Investment News | 14 September 2021
Council bids for £20m to regenerate town centre
Chesterfield has tabled a bid for £20 million of government cash to regenerate its historic town centre.
At the heart of Chesterfield Borough Council’s submission to the Levelling Up Fund, is £11 million towards a £15.6 million project to create a modern and extended customer experience at the Stephenson Memorial Hall.
The hall houses Chesterfield’s Pomegranate Theatre and Museum. Under the plans, the refurbished hall would bring together, under one roof, an extended Pomegranate Theatre, a reconfigured and modern museum offering, alongside new gallery space, a café bar, education and community facilities.
If successful, the remaining £8.5 million would be immediately allocated to further regenerate Chesterfield’s historic town centre, with investment centred on four key public spaces – Corporation Street, Rykneld Square, Market Square and New Square – and how these are connected to one another.
These spaces would be re-imagined for a range of flexible uses including markets, festivals, events, cultural celebrations, and community gatherings in a programme that will aim to complement the offering at Stephenson Memorial Hall and other key town centre assets.
The funding would enable delivery of a vastly improved public realm alongside new seating, landscaping, lighting, and signage, and a step change in digital connectivity.
Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “We recognise the need to invest in Chesterfield town centre to make sure it remains a vibrant place for generations to come – providing great opportunities and experiences for local people and businesses, and keeping Chesterfield on the map as a go-to place for visitors.
“We’re already making significant progress on our £1 billion borough-wide growth programme to create new jobs for local people, support new business start-ups, improve employability through better skills provision, revitalise former industrial sites and attract new investment.
“But our ambitions don’t stop there. Here in Chesterfield, we have a compelling story to tell and a prosperous future ahead of us – one which we firmly believe is deserving of further investment as part of the Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda.”
Chesterfield Borough Council expects to hear in November whether its bid has been successful.
