Development bid to attract restaurants and offices to Staveley Canal Basin runs into choppy waters

Full planning permission is being sought from Chesterfield Borough Council for a proposed two-storey building, known as Staveley Town Basin, which would contain 11 units.

A marina with nine moorings, water and electricity supply hook-up points would be at the rear of the building.

The Staveley Town Deal fund has earmarked £2.664 million for the first phase of the canal basin development, subject to planning approval.

Councillor Tony King, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Clean Growth and Regeneration, said: “We’ve put together proposals for an exciting new development which will help to bring jobs to the area and boost the visitor economy.

“Derbyshire County Council has been working alongside partners over a number of years to improve the Staveley Basin area and the Staveley Town Deal has given us a great opportunity to turn our ideas into reality, using our expertise from Markham Vale to create high-quality business accommodation as well as a visitor destination that people from near and far can enjoy.”

Ivan Fomin, chairman of the Staveley Town Deal Board, said: “Staveley Waterside represents a fantastic opportunity to breathe new life into the area around the canal basin by creating facilities for businesses, residents and visitors."

In a report to the planning authority, the council’s Economic Development Unit states: “Given the nature of the proposal there will be significant employment, training and supply chain opportunities created during the construction of the development.”

But the proposal has run into choppy waters. Commenting on the plan, Marcus Hill-Jones says in his submission to borough planners: “While the bringing of any vitality to the currently sterile Staveley Town Basin is strongly welcomed, the proposals show a clear lack of waterway knowledge in their formulation.”

Mr Hill-Jones says that the proposal puts the building between towpath and canal, divorcing these two elements of the waterway scene from one another. He states: “The scheme also introduces conflict between towpath users and vehicles, which is not only poor design, but also goes against the principles of a traffic-free Trans Pennine Trail (which shares the towpath at this location). The orientation of the towpath in the current proposals even segregates it completely from Staveley Town Lock, the wrong side of the proposed access road: it should not be forgotten that the towpath has a function in allowing boat crews to access the lock on foot to prepare it well in advance of the arrival of their vessel, yet the current design does not facilitate this.”

He further states that no detail is provided within the application on the intended use of the mooring pontoons. “It is not clear whether these are for transient visiting boats (whether charged or not), residential moorings (subject to Council Tax), as non-residential long term leisure moorings, as a home mooring of holiday hire boats, or for trip boats, to give just some possible scenarios.”

Mr Hill-Jones also points out that there is no provision in the proposal for the disposal of both domestic and toilet waste from boats using the moorings.

A decision on the application is pending.