Ashbourne Reborn

The £15.2-million transformation of Ashbourne town centre will start in 2023 after government in January 2023 approved an exciting Levelling Up Fund bid.

“Ashbourne Reborn”, led by Derbyshire Dales District Council, was developed through close working with local partners who brought forward project ideas, identified opportunities and raised match-funding for the bid.

The partners include Ashbourne Town Team, Ashbourne Town Council, AshCom, Ashbourne Methodist Church and Derbyshire County Council.

Partners are now developing more detailed plans for the two-year development project focused on three distinct project areas.

The first is a series of transformed public spaces including Market Place, Victoria Square, Millennium Square and Shrovetide Walk, while the second project focuses on a new community hub, transforming the Methodist Church into a multi-purpose community building. The hub will provide a wide range of event and meeting spaces, a performance venue and flexible work areas with high quality digital provision.

New traffic management plans will transform the pedestrian experience in Ashbourne by widening footways and providing new and improved crossings as part of the third project.

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2024 Big year ahead for Ashbourne Reborn

January 2024 marks one year since central government approved over £13m of Levelling Up funding for the £15.2m Ashbourne Reborn transformation programme.

The exciting initiative, which is expected to finish by autumn 2025, will pave the way for a more pedestrian-friendly town centre, transformed public spaces and seven-days a week community facilities in the Link Community Hub.

Derbyshire Dales District Council Leader Steve Flitter, who sits on the Ashbourne Reborn Programme Board said:

“The District Council are fully behind this exciting project. In the past year partners have been busy drawing up designs, gaining planning permissions and preparing for delivery. Although much of this preparation is happening behind the scenes, residents and visitors can expect to see work starting on the ground from summer this year.”

The programme includes three distinct areas, one of which will transform a series of public spaces including Market Place, Victoria Square, Millennium Square and Shrovetide Walk. Planned work in the Market Place will protect and restore the Grade II listed surfaces to retain their historic character, replace and upgrade street furniture and plant trees to add much needed greenery.

The second project area, comprising works to the road network through the town centre, will help transform the pedestrian experience in Ashbourne. Before and after images show wider footways and new and improved crossings around the town centre, including St John Street.

Councillor Simon Spencer, Chairman of the Highways and Public Realm Project Board, and Derbyshire County Council’s Deputy Leader, said:

“The work that we will do to the Market Place will transform how the town centre is used, and together with the other work planned is going to make a massive difference for all those who live, work and visit the town.

“We are working hard and overcoming the challenges that projects like this bring. But you can’t carry out work like this without it causing issues. When we start onsite it will mean inconvenience, traffic issues and noise. Working with our contractors we will do all we can to let people exactly where we will be working and when.

“Once the project is finished I am sure that the changes will benefit the town for many years to come.”

The third project area focuses on a new community hub, where work is expected to begin in June this year to transform Ashbourne Methodist Church into a multi-purpose community building. In addition to the Levelling Up Funding, church partners have contributed funding and expertise to support and deliver the proposals, which will see the building of a new foyer linking three current buildings into one accessible suite, creating a flexible performance, events and worship space.

Meeting rooms of various sizes will be developed for community and business use, and the Gateway Centre will be remodelled to provide affordable quality visitor accommodation. The Cornerstone Coffee Shop will be upgraded and a community garden created with ramped access.

Tony Walker, leader of the Link Development Team of Ashbourne Methodist Church, said:

“A year on from the LUF announcement it is wonderful to have developed our plans and got them approved. We are looking forward to the start on site this year and seeing the plans being turned into reality.”

A short video walk-through of the planned development is available at the Ashbourne Reborn website at www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/ashbourne-reborn.

In January 2023, central government approved a Levelling Up Fund (LUF) bid designed to transform the town centre. LUF is contributing £13.4m and the total programme will cost £15.2m.

Ashbourne Reborn is led by Derbyshire Dales District Council working with Derbyshire County Council and Ashbourne Methodist Church as key delivery partners, in collaboration with Ashbourne Town Team, Ashbourne Town Council and AshCom. Partners will continue to work closely to ensure that residents, businesses and visitors to Ashbourne are informed and involved throughout the delivery of the project.

Be the first to hear updates and announcements about Ashbourne Reborn; sign up for the newsletter at the DDDC website www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/enewsreg (tick the box for Ashbourne Reborn), or visit the Ashbourne Reborn website www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/ashbourne-reborn for the latest news, FAQs and detailed information about the project. To follow on social media, find Ashbourne Reborn on Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter).

[Image: Before and after image of St John Street prepared by programme designers Aecom.]

Ashbourne’s new look unveiled

One of the preliminary designs for Ashbourne's upcoming £15.2-million town centre transformation has been released ahead of two public engagement drop-in sessions this week.

It's a before and after view of the way Dig Street could look in two years' time with extended walkways and a reduced carriageway width, making the street much more pedestrian friendly.

Century Hall at the Methodist Church is the venue for the Ashbourne Reborn drop-in sessions from 3-7pm this Wednesday, 26 July, and 10am to 2pm on Saturday 29 July.

Available to discuss the Dig Street preliminary proposal and other new designs not seen in public before will be the design team from Aecom, the Derbyshire-based company contracted to transform the pedestrian experience in Ashbourne.

Highways and the public realm will be improved throughout the core town centre, including works to Compton, Dig Street, St John Street and Buxton Road, together with re-working public spaces such as the Market Place, Victoria Square, Millennium Square and Shrovetide Walk.

As part of the consultation an online survey will be available via www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/ashbourne-reborn-designs

While the main focus of this week’s two drop-in sessions will be the public realm and highway components of the Ashbourne Reborn programme, advanced plans will be on display too for the development of Ashbourne Methodist Church into a multi-purpose community hub.

The work to transform Ashbourne town centre has started after government in January approved the exciting Levelling Up Fund bid.

Ashbourne Reborn was developed through close working with local partners who brought forward project ideas, identified opportunities and raised match-funding for the bid.

The partners include Derbyshire Dales District Council, Derbyshire County Council, Ashbourne Town Team, Ashbourne Town Council, AshCom and Ashbourne Methodist Church.

Local people can be kept informed about the progress of Ashbourne Reborn at www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/ashbourne-reborn and by signing up for email updates at www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/enewsreg

See Ashbourne town centre - 2025 style!

Local people will be able to view the latest designs for Ashbourne's upcoming £15.2-million town centre transformation at two drop-in sessions in July 2023.

Focus of the public engagement will be the public realm and highway components of the Ashbourne Reborn programme - but advanced plans will be on display too for the development of Ashbourne Methodist Church into a multi-purpose community hub.

The sessions in the Century Hall at the Methodist Church are:

3-7 pm on Wednesday 26 July
10 am to 2 pm on Saturday 29 July

Available to discuss new designs not seen in public before will be the design team from Aecom, the Derbyshire-based company contracted to transform the pedestrian experience in Ashbourne and re-work public spaces including Market Place, Victoria Square, Millennium Square and Shrovetide Walk.

As part of the consultation an online survey will be available via the Ashbourne Reborn web section, together with the programme's social media channels.

Programme partners - Ashbourne Town Team, Ashbourne Town Council, AshCom, Ashbourne Methodist Church, Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Dales District Council - have been working hard since the announcement in January of a £13.4-million improvement grant from the government's Levelling Up Fund.

The difference of £1.8m in the overall cost is made up of various funding that different partners have committed to spend alongside the grant.

Leader of the District Council, which is leading the programme, Councillor Steve Flitter said:

"All partners are committed to taking the public with us on this exciting journey. We want them to get bang up to speed with the latest plans, have their say and get a feel for what their town could look like by the middle of 2025.

"So far as local people and businesses in Ashbourne are concerned this might be perceived as a time when nothing much is happening. Indeed, it's going to be next year before work starts on the ground in the town centre. But a great deal of necessary planning and governance work has been happening behind the scenes."

To kickstart the local economy, Ashbourne Reborn will see connections between town centre spaces improved. A comprehensive set of upgrades along Compton, Dig Street and St John Street will create a far better pedestrian experience, reducing the impact of vehicles and improving safety. Derbyshire County Council is responsible for the £8.8-million public realm and highways improvements.

While the second part of the programme - the £6.4-million transformation of Ashbourne Methodist Church into a community hub - isn't formally a part of the drop-in sessions, members of the public will be able to view 3D plans of what will become modern hostel style and family accommodation, with a community garden and outdoor event space and mobility hub including cycling facilities.

Separately during the coming weeks, Ashbourne businesses will be visited by the Aecom team to feed their thoughts into the current design programme.

Shrovetide Walk Project

Ready to go

What is this project about?

This is a project to upgrade an important, but currently unlovely, thoroughfare in Ashbourne town centre. Shrovetide Walk (aka Civic Square) is adjacent to the Library and connects Dig Street and Compton to the main visitor carpark, retail and hospitality venues on St. John’s Street. It is the site of Ashbourne’s weekly Thursday market.

What are the key features?

The aim is to celebrate the unique contribution to the Ashbourne community of the annual Royal Shrovetide Football match which attracts a following of thousands, locally, regionally and nationally. The main features will include a redesigned garden and green space with benches and specially devised sculptural and commemorative artworks together with contextual story boards.

What’s the significance to Ashbourne?

This is both a self-contained project which has a lot of grassroots support, it also forms part of a larger plan to enhance and regenerate a number of areas of public space in the town. It is one of the few areas of green space in the town centre.

Who is delivering it?

This project is being led by AshCom, a not-for-profit volunteer-led organisation, and now is part of the £13.4-million improvement grant from the government's Levelling Up Fund - Ashbourne Reborn. .

What is the current status?

The architect led designs for the improvements have been agreed upon, extensive public consultation has taken place and with the planning consent from the local authority in December 2021 received - the project is ready to go.