It could bring a sigh of relief to locals in one corner of the county
Ground investigations could take place as soon as March(Image: Derbyshire County Council)
East Midlands Combined County Authority has backed plans for multi-million pound funding to support a bid to get the long-awaited Chesterfield-Staveley bypass scheme on the road and for a feasibility study for improvements to the A61 carriageway between Chesterfield and Clay Cross.
The authority’s transport committee agreed at a January 15 meeting to recommend Government funding allocations for a pending board meeting to consider proposed transport investments including progressing groundwork prior to a major funding bid to Government for the bypass scheme as well as establishing a feasibility study for improvements to the A61.
EMCCA is now looking to confirm approval of £3m of funding for the 2026-27 financial year at a board meeting in March to complete actions for a Large Local Major submission to the Department for Transport for substantial Government funding to confirm plans for the Chesterfield-Staveley Regeneration Route bypass scheme.
And given the authority’s latest step towards recommending funding allocations, it will also be looking to approve £3.5m of Government funding over 2026-27 and 2027-28 at the same board meeting to develop and test feasibility options to determine a preferred option for a business case for further Government funding to improve the A61, between Chesterfield and Clay Cross.
EMCCA East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward told the committee meeting: “I want us to be ambitious in this region. I want us to be looking at different transport systems and different opportunities as we grow as a region [and] as we bring some of that growth into it.”
The Chesterfield-Staveley Regeneration Route bypass scheme, currently overseen by EMCCA and Derbyshire County Council’s highways authority, aims to reduce traffic congestion, create new jobs and open up a growth corridor for businesses as part of a series of plans for the region.
It also hopes to provide a new 5.7km single carriageway, opening up the Staveley and Rother Valley Corridor for regeneration by facilitating development of 150 hectares of severely degraded land, bringing much needed regeneration and opportunity to deprived communities.
Derbyshire County Council originally submitted an outline business case to the former Conservative Government after working closely with Chesterfield Borough Council originally seeking £141m to support delivery of the project with a local required contribution of £25m to fund the overall scheme.
This brought the overall, estimated grand total cost for the scheme in December, 2022, to £166m but its estimated cost has now stretched to £197m.
The Government has not yet made any commitments to provide the remaining overall estimated, necessary funding to complete and get the Chesterfield-Staveley bypass scheme up-and-running but EMCCA has stressed it will keep engaging with Government and partners in its efforts to secure future funding.
The Labour-run combined authority has already allocated £2.5m of Transport for City Regions funding towards the development and investigation of options for the Chesterfield-Staveley Regeneration Route plans to support the business case for the scheme involving a single carriageway road, releasing housing growth and regeneration opportunities.
EMCCA has identified the bypass scheme as a key on-going project and it is also considering confirming further capital allocations of £5m in 2027/28, and £5m in 2028/29 for developmental stages, as well as £44m to be accessed from 2031/32 which would draw down on the hoped for final Government Large Local Major Programme grant.
East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward has confirmed that ground investigations could take place as soon as March, 2026, to establish the condition of the land for the potential scheme.
The Chesterfield-Staveley bypass scheme is considered to be critical to unlocking land across the Staveley and Rother Valley Corridor, according to EMCCA, to facilitate plans for 1,500 new homes and 5,700 new jobs as set out in the Chesterfield Local Plan and a business case for the scheme was submitted to the DfT as long ago as 2023.
Chesterfield Labour MP Toby Perkins is continuing to press the Government to fund the Chesterfield-Staveley bypass scheme after raising concerns over congestion and air pollution and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer recently acknowledged the support and the arguments for the project.
The EMCCA board meeting scheduled for March will also consider supporting a funding plan to outline a case for proposed eventual improvements to the A61 from Chesterfield to Clay Cross including the A617 junction to boost connectivity and economic growth.
If approved, this revenue spend will be used to develop and test feasibility options to determine a preferred option to develop a business case for the A61 Chesterfield to Clay Cross route with a £1.5m investment of funding proposed for 2026-27 and £2m of funding investment proposed for 2027-28.
Derbyshire County Council appointed AECOM Infrastructure and Environmental UK Ltd to compile an A61 South of Chesterfield Strategic Review as long ago as 2020 which targeted an area from the A617 Horns Bridge roundabout in the north to the junction with the A6175 in Clay Cross in the south which leads to the M1 Junction 29.
It revealed that the area has already been subject to various previous work assessments including examining junction capacity between Horns Bridge Roundabout and Tupton for the redevelopment of the former Avenue Coking Works for housing and commerce.
Independent NE Derbyshire District Cllr Ross Shipman said: “There is growing frustration that by the time millions are spent on consultancy fees – often paid to people with little understanding of the local area – practical solutions could already have been delivered.
“A roundabout where traffic lights are proposed or a relief road from Avenue to Churchside could arguably have been funded already.”
The EMCCA transport committee agreed to recommend the funding allocations for investments requiring approval at the March meeting of the EMMCA Board including the latest plans for the Chesterfield-Staveley bypass scheme and for the A61 road between Chesterfield and Clay Cross.
It also formally reviewed and noted progress on its current £184m transport investment programme which it claims is already delivering safer roads, better bus services, new cycle routes, and improved travel connections.
The EMCCA transport committee also backed a £121m Government-backed investment in road maintenance and repairs across the region for the next three years at its latest meeting to support Derbyshire County, Derby City, Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City councils.
This decision – which will also go before the EMCCA board for final approval – is claimed by the authority to be the largest single year of investment in road maintenance the region has seen in years aimed at making roads safer, reducing congestion, and addressing long-standing wear and tear caused by historic underinvestment.
EMCCA also confirmed that additional funding of more than £13.5m has been agreed for local neighbourhood transport projects to improve road safety, accessibility, and local travel, directly benefiting people’s journeys in the region through measures such as traffic calming and better signage.
East Midlands Mayor Ms Ward said: “This investment is a significant step forward for our region. By focusing on road maintenance, safer streets, and better transport connections, we are delivering real benefits now while laying strong foundations for long-term improvements over the next seven years.”
