Chesterfield council leader believes reopening Barrow Hill rail line to passengers will be a further boost for Staveley

The orignal North Midlands Railway line between Chesterfield and Rotherham ran through north east Derbyshire using old stations at Clay Cross, Whittington, Barrow Hill, Staveley, Renishaw, Eckington, and Killamarsh before the passenger line was closed as part of the Beeching cuts in the 1960s and it has since only been used as a freight line.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of the Labour-led Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “We have been working with our partners for the last few years to establish a strong business case for the reopening of the Barrow Hill Line and we are pleased that the Government can now provide certainty on the future of this project.

“It complements ongoing investment in Staveley through the Town Deal and by the council and private sector partners. Together these investments will help ensure Staveley residents have access to more employment opportunities and that the local economy can thrive.”

An original strategic outline business case to reopen the Barrow Hill Line to passengers was compiled with a number of partners including Chesterfield Borough Council, North East Derbyshire District Council, Derbyshire County Council, Sheffield City Council and Network Rail which owns the line.

The Barrow Hill Line proposed project location, according to the original business case report plans, was earmarked to run between Sheffield and Chesterfield, via Barrow Hill and linking Sheffield, north east Derbyshire and Chesterfield’s local authority areas.

It is hoped that the reopening of the Barrow Hill Line for passengers will resolve limited public transport problems, limited employment opportunities, address car dependency, reduce congestion, and help with levelling-up for deprived communities.

North East Derbyshire Conservative MP Lee Rowley has campaigned to re-open the Barrow Hill Line for passengers since 2020. He has also worked with the Clay Cross Town Deal regeneration board and Conservative Derbyshire County and NE Derbyshire District Cllr Charlotte Cupit to compile a rail feasibility study to further campaign to bring a railway station back to Clay Cross.

Mr Rowley and Cllr Cupit also recently met the Rail Minister, MP Huw Merriman, in north east Derbyshire to discuss the benefits for the region of reopening the Barrow Hill Line and to outline the campaign for a train station in Clay Cross.

The North East Derbyshire MP said the re-opening of the Barrow Hill Line to passengers would give long-term, guaranteed access to public transport in the region which has been without train services for decades.

An original strategic outline business case to reopen the Barrow Hill Line to passengers was compiled with a number of partners including Chesterfield Borough Council, North East Derbyshire District Council, Derbyshire County Council, Sheffield City Council and Network Rail which owns the line.

The Barrow Hill Line proposed project location, according to the original business case report plans, would be between Sheffield and Chesterfield, running via Barrow Hill and linking Sheffield, north east Derbyshire and Chesterfield’s local authority areas.

Chesterfeld Borough Council Leader, Cllr Gilby, added that Chesterfield Borough Council has been very disappointed with the Government’s additional announcement to scrap plans for the HS2 high-speed rail route north of Birmingham and beyond the East Midlands which may have helped with jobs, regeneration and the economy.

She added: “We were very disappointed with the Government’s announcement to cancel HS2 north of Birmingham, and we are still seeking clarity on what alternative investment may be coming to the Chesterfield borough area.”

However, the borough council has previously stated it hopes the regeneration plans for the neighbourhood around Chesterfield railway station will still boost the area even after plans for HS2 to go through Chesterfield, Sheffield and Leeds were scrapped as long ago as 2021.

In addition, the latest announcement to re-open the Barrow Hill Line is also expected to support the Government-funded £25.2m Staveley Town Deal regeneration scheme for Staveley which lies close to Barrow Hill.

The Staveley Town Deal boasts a number of projects including the Staveley Town Basin centre, the restoration of Chesterfield Canal, the Staveley 21 Project to revamp the town centre with a new Pavilion Building, the refurbishment of Barrow Hill Memorial Hall, a Construction Skills Hub, and an education facility at Staveley Miners Welfare FC.

But significantly, as part of the Staveley Town Deal, £3.7m has also been allocated for a new rail training facility called The Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle centre, at Barrow Hill, which will provide opportunities for people including those from schools and universities as well as post-graduates.

As part of a wider Staveley Vision Master Plan, Chesterfield Borough Council Chief Executive Huw Bowen has said that Staveley will also benefit after Derbyshire County Council has secured £170m to support the planned Chesterfield Staveley Regeneration Route, and there are plans for a growth corridor with 150 hectares of brownfield land for development.