Chesterfield and District Civic Society

Registered Charity number 507458

Author: Philip Cousins

  • Time for a town centre rethink?

    The future of Chesterfield town centre is a topic on many people’s minds. But what can be done? Our recent member newsletter looked at the issues at stake and proposed a perhaps radical rethink on its future. We thought we might share our ideas with you in this post. Bad news – 1 There have…

  • Newsletters on-line

    We try to keep our members up-to-date with regular newsletters. We’ve now made available our most recent editions, plus a selection of older ones, on-line. To download these visit our ‘historic newsletters’ page. You’ll find the newsletters have an interesting mix of planning news, building histories and society news. We only publish newsletters on-line around…

  • Heritage Open Days progress

    We are making steady progress in our efforts to make more of Heritage Week in September. We have a more or less final list of buildings we would like to see opened to the public, and will now write to their owners in the hope that they will able to cooperate. The first to respond…

  • New plaque unveiled

    The latest in our series of blue plaques – celebrating buildings and people around Chesterfield – has been unveiled at the University of Derby’s Sheffield Road premises – once St Helena Girls’ High School. The plaque, unveiled on 7 March 2022, marks the former school and its architect George Henry Widdows – recognised as a…

  • Further complaint on Chesterfield East–West Walking and Cycling Route lodged

    Three Civic Society members with a particular interest in the Chesterfield East–West Walking and Cycling Route have compiled a separate statement of objections to the scheme, based on its serious flaws. This is additional to that submitted some time ago by the society. This new complaint concentrates on four aspects of the scheme, relating to…

  • Latest society blue plaque

    Our latest blue plaque will be unveiled in early March 2022 at the former St Helena Girls’ High School – now the University of Derby, on Sheffield Road. The event is by invitation only. Our thanks to the University of Derby for allowing the plaque to be fixed to the building – which is an…

  • News updates

    We are very pleased that our local newspaper – the Derbyshire Times – is covering issues with which the civic society has interest. Some of the more recent articles are linked below. Crow Lane closure issues – 14 February 2022 The Victoria Centre – 10 February 2022 Abercrombie Street planning application – 11 February 2022…

  • Hansard report from Debate secured by Toby Perkins MP on 9 November

    We are making available the text from the Westminster Hall debate in Parliament on 9 November, secured by Toby Perkins MP. This was held to discuss the Chesterfield East-West Cycle Route and the county council’s consultation on it. You can download the text below.

  • Alternative cycle route should be given serious consideration

    The Civic Society is trying to revive serious consideration of the Greendale Avenue – Somersall Lane cycle route. We do not believe that negotiations should have been broken off without more effort to bring them to a successful conclusion. Download below our early November 2021 letters to Derbyshire County Council on this issue.

  • Cycle Route Complaint Published

    This detailed and closely argued memorandum has been written by Mr Bryan Thompson, a retired chartered town planner and former chairman of the Civic Society. It embodies a great deal of professional knowledge of the issues surrounding the proposed West-East Cycling Route (also known as a ‘Cycle Super Highway’). He has yet to receive a…