Chesterfield Champions Investment Summit Blog 

When it comes to keeping up with the latest investment, development and regeneration projects in and around Chesterfield, the Chesterfield Investment Summit 2023 provided the perfect opportunity to reflect on current and upcoming projects. Attended by more than 200 people, this year’s Investment Summit welcomed representatives from major development projects across the region.

Held in Chesterfield’s iconic Casa Hotel, Dom Steven, Destination Chesterfield Manager, opened the Summit with an introduction to the morning’s events. Acknowledging the importance of strategically investing in Chesterfield to secure the town’s future growth, Dom thanked attendees for continuously supporting Chesterfield’s development.

A Warm Welcome from Councillor Tricia Gilby

Echoing Dom’s sentiment, Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and Destination Chesterfield Board Vice Chair, detailed Chesterfield’s promising growth strategy. Focussing on encouraging the creation of new businesses, retaining local people and developing new jobs, Tricia’s speech highlighted the Council’s commitment to becoming a borough of opportunity for young people. Reflecting on how this can be achieved, Tricia believes that public and private sector collaboration is essential to attract people to visit, live and work in Chesterfield.

Chesterfield’s Growth Story Outlined by Dr Huw Bowen

Further expanding on Tricia’s passion to strengthen Chesterfield’s visitor economy, Dr Huw Bowen, CEO of Chesterfield Borough Council, revealed the exciting current and future development projects set to positively impact the borough. Generating an impressive 51,000 jobs, Huw proudly announced plans to modernise Chesterfield Railway Station, restore and refurbish Stephenson Memorial Hall and regenerate Staveley town centre. Focussed on retaining Chesterfield’s heritage as an innovative, ambitious market town, improvement works within the town centre hope to connect the Pavements Shopping Centre to the nearby Ravenside Retail Park.

Made possible by a £20 million Levelling Up Fund and additional funding provided by the Government, Huw expressed his delight in the success of the completed Northern Gateway project. After refurbishing Elder Way as part of the council-backed scheme, the new 92-bedroom Premier Inn generates an average of £79 per night invested back into the town. With the development of a new hotel and overnight accommodation in the pipeline, Huw acknowledged the need to encourage more visitors to stay overnight instead of just visiting for the day. Recognising Chesterfield’s visitor economy growth potential, Huw also emphasised the importance of targeting the 23 million people who live within 2 hours of the borough.

Meet Chesterfield’s Investors – Neodyne and Holywell Hotel by Voeberg

 Offering a unique perspective on the Investment Summit’s campaign, ‘why Chesterfield, why now?’, Matt Close, UK Business Lead of Neodyne, and Emily Smith, Director of Holywell Hotel by Voeberg, shared their thoughts during a specialist live question and answer session.

Choosing to locate the office of electrical engineering and industrial automation company, Neodyne, in Chesterfield, Matt revealed the company’s appreciation for the people-centric town which encourages talented young and established workers to the area. Further reflecting on what attracted Neodyne to Chesterfield, Matt believes that the networking opportunities facilitated by Chesterfield Champions and the support provided by the local community is instrumental to Neodyne’s success.

Sharing Matt’s passion for Chesterfield, Emily acknowledged that the council’s support for Voeberg’s centrally located Holywell Hotel development has restored their faith in local councils backing smaller businesses. Proud of Chesterfield’s strong transport links and affordable business rates, Emily spoke highly of the town’s investment potential as she admitted that investors can tangibly ‘see’ and ‘feel’ Chesterfield’s ambition to succeed.

Rosewood Wealth Management’s Commitment to Community

As pioneers of one of Chesterfield’s most promising investment opportunities, Chesterfield Waterside, Rosewood Wealth Management’s (Rosewood) innovative Directors, Donna Robertson and Shannan Pool-Gorman, expressed their excitement at the future of Chesterfield in a video shared with attendees. As proud supporters of the local community, Shannan and Donna discussed their passion for providing high-quality independent financial advice from the state-of-the-art Basin Square office development.

Highlighting what attracted Rosewood to Basin Square, Shannan believes that the harmonious relationship between the local authority and the business community made the decision to relocate to Chesterfield Waterside a no-brainer. Further reflecting on the benefits of having a business in Chesterfield, Donna admitted that strong transport links connect local businesses to surrounding areas. For Rosewood, this means that more people can receive unbiased, impartial independent financial advice from further afield.

Creating Sustainable Living in Chesterfield with Strata Homes

Mirroring Rosewood’s dedication to supporting the local community, Gemma Smith, Managing Director of Strata Homes, revealed how housing development company, Strata Homes, is helping to fulfil Chesterfield Council’s pledge to be carbon neutral by 2050.

Inspired by innovative Finnish construction techniques, Strata Homes have successfully built 15 new ecological, zero-carbon homes in Chesterfield. Efficiently built in just 10 days by slotting together several closed, panelized pieces, the watertight houses created little environmental or local disruption. Manufactured with environmentally conscious materials, the advanced insulative properties of the walls used result in average utility bills of just £214 per year: a welcome reduced payment given the current unstable economic climate.

Invest in Chesterfield’s Future – East Midlands Chamber and Turner & Townsend

Welcoming Strata Homes’ attempt to contribute towards a cleaner, brighter future for Chesterfield, Scott Knowles, Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber, shared his appreciation for the support network facilitated by Destination Chesterfield. By attending regular Destination Chesterfield events, Scott believes that more businesses will thrive as the private and public sectors are brought together.

Agreeing that collaboration is key, Nick Jones, Strategic Lead and Director of Project Management at Turner & Townsend Sheffield, offered his thoughts on preserving the town’s heritage whilst simultaneously modernising the town. By refurbishing culturally significant sites such as the Pomegranate Theatre, Nick believes that the town’s historical significance is retained, therefore promoting a strong visitor economy. Furthermore, Nick confirmed that the projects Turner & Townsend manage create space for the construction of vital new homes which encourage the next generation of skilled, talented workers to work and live in Chesterfield.

The Gateway at Peak by Milligan

Following Nick’s aspiration to maintain a strong visitor economy, Tarah Gear, Head of Marketing at Milligan, revealed the real estate developer’s exciting new construction project, The Gateway at Peak. Projected to pave the way for sustainable tourism in the UK, the 300-acre resort located on the eastern boundary of the Peak District National Park will showcase state-of-the-art accommodation, retail, leisure, hospitality and sports facilities for visitors. Located just outside the town centre, Tarah believes that the facility will solidify Chesterfield’s status as a destination town. Furthermore, Tarah stated that the resort’s mission to promote zero-carbon transport by housing electric tourist buses will encourage clean growth for the national and regional economy through the visitor economy.