How much has government awarded to Ashbourne and how much in total will be spent on these projects?
The government grant from its Levelling Up Fund is £13.4m and the total project will cost £15.2m. The difference of £1.8m is made up of match funding raised locally, including significant funds raised from Ashbourne Methodist Church members, friends and grants, as well as grant giving organisations and local businesses.
How many places have got this funding and how competitive was the process?
For round two of the Levelling Up Fund there were 80 projects in England awarded funding out of a total of 370 bids. Ministers have said that the process was very competitive with a lot of strong bids making it through to the shortlist stage. Ashbourne has therefore done really well to secure this investment.
What will the money be spent on?
The Ashbourne Reborn programme is made up of two projects. The first (£8.8m) will improve the highways and public realm in the town centre. Led by the County Council, this will include works to Compton, Dig Street, St John Street and Buxton Road, together with improvements to the Market Place, Victoria Square, Millennium Square and Shrovetide Walk. The second project (£6.4m), led by Ashbourne Methodist Church will transform the existing church buildings on the corner of Church Street and Station Road into a community hub, creating space for a wide range of community uses and events. Modern hostel style and family accommodation will also be provided together with a community garden and outdoor event space and a mobility hub including cycling facilities and real-time information for local buses. More information on the proposals is available at www.ashbournereborn.co.uk.
Who decided what the money should be spent on?
Government invited bids from eligible local authorities and Derbyshire Dales District Council was the lead organisation for this particular bid. Ultimately it was the elected members of the District Council who decided which projects would go forward. However, this decision was made following significant liaison with community groups and stakeholders across the district. The proposals for Ashbourne have been developed through a strong collaboration with local partners and there has been wide and deep support for the projects put forward within the bid.
Aren’t there better ways to use the money/can’t we change the projects or add new ones – there is plenty of money to go round?
We are not able to make any significant changes to the proposals that went into the bid – government now expects us to deliver the things that we said we would. The bid was developed with careful consideration of the likely costs and we have been realistic about these; in the current climate we certainly don’t expect there to be any spare cash unfortunately.
Why are the projects costing this much/it’s a huge amount of money surely we could expect more for our money?
The projects have been carefully costed and we believe the costs are realistic based on the current stage of design work. We have had to build in an allowance for inflation and for contingencies that may arise during development. The government assesses all the bids on value for money and both the projects included in our bid demonstrated good value for money.
Does Ashbourne really need this – aren’t there other places more in need of ‘levelling up’?
Yes, the town does need this investment. Our bid included clear evidence of the decline the town faces. Without this funding, and the additional private sector investment it will catalyse, we are facing further decline, more empty properties and a weaker local economy. When government categorised areas of the country eligible to bid, Derbyshire Dales was in the category of greatest need. The government based this on a systematic GB-wide prioritisation of need for economic recovery and growth, need for improved transport connectivity, and need for regeneration.
Who is going to deliver the projects?
The Ashbourne Reborn programme will be delivered through two projects. The highways and public realm project will be delivered by Derbyshire County Council and it will be responsible for appointing organisations to carry out the detailed design and then deliver the works on the ground. Ashbourne Methodist Church will deliver the Link Community Hub project; again, it will decide which organisations to appoint to undertake detailed design and then the physical works on the building.
When will the work start? How long will it take?
Preparatory work started in summer 2024. Scanning and minor ground investigations were carried out for the highways and public realm project, while services relocated from Ashbourne Methodist Church buildings ahead of development of the Link Community Hub. Both projects are in negotiation with contractors, and a timetable of works will be shared in a series of drop-ins and public meetings before the main construction period starts in the new year 2025. The project is expected to finish by autumn/winter 2025, and this work will be carefully managed to reduce disruption as much as possible.
Won’t the projects cause disruption/how is the town centre going to function while all this work is going on?
It is not possible to make these improvements without causing disruption. We are committed to reducing that disruption as much as possible and working closely throughout the project with local residents, businesses and visitors to work out how we can minimise the impact on their daily lives and trade. The County Council will be developing detailed traffic management plans to ensure there are appropriate alternative routes during periods when roads will need to close in the town centre. We know that local businesses support the changes as they will create a more vibrant town and strengthen the local economy; however, everyone appreciates that delivering the change will be disruptive in the short term. Partners are committed to close communication and liaison with local businesses impacted during the highways/public realm work.
Why are you proposing to close St John Street to traffic?
The first work packages are started in Autumn 2024 both on the Link Community Hub project and on elements of the Highways and Public Realm project, which will transform a series of public spaces and pave the way for a more pedestrian-friendly town centre. As the works are due to take place over approximately a 12-month period, delivering the change will be disruptive in the short term and require temporary road closures to traffic.
This includes the potential closure of St John Street to traffic for a period of 19 weeks, while maintaining access for pedestrians and businesses. Project partners carefully weighed up the proposal against a 31-week partial closure with traffic lights, which would have prolonged the disruption and incurred an additional cost of nearly £350,000. Derbyshire County Council are developing traffic management plans, and anyone with questions is encouraged to come to a public meeting 6-8pm on 3 December at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (QEGS), or drop-ins at Ashbourne Library on Tuesday 26 November 5-7pm, and Thursday 28 November 10:30am-1:30pm.
All partners are committed to reducing disruption as much as possible and to working closely with residents and businesses to minimise the impact. Once finished, the town will benefit for many years to come.
How are we going to be able to hold local events while construction work is going on in the town centre?
We are aware of the strong programme of events that are held in Ashbourne and the significance of these for local identity, trade and vibrancy. Wherever possible we will phase the work in the town to avoid disrupting these events. However, it may be that dates and/or venues for some will need to change where this is possible. We are already talking now with partners as to the options, well ahead of any work starting.
What about Royal Shrovetide football?
While some works are expected to be under way in February 2025, contractors know that they will need to stop work and safeguard any active sites to enable Shrovetide to carry on around them as normal.
What changes are planned for parking in the Market Place?
To restore a sense of vibrancy to the heart of the town, parking will be removed from the Market Place. The design approved by the District Council’s Planning Committee includes a small number of short stay parking bays on the southeast corner, including a disabled bay, and along the eastern edge of the Market Place, with additional on-street parking proposed close-by: Ashbourne Market Place approved layout November 2023.
How are businesses going to cope with losing the parking in the Market Place?
The Market Place has historically been a focal point for activities, trade and people, not vehicles, and we want to restore this sense of vibrancy to the heart of the town. We are clear that there are sufficient parking spaces within Ashbourne town centre without the Market Place, and local businesses are supportive of the change. Signage to alternative car parks will be improved. The District Council are responsible for parking policy, including the cost of parking, length of stay and ensuring consistency across the district. A parking review has been carried out ('Have your say on review of car parking') and the results will be published as soon as they are available.
Why has it taken such a long time for work to start?
Since funding was announced in January 2023, partners have been busy drawing up designs, gaining planning permissions and preparing for delivery. Although much of this happened behind the scenes, preparatory work started on the ground from summer 2024.
With any project of this nature, there is a long lead in time in order to plan and design the work thoroughly. We want the improvements to be as effective as possible, of high quality and long-lasting. This requires careful work to design the best scheme we can within the available budget. Some of the changes in both projects also required planning permission and/or listed building consent, which takes time to obtain. The lead-in time also included opportunities for local people, businesses and organisations to have their say and engage with the emerging designs. We think this is really important and didn’t want to cut short the time allowed for that part of the process.
Isn’t there a problem with inflation/how can we be sure we don’t overspend?
An allowance for inflation has been included in the bid, although this was based on estimates at the time of bidding and we won’t know the actual impact of inflation and other cost pressures until we seek prices from the market. We are confident we have done our best to foresee rising costs. Project budgets will be tightly managed and the delivery partners have significant experience in managing contracts of this nature. There is no additional funding available so we will do all we can to avoid any overspending; if costs are rising more than we have forecast then we will look to adjust each project to stay in budget.
Why has the council employed lots of consultants/how much of the funding is going to be wasted on consultants?
It is simply not possible to submit a high quality bid – and secure this sort of investment – without using external specialists and bringing in extra capacity. Government awarded each place preparing a bid a grant of £125,000 to help with these costs. The District Council has also used some of its own resources alongside this as it wanted to give itself the best possible chance of securing this investment for Ashbourne. There will be a further need for external support as we move into delivery of the bid; again, there are specialist skills and extra capacity we need that the council doesn’t have. The bid costs include provision for this as we knew that we needed to get these skills in place to stand any chance of delivering the schemes. We will be tightly monitoring all of the spend and making sure we get value for money throughout the project.
Are there plans to improve the cycle routes through town?
The successful Levelling Up Funding bid included a number of improvements aimed specifically at cyclists. To support greater use of Ashbourne by cyclists, a new cycle route is being developed to improve access between the town centre and the Tissington Trail. There are also plans for improved cycle parking facilities in Victoria Square and the Market Place and at the Link Community Hub, as well as new wayfinding signs around the town centre.
By providing these enhancements specifically for cyclists alongside improving and widening pavements, providing better and more frequent crossing facilities and reducing the dominance of vehicles, Ashbourne Reborn aims to transform the experience of walking and cycling in Ashbourne town centre, encouraging more active travel.
How are local people going to benefit from the work/will there be any jobs for local people?
All of the changes are aimed at improving our local economy and thereby the prospects for local people in terms of jobs, skills and future investment in the town. As well as these longer term benefits, we will be working with partners to include requirements for using local workers and suppliers within contracts for the delivery of the projects where we can. This will generate additional short-term benefits with money being kept within the local economy as much as possible.
What consultation took place about these projects?
The highways improvements are based on those introduced in the town on a temporary basis during the pandemic, and feedback on those was taken into account within the bid proposals. During the development of the public realm and highways project for the bid, views were sought from local organisations and businesses. Ashbourne Town Team promoted the changes and in doing so sought local views that informed the proposals. In addition, some elements of the bid already had planning permission. AshCom obtained planning for changes at Shrovetide Walk, which was subject to consultation at the time and Ashbourne Town Council has similarly been through a formal consultation process to obtain planning for changes around the Millennium Clock.
There has been significant consultation over many years regarding the proposals to develop a community hub at Ashbourne Methodist Church. This has included seeking views from local organisations who will hopefully use the new space for their events and activities. The proposals also obtained planning permission in 2021, a process that included formal consultation.
Both The Link community hub detailed design and elements of the public realm project were subject to the formal planning process which allowed further opportunities for people to have their say.
Where can I find out what’s happening/why hasn’t there been more information about the proposals sent out to people?
The Ashbourne Reborn programme provides regular updates via their dedicated website www.ashbournereborn.co.uk as well as frequent posts on @ashbournereborn social media channels, and free email newsletters for residents and visitors, and businesses.
We are working closely with partners to ensure we get out information as widely and effectively as possible, and have had stalls to provide information at events in Ashbourne like Streetfest and Picnic in the Park. A series of drop-ins and a public meeting will be planned for people to find out more ahead of the main contractors starting work.
A packed public meeting took place on 20th March at 6pm 2023 at Ashbourne Methodist Church where more than 250 people found out more about the bid. You can view the slides presented at the meeting Ashbourne Reborn public meeting presentations [PDF6.9MB] and watch the video of the meeting again below:
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How can I keep in touch?
Follow Ashbourne Reborn on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter - and sign up for free email updates (tick the Ashbourne Reborn option). Get in touch by email
Will the new government decide to stop the funding?
The Levelling Up Fund has already been allocated by Treasury as part of the government’s spending review process and we do not anticipate there being any changes to the availability of that funding. Ashbourne is one of many places around the UK receiving Levelling Up Funding and we think it very unlikely that all these places would have their funding withdrawn. However, government is clear that we need to deliver on the bid we submitted in order for the funding to continue to flow to the project and so we are continuing to focus on putting everything in place to deliver as effectively as possible. The need to deliver the approved programme within the agreed budget is a key reason why changes and additions to Ashbourne Reborn cannot be entertained.
How is the work going to be procured? Can local businesses put in tenders?
All of the contracts to deliver work as part of the Ashbourne Reborn programme will be advertised in line with public sector procurement regulations to be sure that competition is fair and open, and we get best value for money. We are keen for local businesses to have the opportunity to bid for work where possible. Procurement is under way for: construction works for the Link Community Hub (due to be awarded later in 2024); sub-contractor/supply chain opportunities for public realm and highways works (summer 2024).
Why wasn’t the council able to secure money for Matlock/Wirksworth, which needs investment?
The options for a bid for LUF were carefully considered by the council and reports taken to its Community and Environment Committee setting out the alternatives. Advice was sought from those involved in the previous round of the fund and it was decided that a bid focused on a single place would stand the best chance of success in what we knew would be a very competitive process. Plans for a series of projects in Ashbourne were further advanced than those in other towns and already enjoyed strong support from a range of local partners, with several elements having planning permission in place and match funding. For these reasons it was decided that a bid for Ashbourne would be the best approach for this particular fund. However, the council is continuing to work with local partners on future projects across the district so that it can support bids for other funding pots as and when they become available.
What are you planning to do with the Market Place and other areas once this work’s been done/ how will this money make any difference?
We are aware that whilst the physical changes funded by the LUF investment will make a big difference to the town’s environment, the vibrancy the town needs will also depend on how those spaces are used in the future. We are already working with local partners to develop options for a programme of activities, events and uses for these spaces once the work is complete. There are already some strong building blocks with the events running now and those that took place before the pandemic, so we are well placed to develop a strong programme. This is not just about the improved spaces in the town centre and the new facilities at the community hub; it will also include other key assets around the town such as the new Sports Pavillion, enabled by the District Council. Investing to improve our assets and spaces is an important first step and we look forward to local partners coming forward with ideas and creativity as to how we maximise the opportunities created through that investment.
