Cycle Chesterfield and Transition Chesterfield have recently sent East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward and other policy makers, a joint proposal on alternatives to the Chesterfield Staveley Regeneration Route (CSRR).  The CSRR is a long vaunted highway between Staveley and the Sainsbury’s roundabout which is proposed to open up land for housing at the former Staveley Works as well as other stated aims. However the proposal argues that not only is the CSRR not the best solution to many of the issues it is designed to address, but is also likely to make things worse or shift problems to other areas.

One of the issues for cycling is that it will cause long term disruption (during the years of construction) and permanently impact the peace and views on part of a much loved walking and cycling route along Chesterfield Canal. The road will cut across the canal in 3 places and involve diverting the canal in 2 sections. 

The proposal suggests that the CSRR only extends into the development itself rather than a through route to the A61. Instead of creating more car dependency, it is suggested that more sustainable alternatives are considered based around a vision led planning approach for the new development which can provide multiple other benefits such as cleaner air, better health, reduced social inequalities while supporting economic regeneration.

The proposal includes reopening the Barrow Hill rail line for passengers or extending the South Yorkshire Supertram to Barrow Hill and Chesterfield, helping to level up ‘left behind’ communities and reducing congestion.

The proposal also has a number of suggestions for upgrading walking and cycling links between Barrow Hill, Staveley, Brimington and Chesterfield. These include converting Works Road (which will no longer be needed as an alternative road link is planned to Barrow Hill – though the proposal calls for a better alternative) into a walking/cycling route and better routes between the canal and river to Staveley, and through Staveley centre.

Lastly the proposal suggests a number of other measures which can reduce traffic impacts in Brimington and Staveley including redesign of the gyratory at Brimington to reduce air pollution and congestion, and complete redesign of the Morrisons Supermarket and carpark at Staveley for better  walking, cycling and public transport access.  

The proposal makes 4 recommendations:

• Ensure that the £2.5million ground investigation of the CSRR (recently funded by the Mayor) includes alternative routes to reduce the impact on the canal and provide better linkages to Barrow Hill.
• Conduct an assessment of all the possible travel options to facilitate housing and employment growth in Brimington and Staveley using a vision led planning approach which considers all the options.
• Add the Barrow Hill passenger rail reopening or train/tram option to the authority’s list of priority infrastructure projects, rather than leaving it all to the South Yorkshire mayor.
• Prioritise rail, train/tram, bus and walking and cycling above the CSRR to ensure inclusive growth of the area (and ensure that the bridges and current alignment of Works Rd are retained for walking and cycling).