The Market Place in Chesterfield has been centre stage for over 800 years. As with anything, times change and we all need to adapt - the market is no exception. Chesterfield Borough Council has announced ambitious plans to revitalise Chesterfield Market – creating a vibrant open-air shopping experience with new event space, seating, and landscaping.
Drawn up following a first round of consultation with local market traders, town centre businesses and residents, the draft Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield Vision Master Plan will have been to the council’s Cabinet just before we print. If approved, the draft will be subject to further public consultation before specific delivery dates are finalised for completion of the works in 2022.
Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centre and visitor economy, said: “Chesterfield Borough Council recognise the need to invest now to make sure Chesterfield town centre remains modern, vibrant, and relevant.
“As the heart and soul of our town centre, we must do all we can to make sure that Chesterfield Market continues to prosper in the modern world, as a destination of choice for traders, residents, and visitors."
Key proposals include:
Re-siting market stalls currently located in New Square and on Low Pavement into a single market ground of 100 stalls in Market Square.
Re-modelling New Square as a flexible events space – able to hold large-scale events, and accommodate temporary installations and active edges linked to local bars and restaurants
Upgrades to the paving to improve the quality while also making it more accessible for people dependent on wheelchairs, pushchairs, or mobility aids
New seating areas and attractive landscaping to create spaces where people want to sit and chat.
Planting more trees.
Brighter, more vibrant stall coverings and flexible stalls supplied with water, better lighting and digital connectivity.
Greater prominence to the Market Hall and the town pump.
However, these are just plans and if approved a consultation will follow between 2 August and 12 September.
You are encourage to take a look and have your say on the future of Chesterfield town centre and in particular, the key proposals for the market.
The council has secured £1.15m funding through the Derbyshire Business Rates Pilot and D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership. Further funding for later phases is being sought from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
The second phase of consultation will be carried out via a virtual exhibition.
Exhibition documents will also be available to view at Chesterfield Market Hall and paper copies of the questionnaire from the council’s Customer Services Centre, just off New Square.
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