chesterfield developments

£5 million restoration confirmed for Chesterfield Canal as part of Staveley Town Deal

The Chesterfield Canal Trust says it is delighted to have been awarded £5.3 million from the Staveley Town Deal Fund.

The funding means that over the next three years, the canal will be extended by half a mile from Hartington Harbour onto the Staveley Puddlebank which runs across the Doe Lea valley.

There will also be two miles of multi-use towpath all the way to Renishaw. There will be a new lock and two new bridges, and a siphon pipe to take the water from Staveley Waterside (the new name for Staveley Town Basin) to the new canal section. In addition, full designs will be prepared for further work.

Peter Hardy, Chair of the Chesterfield Canal Trust said: “Our scheme will bring enormous benefits to the residents of Staveley and surrounding areas with the extension of the canal from Staveley Waterside almost to the river Doe Lea. Together with the other projects awarded money from the Towns Fund, it will enhance the environment, health and wellbeing of all who live in the area.

“It will be the catalyst for the Chesterfield Canal Trust to complete the restoration of the canal.

“We are indebted to the local company Suon Ltd. which has donated the clay to be used in this project; without this generosity the scheme would not have been possible.”

The Trust further hopes to complete the canal restoration through to Renishaw. This will include the spectacular Doe Lea aqueduct, planned to be 37 metres long and 10 metres above river level.

The Trust’s volunteer Work Party has already started its Rewatering Renishaw project which will bring another half-mile of canal back to life. The aim is to join the two projects together finishing up with an extra 2½ miles of canal in the next few years.

For the next few months, the Trust’s Project Team, led by Mark Potter, will be making detailed preparations, preparing tender documents, appointing staff, and awarding contracts.

The first actual construction work will be the new Trans-Pennine Trail bridge, just east of the existing Eckington Road Bridge. This is scheduled to start early next year. The main earth moving to rebuild the Puddlebank will not start until 2024.

The Trust appointed George Rogers as its Development Manager just under three years ago. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to get the restoration to this point. Upon hearing the news of the award his reaction was “Now the hard work starts!”

The Trust has expressed its gratitude for all the support that it has received from Chesterfield Borough Council, the Staveley Town Deal Board, Derbyshire County Council, Lee Rowley MP, Toby Perkins MP, countless councillors and, perhaps most importantly, its membership and the local people in whose hearts the canal holds a very special place.

Chesterfield Canal Trust and Suon Ltd. support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Love Chesterfield, Property and Construction, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , ,

Peak Edge Hotel receives go-ahead for hotel expansion and luxury spa

Derbyshire’s premium, four-star Peak Edge Hotel, has just been granted planning permission to expand the existing hotel and build a luxury spa.

The application for planning was approved on March 22nd, which will see an additional 27 bedrooms, in addition to a large spa facility featuring a range of experiences including a heated, indoor-outdoor hydro pool, sauna, steam rooms, several treatment rooms, and its own dedicated café bar.

The development follows huge efforts over the last 18 months to renovate and expand the hotel and adjoining 2 AA rosette awarded restaurant, Red Lion. Works already completed include an expansion of the existing Orangery Suite into the new Oak Room; additional restoration works to the property’s second function suite, The Walton; an expansion of the Red Lion restaurant and additional back of house and office space.

Owner Steve Perez said: “This is the exciting next phase in building a stunning destination for visitors to Derbyshire and for the local community. The extended hotel and luxury spa facility will be built to blend into the existing countryside and will be designed to the most exacting standards. We’re hoping to build a hotel and spa that exceeds expectations of all our guests, present and future”.

With planning permission now approved, updates on the plans, designs, and timings will be shared throughout the process.  Building work is likely to start in late Autumn, ideally in October, with completion expected by November 2023.

To find out more about Peak Edge Hotel visit www.peakedgehotel.co.uk

Recently, the hotel was commended as the best wedding venue in Derbyshire, after scooping the accolade at the 2022 Hitched Wedding Awards.

The Peak Edge Hotel supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Love Chesterfield, Property and Construction, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , ,

Council reveals plan to revitalise and regenerate Chesterfield town centre

Start-ups, consolidation and inward investment has resulted in 310 more businesses being established in Chesterfield post pandemic than prior to March 2020.

“We’ve come through the pandemic in pretty good shape and demand for commercial space has gone through the roof,” said Dr Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council who was speaking at the town’s annual Celebrate Chesterfield event.

“However, the Levelling Up funding is important to getting our high street back to where we want it to be. We need to work together like never before post pandemic.” he added.

Chesterfield has received nearly £20 million of Levelling Up funding to transform Chesterfield Town Centre. The funding, which is being matched by £6 million of investment from Chesterfield Borough Council will underpin the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield improvement plan.

The delivery of the  improvement plan is expected to increase land value in the town centre by 16% and shop occupancy levels to more than 90%, resulting in increased spending which will support the creation of around 100 new jobs in the town centre.

“We’re immensely grateful for the Levelling Up funding. It will make a big difference to the town centre to support our growth ambitions.” said Dr Bowen.

The Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield programme will see key spaces in the town centre regenerated and reimagined, including Market Place, New Square, Burlington Street and Packers Row, Corporation Street and the George Stephenson Memorial Hall.

The refurbishment and remodelling of the George Stephenson Memorial Hall will bring together a theatre, cinema, bar, café and exhibition space in one asset to allow greater cultural inclusion and participation.

In addition to the creation of new outdoor dwelling and entertainment space, the town centre will have a new lighting strategy and greater data connectivity to enable digital way finding, smart street lighting, predictive maintenance, environmental monitoring.

Dr Bowen added: “We want to celebrate the town’s identity and spaces and seating for people and events in the public realm that will encourage people to stay and dwell longer and spend more in the town.”

Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield complements Chesterfield Borough Council’s Masterplan for Chesterfield Train Station. At the event it was revealed that construction on a new southern link road into Chesterfield Train Station will begin later this year as part of the council’s commitment to create ‘a sense of arrival’ in the town.

Construction of the new road follows the relocation of Jewson builders’ merchants to a new purpose-built site on Sheffield Road from its current position on Spa Lane next to Chesterfield Train Station. Demolition of the Chesterfield Hotel will also commence later this year.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council said: “2022 is already proving to be a landmark year for Chesterfield with the construction of the Enterprise Centre and One Waterside Place, both symbols throughout the pandemic that Chesterfield is always open and ready to do business.

“Alongside regeneration projects and new developments, Chesterfield Borough Council is invested in supporting the future of young people and local residents. We want better jobs and more jobs for local people. Our local labour clauses in contracts have created more than 800 local jobs in the last year alone with many of them being apprenticeships.

“We are fortunate to have both Chesterfield College and a University of Derby campus in the town centre which, together, are supporting more than 10,000 students and apprentices helping us have a skilled work force to attract further businesses to invest in the borough of Chesterfield.”

Now in its twelfth year, Celebrate Chesterfield is organised by Destination Chesterfield in association with The University of Derby and sponsored by Central Technology and Markham Vale. It is one of the most hotly anticipated business events in the area and this year welcomed around 250 delegates to the Winding Wheel.

Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager, who led the event said: “Once again Celebrate was truly that – a celebration of all that is happening right now in Chesterfield and in the future. We continue to prove that we are a town punching above our weight and that reflects in the levels of funding we are attracting as well as the many new businesses that are choosing to make the town their home.”

As well as Dr Huw Bowen, speakers at the event included Professor Warren Manning – Provost Innovation and Research at the University of Derby, Stephen Wenlock – Joint Growth Unit Manager, Chesterfield Borough Council and representatives from two town centre businesses, Emma Stevenson from M’s Gallery and Andy Jupp from Paperstarlights, who have benefitted from the Digital High Street initiative.

For further information about Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield, visit www.chesterfield.gov.uk/revitalising-the-heart-of-chesterfield

To learn more about the office space and investment opportunities in Chesterfield, please visit https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/business/invest-in-chesterfield/office/

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Love Chesterfield, Property and Construction, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , ,

Outdoor performance space created at Springwell Community College

A new performance canopy has been built at Springwell Community College with funding provided through the Staveley Town Deal.

The new canopy is next to the performing arts block – providing space for summer concerts and productions to be held outside. It can also be used by students during the day as a covered social and dining space.

Ian Wingfield, headteacher at Springwell Community College, said: “The SCART (Springwell Community Arts) provision at Springwell has had a challenging time through the pandemic and this investment will help to reboot and enhance this highly regarded programme. The new performance space is a welcome addition to our college and creates new opportunities for students to develop their skills and build on stage experience.”

The performance canopy was constructed during half term and benches have been placed under the canopy to provide a sheltered social and dining space.

As part of the Town Deal process, accelerator funding worth £500,000 was granted by Government to deliver projects ahead of the full set of projects that form Staveley Town Deal.

Ivan Fomin, Chair of the Staveley Town Deal Board, said: “The accelerator funding has really helped kickstart the Town Deal and demonstrates the broad ambitions of the Town Deal Board. The projects that have been supported through accelerator funding aim to improve the quality of life for local residents and ensure that Staveley is a place to start, to stay and to grow. I look forward to the summer when we can enjoy outdoor performances at Springwell Community College and I hope the community will turn out to support these performances too.”

Accelerator funding has also been used to create new play facilities on King George V Playing Field, upgrade CCTV in Staveley Town Centre, improve drainage on the Chantry Playing Fields and to undertake preparatory works for DRIIVe a rail innovation and training centre which will be built in Barrow Hill.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and vice chair of Staveley Town Deal Board, said: “The accelerator projects are really just the first step in delivering the wider Town Deal, there will be lots of updates around the eleven key projects that form the Town Investment Plan over the next few months as well as the opportunity for residents to get involved.”

Find out more about Staveley Town Deal on the Chesterfield Borough Council website: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/staveley-town-deal

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Love Chesterfield, Property and Construction, UncategorisedTagged in , , , , , , ,

Plans to boost town centre to be put under the spotlight at Celebrate Chesterfield

After securing nearly £20m of Levelling Up funding, plans to boost the town centre and enhance its cultural offering are set to be unveiled at the annual Celebrate Chesterfield event on Wednesday 23 March.

At the event, Chesterfield Borough Council will unveil its plans for the modernisation and further development of the town centre as part of its journey to become a go-to destination for residents, retailers, and visitors.

A new Inward Investment Campaign for Chesterfield, focused on attracting further investment to the town, will also be launched at the event.

Now in its twelfth year Celebrate Chesterfield, which is organised by Destination Chesterfield in association with The University of Derby and sponsored by CT and Markham Vale, is one of the most hotly anticipated business events in the area attracting around 250 delegates.

This year, the event will also host the Derbyshire Festival of Business Exhibition, designed to showcase Derbyshire’s extensive business offer and capabilities.

Fully booked every year, businesses are being urged to book their tickets now to the free in-person event which is being held at the Winding Wheel from 7.30am – 11.00am.

Speakers at the event include Dr Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council and Professor Warren Manning, Provost Innovation and Research at the University of Derby

In addition to plans for the town centre, the conference speakers will also address progress on the town’s multi-million pound commercial and residential developments, office space and the Digital High Street programme.

Last year the popular Celebrate Chesterfield event was held online. Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield commented: “Chesterfield’s business community demonstrated resilience through the pandemic and continued to make significant progress in all areas. I am pleased we can finally come together in person and celebrate all that we have achieved in such testing times. It’s also important we look to the future and capitalise on the progress we have made to ensure the town remains a place where people want to live, work and invest.”

Dr Peter Dewhurst, Director, Strategic Projects at the University of Derby said: “The University is once again proud to be the headline sponsor of the Celebrate Chesterfield event, which we see as presenting an excellent opportunity to bring together and showcase the talent that is helping Chesterfield recover from the challenges of recent times. What’s more, this year’s event is being promoted as part of the inaugural Derbyshire Festival of Business that is being used to elevate our fabulous county as a great place to launch and grow a successful business.”

Ian Snow, Managing Director of CT said: “CT is delighted to sponsor this event and continue our support to promote Chesterfield as a great business destination. We are proud that our roots are in Chesterfield. The fantastic central location, together with the investment into Chesterfield to build a town people want to both live and work in, is supporting the growth of our business to offer a nationwide IT service. We are lucky to be in good company, surrounded by exceptional businesses from the legal, manufacturing and engineering sectors and we look forward to meeting everyone at this great event later this month.”

Anthony Clitheroe, Director at HBD which is jointly developing Markham Vale in partnership with Derbyshire County Council, said: “Markham Vale is at the heart of the business community, so we’re pleased to be able to support Celebrate Chesterfield and the launch of the Derbyshire Festival of Business – there’s no better advert for Derbyshire as a place to do business than the ambitious, growing companies based at Markham Vale. Benefiting from excellent connectivity and a great local skills base, they continue to create new jobs and attract investment into the region.”

Markham Vale

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, added: “Celebrate Chesterfield is a fantastic opportunity for our business community to come together to hear and discuss the significant investments that the council and its partners are making across our town and borough. We need a strong business community to maximise the opportunities created by these investments and to contribute to our aims of making Chesterfield a thriving borough and improving the quality of life for local people.”

For more information on the FREE event and to book a delegate place at Celebrate Chesterfield 2022, please visit here: www.chesterfield.co.uk/celebrate

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Love Chesterfield, Property and Construction, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , , ,

“There has never been more opportunity for young people to build a career in hospitality in Chesterfield.”

Destination Chesterfield Chair, Peter Swallow has given his thoughts about exciting developments taking place across Chesterfield as we enter March.

Spring is in the air. I for one cannot wait for the longer, warmer days and, rather than staying indoors. I, like many of you, am starting to think about venturing out again in the evening.

Whilst some of us may have been hibernating during the winter months, it is pleasing to see that the hospitality sector in Chesterfield has not been. Despite the challenges that the pandemic has thrown at it, new bars and restaurants have opened in the last six months, and more are opening soon.

Most recently Vicar Lane Shopping Centre welcomed Pizza Pi and before that Albert’s Jüngerer Bruder opened in Rykneld Square in November last year. The town centre will also shortly welcome The Dirty Habit on Holywell Street, taking over the unit that once was the Rising Sun. This new bar will also have outdoor space.

The pandemic has helped us all appreciate the outdoors, and it is great to see more businesses using their outdoor space to draw people to their venue. It benefits not only their business but also the high streets and town centre too.

With the transformation of the former Co-op on Elder Way into units for bars and restaurants, which also has fantastic outdoor dining space, it is fair to say that Chesterfield town centre’s night-time economy is set to get livelier in 2022.

As well as boosting Chesterfield’s night-time economy, giving local people and visitors more choice, these businesses are also creating jobs and opportunity. Albert’s Jüngerer Bruder has created 20 jobs alone.

Outside the town centre, Chesterfield’s hospitality scene is thriving. The Batch House at The Glass Yard is shortly to open and will offer everything from Indian street food to craft beer. While Chesterfield’s four-star hotel, Peak Edge, has recently been awarded the best wedding venue in Derbyshire.

With more than 16,000 students in North Derbyshire set to gain their GCSE and A level qualifications in the next five years, there has never been more opportunity for young people to build a career in hospitality in Chesterfield.

It is not just the hospitality sector which offers opportunity to young people.  At the recent Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Skills and Employability Conference it was revealed that that green and digital skills are most in demand from employers. This highlights the need for businesses and education and training providers to work together to ensure that young people are equipped with the skills needed to get good jobs.

Looking to the immediate digital skills needed to support the local economy, however, the Chesterfield Digital High Street campaign has been instrumental in enabling retail, hospitality and leisure businesses across the town to get online and trade digitally alongside their high street presence.

Ensuring young people know about the opportunities available to them now and in the future cannot just be the responsibility of businesses and skills and education providers. The proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ comes to mind. It highlights the importance of community and what we can all do to support young people leaving education this year and beyond.

From offering work experience to simply telling young people about your job, we can all help them take their first step onto the career ladder and build their future right here in Chesterfield, ensuring the local economy thrives now and for future generations.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Blog, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Leisure, Love Chesterfield, Made in Chesterfield, Property and Construction, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , , , ,

Plans approved for Stephenson Memorial Hall

Ambitious plans to refurbish Chesterfield’s historic Stephenson Memorial Hall, which houses the museum and the Pomegranate Theatre have been approved by Chesterfield Borough Council’s planning committee.

This approval means that Chesterfield Museum is now closed to begin the complex process of moving the historic collection into safe storage.

The refurbishment of Stephenson Memorial Hall is projected to cost around £17 million with £11 million of funding being secured via the Government’s Levelling Up Fund. Chesterfield Borough Council has received almost £20 million through this Government fund, the other £8 million will be used to support and enhance the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield Project.

Together this funding will help ensure that Chesterfield is a vibrant market town by improving connections across the town centre and enhancing the visitor economy.

Under the plans the refurbished Stephenson Memorial Hall will bring together an extended Pomegranate Theatre, a reconfigured and modern museum, alongside new gallery space, a café bar, education and community facilities.

The work will also protect the Grade II listed building and ensure that it remains part of the borough’s heritage for many more generations to come.

Creating a more accessible experience is another key aim of the proposals. The plans include three new lifts which will significantly improve the accessibility of the building for visitors, artists, and employees.

Also included in the plans are improvements to lighting, heating, and ventilation.

Revolution House, which tells the story of the Revolution of 1688, will reopen on Friday 15 April. The free museum will then be open every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from 11am to 4pm until Sunday 18 September.

Chesterfield Museum will also be launching Museum on the Move later this year, this will see some of the popular interactive events hosted in alternative venues around the borough. More details on these events will be released soon.

Whilst the Museum collection is moved the Pomegranate Theatre will continue to operate as normal and tickets can be booked by calling the box office on 01246 345 222 or by visiting the Chesterfield Theatres website.

More detail on the ambitious plans will be outlined by Chesterfield Borough Council’s Director of Economic Growth, Neil Johnson at Celebrate Chesterfield 2022 taking place on Wednesday, 23rd March.

To find out more about the event and book your place, go to: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/celebrate/

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Love Chesterfield, Property and Construction, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , , ,

Entire FM confirmed as facilities management partner of The Glassyard

Chesterfield Champion, Entire Facilities Management will be working in partnership with The Glassyard to provide a full range of services at the site.

The company will carry out a number of tasks on the site in order to provide a great experience for visitors including the security, cleaning and asset management.

Within The Batch House element of the site, EntireFM will be delivering the services required to facilitate the day-to-day running which includes security, cleaning and wait-staffing.

Peter Currey, Chief Executive Officer at Entire FM said: “As a whole team we’re delighted to have been chosen to deliver the facilities management to the site. We have been aware of the development for a while and we knew we’d have to stand out from the crowd to get a foot in the door.

“I’ve personally been aware of Blue Deer Developments for a number of years and have followed their work so it’s great that we’ve come together to get this project over the line.

“The development is an amazing vision by Blue Deer Developments and they should be proud of this landmark development. I’m aware that the project hasn’t been a walk in the park and, coupled with a global pandemic in the middle of the build, it’s a great achievement by Tim and his team at Blue Deer.

“This development will be a great boost for the local economy and will provide hundreds of jobs going forward. I’ve heard many people suggest that this is ‘just what Chesterfield’ needed and I couldn’t agree more. The use of the land, the layout, the aesthetics are all spot on.

Entire Facilities management continues to grow, gaining a number of new partners locally and nationally. This has enabled the company to grow further and create more jobs across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Peter continued: “We are seeing so many great and well known names approach us to work with them and support their workplace facilities management. The Glass Yard is on the doorstep of our head office, which always makes it a bit more special – it’s great to be a part of boosting our home town and we’d welcome partnerships with any other local organisations as well.

“Once The Glass Yard is in full swing, the EntireFM team across Derbyshire & South Yorkshire alone will be close to 100 strong.”

Entire Facilities Management supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

 

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Love Chesterfield, Property and Construction, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , ,

Excitement builds as food & drink businesses move into The Batch House at Chesterfield’s Glassyard development

Excitement is building ahead of the opening of an all-new food and drink hotspot in Chesterfield.

The Batch house is set to open in The Glassyard on Sheffield Road at the beginning of March, with several new food and drink experiences on offer for visitors to try.

Destination Chesterfield recently paid a visit to the development as the finishing touches were being made to the food stalls ahead of next week’s grand opening.

The Batch House features a new pub/bar, ‘The Hop Lamp,’ serving a range of beverages, specialising in craft beer.

Darren Filsell and Ben Stephenson will be running The Hop Lamp. Ben said: “It’s all very new to us, hopefully it’s going to be very busy down here and with that comes a lot of excitement and anticipation.”

Darren commented: “It’s Craft beer that people will recognise, and we’ve got the keg wall for something a little more unusual. It’s going to be a good offering to compliment all the other independent food vendors.”

A gelato stall will also be open to the public, Giuseppes, serving more than 30 different flavours. Craig Paterson, who is opening the stall said: “We do all your typical flavours, but we do quite exciting ones like Biscoff and Percy Pig. We’ve been producing ice cream since 1926.

Craig explained why he chose to expand into the new development: “We really like the concept of it and have seen it done in a few other locations. It’s a good thing for Chesterfield and it’s exciting to be part of it.”

There will also be an artisan bakery, known as 4 eyes bakery providing some delicious breads and sweet patisserie treats. The stall will also be serving up artisan pizza during lunch and evenings, which will be available to eat in and take away.

Matthew Rhodes and Stuart Griffin are getting ready to open the business, Stuart said: “We just saw it as a great opportunity. There’s nothing like this in the area, and we have this purpose-built unit with everything in.

Matthew said: “We’re really excited. There’s all sorts of products that we’re going to be bringing to Chesterfield; coffee, cakes croissants that people are going to be able to buy on the day.”

John Tompkins, owner of The Devonshire Arms pub in Middle Handley  is opening six units in the new food hall, including ‘The Bubba Bar’ which will comprise of tapas dishes and small plates from around the world.

He is also opening stalls serving street food from India and Portugal, loaded hot dogs, along with a wine and prosecco bar, which will sit directly at the side of a deli serving cheeses and cured meats from across the globe.

John explained why taking up so much new business space in the Batch House was an easy decision: “I’ve seen other concepts that haven’t got a patch on this, I think this is Premier League.

“The landlord has got it right, and I’m one hundred and ten percent confident that we’re going to take it by storm. I think it’s going to be a tremendous success.”

The Batch House is only one part of The Glassyard development, which will also see a Hair and Beauty Salon, a bathroom showroom, 4D baby scanning services and a tattoo parlour open on site.

Find out more about the opportunities available here: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/developments/the-glass-yard/

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Love Chesterfield, Property and Construction, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , , , ,

Popular fish and chip restaurant confirms expansion to Markham Vale

Popular fish & chip restaurant and takeaway Chesters is set to expand it’s presence even further across North Derbyshire, with plans moving forward to open a new restaurant at Markham Vale.

Chesters has been trading from it’s original base on Sheffield Road in Chesterfield for more than a decade, picking up a number of awards and positive reviews from customers in the process.

Now, owner Chris Ioannides is excited to expand the business to another site in the area. He said: “We are ecstatic & proud that we can be expanding in this current climate.

“It’s a struggle and very challenging but like others we are battling through and although our date has been pushed back we can’t wait to open and to be able to offer our services to the other side of Chesterfield.

“It’s been 10 years of hard work with some weeks working up to to 60 hours to establish our branch on Sheffield road. This has created us a successful brand name in the industry and won us local and national awards which has helped build out reputation to what it is today.

“This along with all our hard work and the great support of people of chesterfield has now helped us to expand.”

The new Chester’s will combine a restaurant, takeaway & drive through. The building will have tall vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass bi-fold doors and windows, which will make it a great dining experience in the summer. A reclaimed boat, man-made sea huts and huge reclaimed walls with artistic drawing will also make up the impressive décor.

The team is hoping to open the new premises in June, despite a few setbacks in the building process caused by Covid-19 and other factors.

Chris continued: “Being local ourselves and being that it’s the people of chesterfield that have supported us over the decade it certainly makes us want to expand our branch within chesterfield & surrounding areas. This gives our community something back by providing many jobs and opportunities for the people of chesterfield. When we are mentioned nationally we are proud to put chesterfield on the map.”

Chesters

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Love Chesterfield, Property and Construction, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , , ,

Chesterfield Museum prepares for multi-million pound renovation

Chesterfield Museum is set to close in preparation for a multi-million-pound renovation project that will create an enhanced and improved customer experience.

It is the next step in the refurbishment of Chesterfield’s historic Stephenson Memorial Hall, which houses the museum and The Pomegranate Theatre.

Proposals for the renovation of the Grade 2 listed building are due to go before Chesterfield Borough Council’s Planning Committee on Monday 28 February and, if approved, the museum will close from Tuesday 1 March to begin the complex process of moving the historic collection into safe storage.

The project is projected to cost around £15 million with £11 million of funding being secured via the Government’s Levelling Up Fund. Chesterfield Borough Council has received almost £20 million through this Government fund, the other £8 million will be used to support and enhance the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield Project.

Together this funding will help ensure that Chesterfield is a vibrant market town by improving connections across the town centre and enhancing the visitor economy.

Under the plans the refurbished Stephenson Memorial Hall will bring together an extended Pomegranate Theatre, a reconfigured and modern museum, alongside new gallery space, a café bar, education and community facilities.

The work will also protect the Grade 2 listed building and ensure that it remains part of the borough’s heritage for many more generations to come.

Creating a more accessible experience is another key aim of the proposals. The plans include a new lift which would help disabled guests access the circle and upper museum floors and to compliment this there would be an increased number of wheelchair spaces within the theatre.

Also included in the plans are improvements to lighting, heating, and ventilation.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, explained: “Stephenson Memorial Hall is one of our most striking buildings and these exciting plans are set to make it even more memorable and enjoyable – creating a modern visitor experience in the heart of our town centre.

“Our wonderful museum is a central part of the building and we’re now preparing for the huge and complex task of moving thousands of treasured items that are in our local collections to a safe, temporary home. Subject to planning approval, the museum will close at the start of March, and building work is set to begin later in the year.”

Items in the collection will be securely stored in a controlled environment to ensure preservation. One of the signature pieces, the medieval builder’s wheel, will be stored with a specialist renovator who will clean it whilst work progresses in the building.

Councillor Sarvent added: “We’re working hard to make sure people will still be able to enjoy our theatre and museum attractions in new and innovative ways while the transformation of the building is carried out.

“Our team at the museum regularly host interactive activities and events to help all members of our community connect with our history and we’re exploring even more ways to do this over the coming years – you’ll be able to find out more about our plans on our website and social media pages soon.”

Revolution House, which tells the story of the Revolution of 1688, will reopen on Friday 15 April. The free museum will then be open every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from 11am to 4pm until Sunday 18 September.

Whilst the Museum collection is moved the Pomegranate Theatre will continue to operate as normal and tickets can be booked by calling the box office on 01246 345 222 or by visiting www.chesterfieldtheatres.co.uk.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Love Chesterfield, Property and Construction, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , ,

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