Chaddesden to get millions in 'renewal' cash

Sussex Circus is at the heart of Chaddesden West

Chaddesden has been awarded up to £20m over the next 10 years for what the government is calling "patriotic renewal".

The money forms part of a £5bn nationwide fund, up to £61.5m of which is coming to Derby and Derbyshire.

Cotmanhay, Grassmoor and Holmewood and Chaddesden West are all in line for longer term spending while there's an immediate £1.5m available for the wider Derby area.

Catherine Atkinson, Labour MP for Derby North - which includes Chaddesden West - said: "This is our chance to improve Derby by making the big decisions ourselves and decide the changes we want to see."

St. Mark's Church in Chaddesden and the Church Hall are closed and shuttered

The government says it wants communities to use the Pride in Place money to revive high streets, parks and public places.

Local leaders will also gain new powers to seize boarded-up shops, block nuisance businesses and buy beloved local assets before they close.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer claimed it would stop communities being powerless in the face of boarded up shops and neglected parks.

"This is a huge investment, but what matters most is who decides how it's spent: the neighbours, volunteers and parents who know their communities best – the people with real skin in the game."

There are no firm plans yet for how the money might be spent or who will make the decisions on exactly where it is used.

The headline £5bn figure includes £1.5bn of spending announced earlier this year as a "plan for neighbourhoods".

Conservative Shadow Communities Secretary Sir James Cleverly said the money would be "dwarfed" by tax rises.

The Labour leader of Derby City Council, Nadine Peatfield promised visible improvements, including "thriving high streets, greener spaces and neighbourhoods people are proud to call home".

But her Conservative counterpart Steve Hassall said the announcement was "more about politics than fairness", pointing out that the money had gone mostly to Labour-represented wards.

East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward said: "People here know what their towns and cities need and this programme should help them make those changes a reality."