Chesterfield is open for business as ambitious plan focusing on quality jobs for local people is approved

The new four-year Growth strategy aims to make Chesterfield a thriving borough by strengthening local skills provision, supporting businesses and further cementing the borough’s role as a visitor destination.

The strategy – which was approved at a meeting of the full council on Wednesday 22 February – also has environmental sustainability at its heart, supporting the target of becoming a carbon neutral borough by 2050.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “This strategy is vital to ensuring our borough remains a thriving place to live and work, where everyone has the opportunity to boost their skills, and has access to quality jobs.

“It’s also crucial that we build environmental considerations into our long-term plans, as part of our ongoing commitment to create a sustainable borough for future generations and ensuring we do all we can to reduce carbon emissions.

“The plan builds on our successes over the last ten years including the creation of more than 2000 jobs, and with over 500 new businesses operating in the area.”

The strategy includes five key objectives, which are:

- Help businesses to grow and secure new business investment in the borough.

- Build a competitive place infrastructure that accelerates employment and housing growth.

- Strengthen the distinctive character and vibrancy of our town centres

- Develop Chesterfield’s role as a visitor destination and as a base for exploring the surrounding area.

- Ensure local people have the right skills to support progression in the labour market and benefit from future employment opportunities.

The strategy is in response to the loss of the heavy industries that previously provided the backbone of Chesterfield’s economy and communities and has left a legacy of lower levels of growth and higher levels of deprivation.

The report states: “Chesterfield already has a lot going for it as a great place to live and a great place to do business. However there still remains significant untapped economic potential that needs to be realised if we are to achieve our growth ambitions. In the east of the borough, for example, we have large scale brownfield sites that can support new employment and housing growth.

"Adjacent to the rail station, we can build a sustainable live/work community, making the most of our current rail connectivity and the future provision of high speed rail services. And, Chesterfield makes a great base for visitors to explore the Peak District and Derbyshire; we just need to shout about it a bit louder.”

Chesterfield also has a lower skills profile (Census 2021) than the national average, with fewer people qualified at Level 4 or above (26.8% compared to 33.9%) and more people with no qualifications (20.2% compared to 18.1%). The local economy has experienced lower levels of employment and business growth than the national average, and has a bias towards lower-value, lower-skill and lower-wage employment. Chesterfield consistently has one of the highest rates of youth (18-24) unemployment in the East Midlands.

The Indices of Deprivation ranks Chesterfield as the 86th most deprived district in the country (out of 317 districts). Chesterfield has particular issues with the health and disability, employment and income aspects of deprivation where it is ranked 13th, 40th and 64th respectively. The Census 2021 also includes a deprivation 5 indicator which shows that 55% of households in Chesterfield are impacted by at least one aspect of deprivation, compared to 52% nationally.

Opportunities include:

- The further development of Chesterfield as a university town

- Delivery of the DRIIVe project, a nationally significant rail innovation and training centre, as part of a cluster of rail related activity at Barrow Hill.

- Develop the Chesterfield Station area as a vibrant transport gateway

- The reopening of the Barrow Hill line to passenger services including new stations at Whittington and Barrow Hill

- Attract more day and staying visitors by strengthening Chesterfield’s role as a visitor destination and as a base for exploring the Peak District and Derbyshire

Key activites to develop the borough as a visitor destination include completing the refurbishment of Stephenson Memorial Hall, delivering a programme of speciality markets, events and festivals, work with partners to support the further development of the borough’s visitor offer including PEAK Resort, an enhanced Crooked Spire experience and the reopening of Chesterfield Canal.

Councillor Gilby added: “Despite the ongoing economic challenges which are facing towns and cities across the country, Chesterfield is not standing still – we are an ambitious borough and this strategy reflects that. It focusses on higher value growth while balancing our commitment to a greener, more sustainable future.”

The report notes the scale of the change means that these issues won’t be addressed overnight and requires a long term commitment to rebuild. The Council has made a long term commitment to deliver an on-going programme of investment. Most recently this investment has included the first phase of the Chesterfield town centre Northern Gateway scheme and the construction of new offices at Chesterfield Waterside.

Targets by 2030 include increasing the number of employee jobs in the borough by 4% (2,000 jobs) and increasing the number of businesses by 12% (400 businesses).

Other aims include reducing the town centre vacancy rate to below 10%.