A public meeting and a series of drop-ins have been announced as work is set to move ahead on the government funded Ashbourne Reborn transformation programme. The sessions will provide more detail about the main works, which are due to start in the new year.
The sessions are open to all, including a public meeting 6pm-8pm on 3 December at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, and drop-ins 5pm-7pm on 26 November and 10:30am-1:30pm on 28 November at Ashbourne library. Further drop-ins will be announced so that residents and businesses in Ashbourne can find out more as work gets under way.
Derbyshire Dales District Council is the accountable body for the Ashbourne Reborn programme and the County Council is leading the Highways and Public Realm element with plans developed in close partnership with Ashbourne Town Team, Ashbourne Town Council, and AshCom. The Link Community Hub is led by Ashbourne Methodist Church.
Representatives of all partners will be at the public meeting on 3 December to take questions, and the meeting will also be livestreamed and recorded so that people can watch online (links and details will be added closer to the time).
Derbyshire Dales District Councillor David Hughes, who Chairs the Ashbourne Reborn Programme Board said:
“This exciting transformation will bring new life to Ashbourne and improve the town centre for residents, visitors and businesses. It’s fantastic to see the hard work and determination of all the project partners bearing fruit as we move toward the start of works.
“However, we do recognise that there will be some disruption in the short term, and that residents and businesses want to understand the plans. The public meeting and drop-ins are a chance to ask questions and find out more, and they are open to all.”
Councillor Simon Spencer, Chair of the Highways and Public Realm Project Board, and Derbyshire County Council’s Deputy Leader, said:
“I would encourage everyone who lives or works in Ashbourne to come along to the public meeting or one of the drop-in events to find out more.
“This project is going to be transformational for the town, but while we are in the build phase there’s no doubt it will cause issues for traffic. We will do all we can to mitigate these as best we can, and of course we will be doing all we can to help the town traders with deliveries.
“Once the work is finished we will have a town centre that we can truly be proud of.”
Tony Walker, leader of the Link Development Team of Ashbourne Methodist Church, said:
“We look forward to meeting people at the public meeting and drop-in events, and sharing more about the progress we have made and plans for development of the Link Community Hub.
"The new community hub will bring significant benefits to the town. It will provide meeting rooms and hotdesks for business use, and be a great venue for arts, theatre and music events which will be a major asset for the town. Our quality, affordable en-suite accommodation will support the local visitor economy.”
To receive email updates, sign up for the newsletter at the District Council website www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/enewsreg (tick the box for Ashbourne Reborn), or visit the Ashbourne Reborn website www.ashbournereborn.co.uk for the latest news, FAQs and detailed information about the project.
