MP Toby Perkins hails 'exciting' regeneration plans for Chesterfield Canal and Staveley Waterside

Plans to restore Chesterfield Canal and the proposed development of Staveley Waterside are “incredibly exciting”, according to the town’s MP.

Mr Perkins, shadow minister for apprenticeships and lifelong learning, spoke to the Derbyshire Times at the Chesterfield Canal Festival Business Event shortly after a public meeting on Friday (June 23) heard updates on the two multi-million pound schemes.

He said: “It’s incredibly exciting. It’s probably the biggest regeneration opportunity that we’ve got in the town: I’ve been involved in politics in this town for 20 plus years and it’s unrecognisable from what it was 20 years ago and I’m hoping in another 20 years it will be unrecognisable again.”

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Cllr Alex Dale, chair of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership, said “collaboration is the key to success” in the restoration of the canal.

He explained: “As a collection of all the different councils, the canal trust, the inland waterways association, we’re really ambitious and committed to finishing the (canal) route and getting it fully navigable. It’s going to take time, it always takes time and significant investment, but we’re really, really passionate about trying to get that delivered and the huge benefits that it will bring to the region.

“Partnership is absolutely key to making a success of this.”

Residents received a number of presentations from stakeholders relating to the continued restoration of the canal and proposals for Staveley Waterside.

Waterside - a commercial development - is currently awaiting approval from Chesterfield Borough Council but the meeting was told work could be completed by as early as September 2024.

The two-storey development, which forms part of the Markham Vale Estate, would house up to 10 businesses, create 40 new jobs, and bring an estimated 2.1million visits to the development.

Mr Perkins added: “We’ve got the plans for the new commercial and office space that will be being built over the next year at the Staveley Basin and we’ve been hearing about plans to extend the Hollingwood Hub, as well. It’s tremendously important in terms of bringing both tourists into the borough but also creating additional commercial and retail opportunities.”