Council's Ashbourne traffic improvement pledge as work begins on £15.9m town centre project
Major redevelopment work has begun in the centre of a Derbyshire town with council bosses pledging it will improve long-standing traffic issues. The Ashbourne Reborn transformation programme has been made possible after an investment of £15.9 million.
The works will include changes to highways and public spaces in the town, something which Derbyshire Dales District Council says will "pave the way" for a more "pedestrian-friendly" town centre. They are part of an overall £15.9m scheme that aims to "bring back vibrancy, vitality and economic prosperity" to the town.
The funding is made up of £13.4m UK government, with the rest raised locally by project partners. The Ashbourne Reborn project will see wider pavements and improved crossings around the town, as well as improvements to communal spaces at Market Place, Victoria Square, Shrovetide Walk and Millenium Square, making them suitable locations for future outdoor events such as StreetFest and the lantern parade, the council said.
READ MORE: Chaos in Swadlincote retail park as crowds watch Citroen crash into 14 cars
READ MORE: 'There will be no town soon' fear as WH Smith announces closure of Long Eaton branch
Roadworks will start on the south section of Dig Street, from the junction with King Edward Street to the junction by the Shawcroft Centre, on Monday (January 27). All works will be suspended for the Royal Shrovetide football game in early March, before starting again on the northern section of Dig Street.
Although the road will be closed to traffic while works are taking place, access will be maintained for pedestrians and deliveries. Businesses will be open, and visitors are encouraged to visit shops, cafes and bars as usual while observing any safety barriers.
A second project, The Link Community Hub, led by Ashbourne Methodist Church, will provide a range of new services to residents, businesses and visitors across Ashbourne. The project see the transformation of the existing church buildings on the corner of Church Street and Station Road, where a new foyer will link three current buildings into one accessible suite.
This will create event space for performing arts, a new flexible workspace for community and business use, and quality, affordable visitor accommodation. The church, which is a registered charity, has committed to raising significant match funding towards the redevelopment.
Councillor Simon Spencer, chair of the highways and public realm project board, and Derbyshire County Council’s deputy leader, said: “I am pleased that we are shortly about to start work.
"Although we realise there will be some inconvenience as the work progresses, the results will make the town centre a much better place for local people and our visitors. Rest assured though, that we will pause all the works for Shrovetide and then carry on afterwards.”
Ashbourne Reborn will see a series of public spaces transformed and changes to the highways and public spaces will "celebrate the town’s heritage" while enabling a "wide variety of future events" to bring new life to the centre of town.
Derbyshire Dales District Council says these improvements will also help "make people feel safer" and "reduce the dominance of traffic and its impact on the town." The latter point comes after the council launched a public consultation back in August 2023 asking residents to give their views on a series of actions aimed at tackling hazardous air quality levels in a part of Ashbourne.
This included a plan for a clean air charging zone targeting more pollutant HGVs, diesel commercial vehicles and taxis, with exemptions for residents and more environmentally friendly vehicles. A total of 400 people responded to the question on the clean air charging zone, with 209 either strongly disagreeing or disagreeing with the plan and 149 either strongly agreeing or agreeing with the plan – and 42 undecided.
One well-known face who lives in the town, Wizzard's Christmas hitmaker, Roy Wood, commented on the clean air zone proposal while celebrating the 50th anniversary of his festive classic, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, back in November 2023.
The 77-year-old glam rocker said: "Why would they want to do that? It's not like Ashbourne is some dirty town now, is it? I'll tell you what, it's probably another silly excuse to get more money out of the average motorist, that's what it will be. it's ridiculous.
"And how can they want everyone to purchase an electric car to save money when the average household cannot afford it? It's hardly something that will benefit the average person. I, for one, will not be buying an electric car anytime soon. A friend of the family over in the US had an electric car and they had a head-on collision which caused the battery to explode.
"Unfortunately, everyone in the car died from the explosion and I cannot trust electric vehicles after hearing something like that".