Chesterfield council may transform condemned visitor information centre into ‘Crooked Spire Experience’ attraction

Chesterfield Borough Council’s Joint Cabinet and Employment and General Committee agreed to the closure of the visitor centre, on Rykneld Square, which sits in the shadow of the Crooked Spire Church, and the introduction of an alternative, digitalised visitor service after a meeting, on February 5.

The decision followed the Labour-led council’s consideration of how tourist information services are being delivered, including the use of the Chesterfield Visitor Information Centre, as part of a review to balance an estimated budget shortfall of £4m for the 2024/25 financial year.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “The centre currently delivers a range of discretionary services, and an analysis of how customers use it underpinned this proposal – only 11per cent of transactions relate to the provision of local visitor information, with the majority of customer visits being to book theatre tickets or enquire about things like bus routes and car parking.

“Moreover, we see great potential in an alternative use for this building to support an enhanced ‘Crooked Spire Experience’.

“The church is supportive of exploring an opportunity to create a high-quality visitor attraction which would celebrate Chesterfield’s most famous landmark and significantly add to the town’s visitor appeal – an opportunity which has been identified within the council’s visitor economy strategy.

“We have engaged with local communities through our Budget Conversation and – together with the issues raised by the petition which was received and debated at Full Council in December 2023 – all of these views have been taken into account when considering a final decision on the future of the service.”

Campaigners presented the council with a petition during a Full Council meeting, on December 12, entitled ‘Support Keeping Chesterfield Visitor Information Centre Open’ which had been signed by 4,248 people.

Campaign spokesperson Carole Garmory had argued the centre promotes tourism and supports business and it should remain open because it provides a personal contact and helps those who struggle with modern technology or do not have internet access – including the elderly, disabled and those with special needs.

Chesterfield Civic Society Chairperson Howard Borrell also said that a move to digital delivery will not be beneficial to the town because it will have too many negative impacts on both the area’s visitor economy and how its residents will be able to access information about the town and surrounding area.

Cllr Sarvent previously stated during the December 12 council meeting that the authority has approved a strategy to deliver Chesterfield town’s ‘Heart of the Realm” revitalisation programme with improvements to Rykneld Square and the Crooked Spire area and the visitor information centre building is being considered as a visitor centre for the iconic church.

She added that council officers have been talking with the church because the centre building could offer a high quality contribution to the ‘Crooked Spire Experince’ so visitors could learn more about the history of this iconic landmark and its role for the town and borough while the church helps to make a positive contribution to the area’s economy.

The council’s aims behind the proposed transformation of the visitor centre into an added base and attraction for the church would be to develop the ‘Crooked Spire Experience’ for tourists and to attract even more visitors to the borough, according to its growth strategy.

It’s Growth Strategy for 2023 to 2027 has already identified that Chesterfield is a great base for visitors to explore the Peak District and Derbyshire and that enhancing the ‘Crooked Spire experience’ will support other plans.

These include major investments with the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre and the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project with the redevelopment of Stephenson Memorial Hall with everything aimed at attracting new visitors and driving footfall back into the town centre.

The strategy stated that increasing footfall is critical to supporting the viability of all consumer businesses in the town centre and it is hoped this will be achieved by making Chesterfield a focus for activities and by enhancing the ‘Crooked Spire Experience’ to create a stronger, unique selling point that can help generate more spending.

Cllr Sarvent said: “In line with many councils locally and across the country, we are modernising the way we deliver visitor information services, moving to a more digitally-focused service which is in line with our long-term visitor economy strategy for the borough.

“We remain firmly committed to growing Chesterfield as a visitor destination and the decision to close the Visitor Information Centre – and consider other options for the use of this building to benefit the town centre and tourism offer – is part of that long-term plan.

“It’s important to be clear that that the closure of the building will not remove any services for our residents or visitors – all the services which people can access from the centre will still be available, either from other council bases, through digital platforms or from our local partner agencies.”

Cllr Kate Sarvent has previously said that looking at the digital delivery of how people access information is very much part of the council’s economic strategy and the closure of the centre could save the council around £66,000 a year as it prepares for the 2024-25 financial year from April 1.

Deputy Council leader, Cllr Amanda Serjeant, Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management, has also stated that in ‘real terms’ the council has suffered a ’72per cent reduction in funding’ from the Government but she added that the authority wants to protect its visitor information service despite the closure of the centre building.

Following the recent Joint Cabinet committee meeting , the council agreed to back possible lease arrangements for the centre with the Crooked Spire Church to support both the church and the town but council officers will still be exploring alternative options in case this initiative does not proceed.

The council has confirmed that council services which have been provided at the visitor centre will simply be transferred within the authority.

And a council report has also stated the closure of the Visitor information Centre will have implications for employees but they will be supported by Human Resources and trade union colleagues in line with the council’s HR policies and procedures.

Mr Borrell said: “The Society is very disappointed at this decision particularly as it is not clear how the digital delivery will actually work.

“This can’t possibly replace the availability of such things as hard copy leaflets that have been available at the Visitor Information Centre.

“Additionally, no consideration appears to have been given to joint working with the county council on some form of information facility in – say – the library foyer and the possibility of potential volunteer recruitment.

“We look forward to discovering what might develop out of the so-called ‘Crooked Spire Experience’ re-purposing proposal, as the present building cannot become yet another vacant property. Our thoughts are also with the staff impacted at this difficult time.”

The centre closure is one of many money-saving council plans while it is facing funding gaps blamed on a rising demand on services due to the cost-of-living crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic, exceptionally high inflation rates, rising costs, and uncertain Government funding as it struggles to address an estimated budget shortfall forecast of £4m for 2024/25.

Cllr Kate Sarvent said: “We acknowledge the strength of local feeling in relation to this proposal, but like councils across the country, our budgets are under unprecedented pressure, and we have no choice but to scrutinise how we deliver all of our services in the future to make sure they are fit for purpose, deliver the best value, maximise new opportunities for our borough and ensure that we can protect the services that the most vulnerable in our communities rely on.”

The history of the famous Crooked Spire’s Chesterfield town centre church site, according to Wikipedia, is believed to date back as far as Anglo Saxon times possibly between 890 AD and 1090 AD and construction on the church dates back to 1234 although the present church’s form dates back to the 14th century with the spire being constructed in about 1362.

Wikipedia states the church’s iconic twisted spire may have been caused by a number of reasons including a lack of skilled workers during the Black Death, the use of insufficient cross bracing, the use of unseasoned timber with heavy lead sheeting, and sunlight upon the south side of the tower causing an unequal expansion of the lead.

But by far the most preferred explanation among Chesterfield residents is the popular myth that the church’s twisted pinnacle was caused by the devil who had been so irritated by the smell of incense from the church that he had sneezed and fled in such a hurry that his tail was caught and twisted the spire.

The iconic image of The Crooked Spire was also adopted as Chesterfield Borough Council’s logo and Chesterfield FC football team and fans are affectionately known as The Spireites.

Chesterfield’s Horns Bridge roundabout was also made more famous with the construction of its nine-year-old landmark sculpture, Growth, which ironically, some say, was based on the unfolding of the Crooked Spire with its open petals and the rise of a new digital age symbolised by the stamen.