investment

£58 million to be invested in Derbyshire’s road network in the coming year

A £58 million investment in the county’s roads and pavements has been revealed by Derbyshire County Council.

The work, to be carried out from April 2022 to March 2023, will include resurfacing and surface dressing roads and pavements, traffic safety schemes, draining improvements and maintenance to bridges and retaining walls.

Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport, said: “This huge investment in roads, footpaths and pavements across the county is the second year of a three year £120m programme.

“More than 44% of the money next year will be spent on resurfacing or surface dressing 375 roads across the county.

“We’re also going to make improvements to pavements, drains and spend money on measures to prevent flooding.

“To help reduce accidents on the roads, money will also be spent on a variety of safety schemes which aim to reduce the numbers of people killed or seriously injured in accidents. Improvements will also be made to the cycle network.

“Much of this work will need us to close roads to make sure it can be done safely, and where possible we will work at off-peak times. I’d like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused to all those affected by these improvement works and thank everyone for their patience.”

The money will be spent in the following way:

  • roads £25.8million
  • pavements £3.6million
  • drainage and flood management £4.7million
  • bridges, structures, retaining walls and highway boundary structures £8.1million
  • signs, lines and signals £3.1million
  • street lighting £2.7million
  • rights of way £1million
  • cycle routes £0.6million
  • greenways £0.6million
  • traffic management £2.8million
  • key cycle network investment £0.1million
  • local cycling and walking investment £0.1million
  • sustainable transport £3.1million
  • air quality £0.1million
  • road safety £1.8million.
  • Total 2022-2023 programme £58.2m.

Centrally located in the UK Chesterfield is superbly connected, has an abundance of new business premises and room to grow. Well served by the M1 and the Midland Mainline Chesterfield is within one hour’s drive of four major airports and London is under two hours by rail.

Find out more about the great investment opportunities in the town at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/business/invest-in-chesterfield/

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North Derbyshire technology firm completes £2.1 million investment raise

A Clay Cross based Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solution provider is celebrating a record 12 months in style after it completed a successful £2.1 million investment raise.

Konektio, the new name for InVMA, is taking advantage of the industry sector’s desire for digital transformation by rolling out its AssetMinder SaaS platform to help clients improve processes, runtime, safety and environmental performance by dynamically connecting people, process, places and things and providing intelligent insights and recommendations every day.

The funding round for Konektio was led by fund managers Mercia and Foresight, investing from both the Midlands Engine Investment Fund and Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and included existing investor Tern plc.

The additional capital will allow the firm to embed its technology in the operations of even more customers across industries including food processing, manufacturing, logistics, and water/waste treatment industries – monitoring and analysing thousands of things every day.

It will also facilitate the recruitment of additional staff both in the UK and in its recently opened first overseas office in the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, United States.

“We are entering the exciting scale-up period of our business and fully expect to significantly grow revenues over the coming months, leveraging the power of our solutions and the reach of our channel partners, including Dexis, ECA, PTC and u-blox. The institutional investment secured, including further support from Tern, will help us achieve these goals,” explained Peter Stephens, Chief Executive Officer of Konektio

“The next industrial revolution is about empowering people to do more with less and our rebrand to Konektio reflects that. It cuts through the buzzwords and all the terminology to focus on what our technology does best – connecting everyone with everything and providing intelligent insights people need.”

Al Sisto, CEO of Tern Plc, added his support: “We are very pleased that Konektio has secured a significant institutional investment in order to fund the next phase of its growth. We welcome the Mercia funds as our partners, alongside the management and founders of Konektio, to help the business achieve its full potential.

Konektio’s main product is AssetMinder, an IIoT SaaS product that dynamically connects people, process, places and things – from on-site factory floors to the remotest locations they operate in, all designed to drive value across a business with value added insights, recommendations and targeted data driven analysis.

The technology gathers data from assets and devices and displays it to all members of the customer’s team via a single interface, allowing them to make informed decisions on maintenance, servicing, tweaks to processes and how they manage their energy usage.

Thousands of assets – from conveyor belts and fans to crushing equipment and robotic lasers – are currently connected to AssetMinder, with companies using it to consistently deliver increased runtimes and productivity, not to mention achieving greater control of their environmental footprint.

The core AssetMinder solution is already being utilised across 15 different sectors, with a number of new ‘extensions’ being launched in 2022 to offer customers even more features.

Co-founders Patrick Nash, Jan Hemper and Jon Hill, continued: “Companies have started to cut through the confusion around digital manufacturing and the next industrial revolution and now share a real appetite to see how the intelligent use of data can deliver short and long-term returns on investment.

“This is really good news for our business, and we are looking to capitalise on this fast-growing trend by investing significantly in product development, R&D and in supporting our global customers by creating a network of international offices.”

“The US technical centre is an important first step in this plan and will allow us to provide on-the-ground support to clients in this territory, as well as identifying new opportunities in that market.”

Peter concluded: “Our name change from InVMA to Konektio, reflects our ambition to be a company that creates true connected Industrial IoT communication and collaboration for a wide range of businesses.”

The Midlands Engine Investment Fund and Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund projects are supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.

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D2N2 LEP launches new strategy on international trade and investment

The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, in partnership with the Department for International Trade (DIT) has published a new report outlining how the region can build its competitiveness, drive productivity and create more jobs by increasing international trade.

D2N2 Global: International Trade Strategy sets out the region’s ambition to increase the percentage of D2N2 businesses that export goods and services.

It identifies key strategic priorities and actions to ensure that the business community can become more confident and active in overseas markets. It also identifies a range of emerging markets that D2N2 businesses can explore further. These market requirements match the strengths in the region.

By connecting these strengths with potential growth markets the region can grasp the opportunities available through the UK’s new trading relationships and being at the forefront of “Global Britain”. The report, which is funded by DIT has been developed to align with Government’s new Trade and Export strategy, Made in the UK, sold to the World.

Elizabeth Fagan, Chair of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “In 2020, the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership launched its Recovery and Growth Strategy to ensure we build a stronger economy and deliver more investment and jobs.

“With our strategy in place, our strong partnerships and investments in skills, business support and innovation, we think now is a perfect time to look to the future and create more outward trade for our region.

“Our International Trade strategy sets out a clear evidence base on the challenges and the actions required to support our businesses to grow and create new export-oriented jobs for our region.”

Ian Harrison, Head of Export, DIT Midlands said: “The D2N2 LEP’s International Trade strategy represents an innovative approach to aligning its priorities with this the strategic Global Britain vision to help achieve strategic international trade outcomes. We are particularly pleased to be support its launched during this inaugural International Trade Week.

“The support for the development of this strategy was enabled through DIT’s Levelling-Up funding for the Midlands and the regional team has worked in partnership with the LEP in developing their approach. DIT Midlands very much welcome the opportunity to continue to work closely with the LEP to assist with its implementation.”

The International Trade Strategy has been produced by Deyton Bell, independent economic development consultants working closely with key partners across the region.

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Derbyshire companies invited to bid for funding to boost the local economy

Organisations in Derbyshire are being invited to bid for funding to deliver projects that will get people back into work and boost the local economy.

Derbyshire County Council has been identified by government as the lead authority in the county to deliver the new national Community Renewal Fund which has been set up to support people and communities most in need, tackle disadvantage and break down the barriers to employment and better skills.

Derbyshire Dales and High Peak have been identified by government as 2 of the 100 areas prioritised for access to the fund, based on an index of economic measures around productivity, household income, unemployment, skills and population density – although other places can apply. Applications from other areas that demonstrate a good fit with the grant criteria and links to the priority areas may also receive funding.

From April 2021 to March 2022, up to £3 million has been targeted by government for projects in each of Derbyshire’s priority areas with bids being welcomed from a range of organisations including local authorities, public sector organisations, higher and further education institutions, private sector organisations and registered charities.

Piloting new approaches and innovative ideas at a local level will be a key part of the projects to be funded.

The bidding process is now open and the authority is inviting applications for funding for projects that will secure:

  • Investment in skills – work-based training; retraining, upskilling/reskilling; and promoting digital skills and inclusion
  • Investment for local business – supporting entrepreneurs to create more job opportunities; encouraging businesses to develop their innovation potential; and supporting decarbonisation measures
  • Investment in communities and place – feasibility studies for delivering net-zero/local energy projects; promoting culture-led regeneration and community development; improving green spaces and preserving important local assets; and promoting rural connectivity.
  • Support people into employment – supporting people on their journey towards employment; identifying/addressing barriers to employment/moving closer to the labour market; raising aspirations / supporting individual to access employment support; supporting people to develop basic skills for sustainable work; testing what works in helping people move towards work.

Tim Gregory,  Director of Economy, Transport and Environment for Derbyshire County Council, said:

“We welcome this opportunity to bring more government funding into Derbyshire to boost skills and employment, improve quality of life, aid regeneration and support our ambition to cut emissions from the Derbyshire economy to net zero by 2050.”

The closing date for sending applications is midnight on 10 May 2021. All applications will be assessed and a proposed list of projects submitted to government by 18 June 2021.

Government will announce which projects have been successful in late July. All projects must be delivered and complete by 31 March 2022.

Find out more information about the Community Renewal Fund here

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Plans to revamp Chesterfield Market move forward

Chesterfield Borough Council’s plans to revamp the town’s historic market have taken a further step forward, with expected works to be completed in around a year’s time.

Last December, the council asked residents, market traders and local businesses to share their views and help shape the future of Chesterfield Market.

The aim of the surveys was to understand what people enjoy about Chesterfield Market, what might encourage them to visit more often, and understand how they think it can be improved.

This was the first step in the £3.25m Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project which includes plans to revamp the town’s historic outdoor Market Place, as well as improve the public space around Elder Way.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “Chesterfield Market is the heart and soul of the town. It’s crucial that we work together with residents, market traders and local businesses to make sure improvements meet their needs. It was fantastic to receive hundreds of responses to our surveys, which shows the market means so much to everyone in Chesterfield.”

The surveys showed support for changing the layout of the market. 72% of the public, 89% of local businesses and 46% of market traders, supported changing the layout of the market

There was strong support for events, particularly specialist and event markets. These could include food festivals, farmers markets or vintage markets.

The public survey results show strong support for market traders and a desire to support local businesses.

Councillor Sarvent added: “Work is now underway to develop options for the market design and these will be available for comment as part of a consultation with the public, market traders and local businesses this summer. It is especially encouraging to see the public support for traders and local businesses as we move towards re-opening the town centre from lockdown next month.”

Details of how to take part in the next stage of the market consultation will be available from the council’s website this summer. Following this, it is expected works will be complete in Spring 2022.

As well as looking at the future of the market, the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project will also include improvements to the public space between the town centre and the Northern Gateway site.

The Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project has benefitted from £650,000 of funding through the D2N2 Local Growth Fund.

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Over £23m to be invested in council housing across Chesterfield

More than £23 million is to be spent improving and increasing the housing supply across Chesterfield – as part of Chesterfield Borough Council’s commitment to enhance the borough’s housing offer and meet the needs of residents.

Councillors have agreed to the ambitious Housing Capital Programme – which sets out the council’s investment priorities for 2021/22 and the medium-term investment through to 2024/25.

The Housing Capital Programme sets out the priorities to ensure that council housing in the borough continues to meet the decent homes standard and provide the good quality, affordable homes for people in Chesterfield.

Modernisation and refurbishment of the council’s existing housing stock continues to be a main focus of the council’s programme of works – including roof repairs, the installation of windows and improvements to estate environments to ensure all properties continue to meet the decent homes standard.

Since 2019 the council will have added 64 new homes to its housing stock and a further 53 homes in the pipeline for 2021-2023, meaning the council will meet its target of adding new 100 new homes to the housing register by 2023 – giving local families more choice and access to modern properties.

The council will also continue to invest in homes for older people, with works currently progressing well at Mallard Court and Leander Court. When completed, this will offer modern, affordable and attractive housing for older people in Staveley for the future.

In response to the climate emergency that was declared by the council in July 2019, the council is also committed to ensuring that all of its homes are energy efficient – allowing Chesterfield to become a low carbon, resilient and sustainable borough.

Councillor Chris Ludlow, cabinet member for housing, said: “Our aim as always is to enhance Chesterfield’s housing offer so that people of all ages can find, and live in a quality home they can afford. Our capital programme shows that we are committed to improving our housing stock to ensure it meets the needs of the people of Chesterfield, as well actively contributing to the climate change agenda by ensuring all homes are energy efficient.

“Investing in affordable and social housing has never been as important, given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has had on many people financially, so it is vital that we continue to enhance the borough’s housing needs and supply affordable living. Our programme of investment has been developed and amended to recognise the challenges which have arisen from the Covid-19 crisis and, together with our partners, we are doing all we can to ensure any minor delays to key projects are resolved, allowing us to achieve our goals.

“We are committed to building a sustainable future and in response to the climate change emergency declared by the council in 2019, we’re taking measures to ensure our homes are energy efficient – which will not only help the planet, but will also give our residents access to affordable warmth.”

“During 2020 – 21 we achieved some key milestones in improving our housing stock and we’re proud that 100 per cent of our properties meet the decent homes standards. By continuing to refurbish and modernise our homes and estates, we can continue to ensure we maintain these standards for local families.”

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£46 million investment in Derbyshire’s roads and pavements agreed

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet has agreed work totalling over £46 million to be carried out on the county’s roads and pavements over the next year.

A huge investment in the county’s roads and pavements has been agreed at a meeting of the authority’s cabinet on Thursday, 11th March.

The council also announced a further £40 million for each of the following two years.

Councillor Simon Spencer, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure, said: “The money we will invest over the next 3 years will see a step change in how we tackle improvements on our highways network.

“Next year alone we will surface dress 260 roads and resurface 78 roads and 65 pavements. 84 miles of roads will be surface dressed, and 11.5 miles will be resurfaced.

“We’re also going to make improvements to drains and spend money on other measures to prevent flooding.

“To tackle accidents on the roads we’ve 46 safety schemes which aim to reduce the numbers of people killed or seriously injured in accidents. Improvements will also be made to the cycle network.

“Then for the following two years we will spend around £40m each year in our bid to keep Derbyshire moving.

”The work will be carried out by our own team, and by specialist contractors which we will bring in to help us meet this ambitious programme.”

The work will be carried out by the council’s own employees, and a range of specialist contractors. To help manage the extensive scheme of work a small team of employees will be recruited shortly.

The table below shows how the funding is set to be distributed over the next year:

Roads £16.154 million
Pavements £3.152 million
Drainage and flood management £6.634 million
Bridges, structures, retaining walls and highway boundary structures £3.81 million
Signs, lines and signals £3.218 million
Street lighting £2.401 million
Rights of way £1.698 million
Cycle routes £0.677 million
Greenways £0.185 million
Traffic management £0.48 million
Key Cycle Network investment £0.57 million
Local cycling and walking investment £0.299 million
Public transport £1.6 million
Road safety £1.992 million
Preparation and implementation of major highway projects £0.25 million
Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund and Active Travel Fund £3.684 million
Total 2021 to 2022 programme £46.803 million

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£25.2m investment for Staveley announced

Town leaders have welcomed a multi-million pound funding boost which will pave the way for significant regeneration in a former mining community in North Derbyshire.

Staveley is set to benefit from £25.2m worth of funding following the Government’s Town Deal programme announcement today – presenting a ‘golden opportunity’ to transform the area for future generations.

It follows a successful bid for funding by the Staveley Town Deal Board, which submitted a Town Investment Plan to unlock the funding package for a range of projects that will drive long term economic growth, offer quality skills and employment opportunities and improve the green spaces and canal network around Staveley.

And it is a further boost for the borough’s wider growth agenda – adding to the significant and sustained investments that are already being made across the area to ensure Chesterfield’s communities are in the strongest possible position to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ivan Fomin, Chair of the Staveley Town Deal Board, said: “We are delighted at the news from Government today that Staveley stands to be awarded £25.2m as part of the Towns Fund.

“Our plans are rooted in the needs and aspirations of Staveley’s communities, and have been driven by the Board’s collective ambitions to attract the investment that this area deserves.

“Bringing funding on this scale to Staveley will transform the area and realise huge benefits to local people, both in terms of how they lead their everyday lives and take advantage of future opportunities. As a local businessman and Chair of the Town Deal Board, I am thrilled that Government has recognised the potential of our place and sees the value in backing our Town Investment Plan.”

The funding will be spent over a five-year period, steered by the Staveley Town Deal Board, and with the overall programme managed by Chesterfield Borough Council.

It follows an earlier successful bid by the Board under the Government’s Accelerator Fund – securing £500,000 worth of funding for grassroots projects. They include a new state-of-the-art all-weather sports pitch at Springwell Community College, new play equipment for King George V Playing Field and new CCTV equipment for Staveley town centre.

Welcoming the news, Cllr Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and Vice Chair of the Staveley Town Deal Board, added: “Today’s announcement is tremendous news for our borough, and for the communities of Staveley who are set to benefit from this sizeable investment in a range of exciting projects and programmes.

“This is a golden opportunity which paves the way for this former mining community – which has often been overlooked by previous national funding programmes – to realise its full potential both now and in the future.

“I would like to thank all of the partners who have worked on the Town Deal over the last year. Staveley is a very special place with a rich history and wonderful assets. Through this funding, we will look to harness the town’s great potential through re-vitalising the high street, delivering new investment and much-needed jobs, supporting local people to reach their full potential and exciting the interest of new visitors to the place.”

Following the announcement of the funding offer, partners in Staveley will be working with Government to agree the terms for the next stage of the Town Deal programme and to determine how each project will be funded.

This will allow the promoters of each project to develop their full business cases, which will be needed before the funding can be released. The Staveley Town Deal Board will be supporting each project through that process so that delivery on the ground can start as soon as practicable.

Elsewhere in North Derbyshire, £24.1 million has been awarded to kickstart a number of regeneration projects in Clay Cross.

North East Derbyshire District Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Councillor Carolyn Renwick said: “What an incredible and proud moment this is for Clay Cross and North East Derbyshire. To be awarded the full sum we asked for – over £24 million pounds will mean Clay Cross will be an exciting hub of redevelopment, opportunity and prosperity for years to come.”

You’ll be able to find out more about all of the projects included as part of the Staveley Town Deal and other regeneration sites across the area at the virtual Celebrate Chesterfield event, taking place on Wednesday, 31st March. To register your place at the virtual event, go to: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/celebrate/

Find out more about all the regeneration projects taking place across Staveley here: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/developments/staveley/

 

Works road and canal basin

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Pupils get creative to design a new logo for ambitious town project

Pupils at Springwell Community College were challenged to create a new logo to capture the spirit of a major project which aims to regenerate their town.

Almost 70 young people submitted their designs to the Staveley Town Deal logo competition, which was launched in September for year seven pupils at the school.

Alex Atkinson was declared the overall winner for his design which incorporated some of Staveley’s most well-known landmarks.

The winning entry was picked by a judging panel which included the Chair of the Staveley Town Board, Ivan Fomin, and Staveley-based design company, Q2 Creative.

Ivan Fomin said: “The winning logo portrayed hope for Staveley with a bright sun, and blended the canal and waterways whilst retaining the history with the winding wheel.”

Alex then had the opportunity to work with Q2 Creative to turn his hand drawn design into a format that would be suitable for use on the official website and on banners and hoardings in and around Staveley.

Lynne Dawson from Q2 Creative said: “We were delighted to be able to help out with the selection and development of the Staveley Town Deal logo. The students’ work was of a really high standard, with some very thoughtful and well-conceived ideas – it was very hard to choose a winner! It was great to work with Alex in developing his idea and explaining the design process and elements that go to make a successful logo. We wish the Staveley Town Deal project every success.”

The Staveley Town Deal Board has been established to oversee the development and implementation of a long-term Town Investment Plan for the Staveley area.

It is made up of elected members and senior officers from Chesterfield Borough Council, Staveley Town Council and Derbyshire County Council, both local members of parliament, representatives from local charitable organisations, Derbyshire Police, education leaders and representatives of the local business community.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, added: “The Staveley Town Deal will create real improvements that will benefit local people for many years to come. It’s vital that the Town Deal engages young people because it is about ensuring that Staveley is a thriving town with great opportunities where young people can build their future.

“Well done to Alex for his excellent design, and thanks to all the young people who took part.”

As well the opportunity to work with a professional design company and learn how the process works, Alex won a £50 Shopping voucher awarded by Chesterfield Borough Council.

The five runners up were also given prizes of two tickets for a weeks’ membership to the Healthy Living Centre in Staveley or Queen’s Park Sports Centre, to be used in line with government restrictions.

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