.
Students from both schools have visited the site to see the transformation and their contribution to the project.
The pavilion building is a new landmark for the town centre, with striking features but traditional brickwork so it is in-keeping with the wider environment. It will house Staveley Library on the ground floor and a business on the first floor – this will help attract more visitors and encourage people to support businesses based in the square. The library is expected to open later this year, and the council is in discussions with several businesses with the aim of letting the space as soon as possible.
Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “This project has transformed the space and will encourage more visitors who will support local businesses and ensure that the town centre can thrive. We’ve created a flexible space that will help encourage visitors on a day-to-day basis but also provides space for the town centre to host events and activities for the community to enjoy.
“This is a town centre that the community can be proud of, and I hope lots of people will visit to see the transformation for themselves.”
The Staveley 21 project received just over £6 million of funding from the Staveley Town Deal, a £25.2 million programme that aims to ensure Staveley is a place to start, stay and grow.
Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and vice chair of the Staveley Town Deal Board, said: “I’m delighted that we could welcome the children who have helped create these improvements as the first visitors to this space – we wanted to ensure that young people could feel ownership of the town centre and be proud of where they live. The new sculpture is a fantastic piece that celebrates the canal but has community at its heart and the children’s works are a great addition that help make it stand out.”
The new sculpture created by Coralie Turpin was officially unveiled as part of the opening, it was funded through the Animate Chesterfield programme which aims to create artworks throughout regeneration projects in Staveley and Chesterfield.
The striking sculpture is a new landmark in the town centre and features lighting along with a cuckoo boat shape in the paving as a nod to the importance of the canal in the town’s history but also the role it provides today as a beloved local green space.
Coralie Turpin said: “I am inspired by the brave ancestors of Staveley’s communities who fearlessly navigated from the canal out to sea in barges with sails called cuckoo boats.
“I wanted the communities I worked with to understand how amazingly ambitious and intelligent these ancestors were. How important the canal was to life in Staveley and also to learn about the wildlife there.”
The project has also included improvements to the connections to the canal along with a shop front grant scheme which has seen almost half a million pounds provided to local businesses to enhance their properties and improve the look of the town.
It is one of the key Town Deal projects and its completion represents an important milestone in the overall programme.
Ivan Fomin, chair of the Staveley Town Deal Board, said: “The completion of the town centre works marks a major moment for the Town Deal. Together our projects aim to help the community at all stages of their life and ensure that the town is a fantastic place to live and work. I’m delighted to see these works completed as this town centre continues to be a place where the community can spend time together and support local businesses.”
Work started on site in November 2024 and the town centre works were delivered by Stepnell.
Tom Sewell, director at Stepnell, said: “From the pavilion, seating and planting to the play area designed with local schoolchildren, we’ve worked closely with Chesterfield Borough Council and partners to ensure every element of the Staveley 21 scheme has been shaped and delivered to an outstanding quality.
“Having operated in this live town centre site and engaged throughout with the local community, it is incredibly rewarding to have helped bring the revitalised town centre to life. We look forward to seeing the impact this scheme will have on driving footfall into the town centre for decades to come.”
A small amount of snagging works remain around the tiered seating area, these are expected to be completed in the next few weeks and will provide a space for the community to host performances and other activities.
During the works, the statue of three industrial workers which sat in the centre of the town centre, was stolen. Chesterfield Borough Council is currently appointing an artist to work with the community to create something new that celebrates the town’s industrial past. The new statue will be fully funded by Stepnell.
The Staveley Town Deal is a £25.2 million programme funded by Government that aims to ensure Staveley is a place to start, stay and grow. It includes new training facilities, enhanced community buildings, a canal extension, and much more.
You can find out more about the Staveley Town Deal by visiting: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/staveley-town-deal
