Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield
Chesterfield is undergoing a major transformation part of the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield, with refurbishment plans being carried out by Chesterfield Borough Council at key town centre sites.
The historic marketplace is being revamped with better lighting and power, improved access and new stall layouts, general paving repairs, new flexible trading areas and repairs to new stall structures.
Key public spaces and the connections between them are also set to be transformed as part of the plans after the council was successful in securing almost £20m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
The multi-million-pound project will refurbish ‘Stephenson Memorial Hall‘ and extend the Pomegranate Theatre, create a reconfigured and contemporary museum, and add a new gallery, a café bar,
and education and community spaces. G F Tomlinson is delivering the refurbishment, with designs by Bauman Lyons.
Work is well underway and the building is set to be completed in 2026. When it reopens, it will offer an inspiring visitor experience in a beautifully restored Grade II listed setting. The project forms a key part of our wider programme to revitalise the town centre – enhancing public spaces, strengthening cultural life, and creating a place people love to visit.
The remaining funding will be used to regenerate Chesterfield’s historic town centre. Our town will support contemporary events, experiences, excitement and ease of movement through and around the historic core.
Improvements will be centred around key public spaces (listed below) and the connectivity between these locations, Stephenson Memorial Hall, the iconic Crooked Spire and key visitor arrival points.
- Corporation Street
- Spire Walk
- Rykneld Square
- Packers Row
- New Square
The proposals will make the spine and heart of the town centre a more useable, navigable, attractive, safer and healthier place to spend time. It will do this by:
- Improving the quality of lighting in the town centre, contributing to the climate change agenda and increasing and enhancing the overall quality of the urban environment
- Improving the wayfinding around the town centre and usability of key public squares for cultural and commercial events, providing a platform for improved cultural events to attract more visitors
The multi-million pound Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project includes a range of improvement works to transform the look, feel and flow of the town’s key public spaces.
Works in the Market Place were completed in September 2025 and the rest of the project is due to be completed by Summer 2026.
