Chesterfield Review of the Year
What a year Chesterfield has had. 2015 saw the town come out of the national recession, with local companies reporting an upturn in fortunes, creating jobs and construction beginning on developments that had been put on hold. It was also the start of a number of major projects, namely The Chesterfield Royal Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre and proposals for the former Co-op building being submitted.
Chesterfield Review of the Year
To discover what has made an impression on some of Chesterfield’s Champions and what they’re looking forward to in the coming year, we asked them three questions, and here are their answers:
- What do you feel has been a memorable moment for the town in 2015?
- What development happening in 2016 excites/interests you most?
- How can Chesterfield build on its successes in 2016?
Peter Swallow, Managing Director, Bolsterstone Plc and Chair of Destination Chesterfield
“What a year 2015 has been for the town. It was the first year ever that our unemployment figures fell below the national average – proof if ever it was needed that Chesterfield is certainly on the up and that great things are happening here.
We have so much to look forward to in 2016 not least the forthcoming opening of the new Macmillan cancer facility at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. The fundraising efforts of the entire community – businesses and residents to make this a reality in our town have been phenomenal and must be commended. When we work together Chesterfield can achieve great things. Long may the town continue to keep boxing above its weight.”
Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Vice Chair of Destination Chesterfield
“For me, the real highlight of 2015 has been securing the devolution deal for the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). This has come about after many months of discussion and will give Chesterfield a share in £900 million in funding and will allow decisions about major projects including regeneration and infrastructure projects to be made locally by people with local knowledge instead of ministers and civil servants in Whitehall. People can have their say on the proposals by visiting: http://sheffieldcityregiondevolution.org.uk
The development that I am most looking forward to is the opening of the new Queen’s Park Sports Centre on the site of Queen’s Park Annexe. The new centre will be purpose built with facilities including and eight lane main swimming pool, eight court sports hall and 80 station gym. It will also be easier for families to visit the new sports centre by having village changing.
I’ve been involved in the project since the start and I’m very proud to see it come to fruition. For more information on memberships, visit www.queensparksportscentre.co.uk or call 01246 345555.
For the future, I am really excited about the Peak Resort development at Unstone. Funding ring-fenced from Sheffield City Region will enable work to start on site, supporting the creation of a large number of new jobs and create a resort which will hopefully attract millions of people from around the world to Chesterfield and the wider area.”
Andy Sheppard, CEO of NLT Training Services
“Toby Perkins and Labour holding onto the Parliamentary constituency of Chesterfield by a convincing number of votes in May’s general election stands out the most and has been a memorable moment for the town in 2015.
However, from a personal viewpoint, I feel that Destination Chesterfield’s idea to run the ‘Made in Chesterfield’ event for a month this year was a huge success. The event highlighted our town’s history of manufacturing and engineering and promoted to a large number of Derbyshire’s school children all of the exciting career opportunities that exist in the sector in Chesterfield.
Looking to 2016, commencement of the £400 million Peak Resort development at Unstone has to be the highlight for me. For a long time now Chesterfield residents have had to refer to the location of Sheffield when trying to explain to strangers where Chesterfield is situated. Not only will this project create 1300 new jobs, but it will also cement Chesterfield firmly on the UK map as a desirable tourist destination. Along with the £340 million Chesterfield Waterside project which will create new jobs and 1,500 new homes our town certainly has a lot to look forward to in 2016.
Additionally, the possibility of devolution in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire next year demonstrates our region has ambitions to steer our commerce to become a key player within the Midlands.”
Continuous support from organisations such as D2N2 and the Local Authority to support local businesses and help them grow. Investment must continue into enterprise zones such as Markham Vale to attract more out of area companies to our region.
With the majority of Chesterfield businesses being SMEs or micro companies we need to ensure that every business has access to equal opportunities regardless of their size with the safeguarding of jobs as a key driver and a priority.”
Steve Perez, Owner of Casa Hotel and Manging Director of Global Brands
“There has been a groundswell of positive developments for the town in 2015, such as the news that the train line to London will be electrified making our already speedy journey north and south even more efficient. We have seen the positive impact of the continued growth of the Markham Vale business development which has already brought new jobs to Chesterfield and the surrounding area. Personally I am delighted to see that the roadworks on the M1 are coming to an end after what seems to have been an eternity of slow traffic and accidents which have made journeys for myself and my commuting staff a daily struggle.
After years of anticipation, 2016 will see the start of the very exciting Peak Resort project which will be huge boost for the town’s economy in the coming years. The development really interests me, not only as it will really compliment my own hospitality investments in Chesterfield but, for the town that I grew up in, will create over 1000 jobs and attract many more visitors to the area – helping to put Chesterfield on the map highlighting what a forward thinking and progressive destination we are.
Chesterfield can build on its successes in 2016 by continuing its development as a great hub for business in the South Yorkshire and East Midlands region and by promoting itself as a growing town on the edge of the beautiful Peak District.”
Laura Jo Owens, Adorn Jewellers
“2015 has been an exciting year for Adorn, celebrating five years in business and winning two Chesterfield Retail Awards along with being a ‘Highly Commended’ finalist in the Derbyshire Times Business Awards prestigious ‘Retailer of the Year’ category.
The most memorable moment during 2015 was watching the parade for the new Mayor of Chesterfield. Councillor Bingham has been a staunch supporter of Adorn since the jewellery boutique launched in 2010. He took the time to accompany me to council meetings regarding The Shambles and to attend the official launch party for Adorn.
Looking to the future, during 2016 I am excited to see plans for the development of the former Co-Op building. We believe it will create a vibrant cafe culture in an area that is due some care and attention, creating a fantastic atmosphere both during the day and into the evening.
Our ‘pull’ as a tourist destination is our excellent offer of independent shops, cafés and restaurants. People visiting Chesterfield often tell me that they come for our Church and market then stay for the shops. Building on tourism during 2016 will encourage new people to experience Chesterfield, seeing headline music acts at the Proact Stadium, being pampered at Casa or Brampton Manor then enjoying a day of independent shopping is sure to add Chesterfield to everyone’s ‘must visit’ list. With so much to attract and delight the place to be during 2016 is most definitely Chesterfield.”
James Pogson, Director of Northern Tea Merchants
“For me, a memorable moment for the town in 2015 was the Food and Drink Awards. It was amazing to see the amount of passion and dedication amongst the entrants. The whole food and drink sector is extremely good for Chesterfield, employing many thousands of people. The students that were involved in the event helped, by their professionalism, to showcase their excellent training and the promotion by the Derbyshire Times and Destination Chesterfield was just right. Although I have a vested interest in the good performance of my own sector, I believe that events like this only serve to raise the bar and improve perception of the town to both its inhabitants and to visitors.
In 2016 I will be very interested to see how the former Co-Op site is developed. The proposals seem sensible and achievable. I’m also glad to see continuing progress on the Chesterfield Waterside development, which will also bring more housing and more people to Chesterfield to live, which is good for the town, its job market and its overall wealth.
Chesterfield definitely has a positive outlook. There have been no direct failures in its plans for regeneration and improvement of the Borough, and I suggest that continued positivity, from both our Borough Council, local businesses and residents is what will take us to our long-term goal of a better Chesterfield.”
Marcus Leverton, Director, Leverton UK
“The prospect of Peak Resort and what it brings to our community, in respect of job creation, tourism, facilities and area regeneration and development, is going to be key for Chesterfield in 2016. This was so significant it was discussed on national TV while the Prime Minister was at the White House earlier this year! This is a great opportunity for little old Chesterfield and we find this very exciting. That and Chesterfield’s very own Rik Makarem (Nikhil) returning to Emmerdale – you heard it here first!”
The continued development at Markham Vale is very impressive, again the prospect for our local community is vast with investment from some of the country’s biggest companies. This really excites us as a local business with national capabilities.
We feel the economy is now showing signs of great improvement. As a company we had a record breaking month in August 2015. People, organisations, and clients are gaining confidence again and starting to invest and move forward. Chesterfield is a relatively small town but still incredibly significant in all of this due to the diverse nature of our local businesses. We just need to keep on grinding and investing in local talent. The future looks very promising.”
Martin Langley, Smith Craven Chartered Accountants
“A couple of memorable moments of 2015 are the visit by the rare Crag Martin which took up residency in the town’s very own Crooked Spire church.
For Smith Craven our memorable moment was moving to improved office space up at Tapton Innovation Park. Looking forward to 2016, the opening of the Chesterfield Royal Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre is a very good thing to be happening to the town.
To build on the success in 2016 we, as a town, need to encourage and help new and young businesses, get them on a strong footing so as they grow they can also shout about how good Chesterfield is.”
Matt Brailsford, Manging Director, Custom Solar
“Albeit an all-encompassing ‘moment’, I feel like 2015 has been another terrific growth year for Chesterfield with growing employment, development of existing commercial sites and further recognition of renewable energy and green initiatives.
Personally speaking, Custom Solar collected the Derbyshire Times Environment award which was an incredibly proud moment for everyone involved.
Peak Resort, that we have been close to, is a very exciting project indeed. It has the potential to attract a huge number of visitors to the area and could also act as national showcase for new technology and energy. Any project that raises the profile of Chesterfield will always be well received by myself due to the fact that I’m an incredibly proud Cestrefeldian.
Chesterfield can build on its success in 2016 with continued growth and a desire to improve the town further! My experience of Chesterfield has always been that all of us do our part and try our very best to make Chesterfield a better place to live. New shops, initiatives, developments and opportunities will always play an integral part in growth and success, however it’s the people that make the town so I’d hope we can all get involved in something new next year and make a difference.”
Katie Ash, Director and Head of Employment Law, Banner Jones Solicitors
“The Chesterfield Retail and Food and Drink awards were highlights in the business calendar this year as there were so many local success stories to celebrate. I really feel that 2015 has been another year of consolidating the upward trend of Chesterfield as a destination for tourists and new businesses.
Building on these success stories, particularly with the Peak Resort proposal, is the thing I look forward to the most as this will add something really quite special to the area. I also think making sure that the access to the town via Sheffield Road is as good and as attractive as possible will help the upward trend.
If Chesterfield can remain focused on delivering some of the proposals in place, including the regeneration of the Co-Op building, then I think the town will just keep getting better and better. Myself and Banner Jones are so proud to be part of these exciting times. “
