Markham Vale to build £7m link road next year

The 197-acre Markham Vale in Derbyshire, which sits within Sheffield City Region, will benefit from a £3.1m Growth Deal grant to build a link road from there to the 81-acre former Seymour Colliery site, which sits on the edge of the development.

The money was part of £320m awarded to developments across Sheffield City Region. The rest of the funding for the £7m project will come from other Government grants and developer Henry Boot.

John Burrows, vice chairman of Destination Chesterfield and leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said work will begin in 2015. “It will make a massive difference to the site,” he said. “We want to fill the site as quickly as possible and bring new employment to the area.

Around 585 jobs at 28 businesses have already been created on the site. Derbyshire County Council said building the new road could create 1.5m sq ft of new industrial space, bringing around 3,000 new jobs.

The long-term aim is to create 5,000 jobs on the site. New businesses which have recently opened or are set to in the next few months include egg processor Ready Egg Products, which is developing a manufacturing facility, and food company Holdsworth, which is building a new warehouse and cold store.