First phase of town centre revamp work completed

New stalls have been placed in Chesterfield's Market Square

A council in Derbyshire said the first phase of a multi-million pound project to revamp a town centre was complete.

The year-and-a-half long regeneration project, called Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield, began last summer.

The work started in Market Square with a new layout for stalls and paving, seating and lighting changes.

Now Chesterfield Market is open for shoppers once more.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council's cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: "These exciting improvements are just the start of our town centre transformation, we're enhancing the look and feel of the market but also providing traders with better facilities and creating more flexible spaces that will support a wider range of uses.

"It's fantastic to see these improvements come to life, and I hope that everyone can see what we are trying to achieve."

Traders have returned to stalls in the Market Square

The second phase of the project will now get under way in the lower half of the Market Square before moving on to New Square and Rykneld Square.

Cobbles will be lifted and relaid alongside new paving to make the market more accessible.

New market stalls are also being installed.

Sarvent added the council will work with traders in the town centre "to minimise disruption".

More work is planned in other parts of the town

Future phases of work will see New Square made more flexible for both markets and a wider range of uses, and Rykneld Square converted to a green space in the shadow of the town's famous crooked spire.

John Allen, construction director at Thomas Bow which is carrying out the government-funded work, said: "It's great to see the first phase of this high-profile scheme completed."