The past month has been a busy one for Ashbourne Reborn, with works progressing along St John Street, Dig Street and Buxton Road. If you’re out and about in the town centre, you will see that tactile paving has been added on Dig Street south as the new crossings take shape, and work has started on the loading bay at the north end of Dig Street.
The western end of St John Street is almost complete with new, wider pavements and loading bay opposite Victoria Square, while kerbing and paving continues on the eastern section of the street. Foundations are being laid, and work will soon start on the surrounding wall in Millennium Square.
Meanwhile, at the programme’s second major project, which will deliver The Link Centre community hub at Ashbourne Methodist Church, a major milestone has been met. This was celebrated with a topping out ceremony, and scaffolding on the church will soon come down. From new phasing plans to drop-ins, enhanced signage and a street party, read on to find out what else is new with Ashbourne Reborn.
Updated Phasing Plans released
As we approach the final months of the Ashbourne Reborn programme, updated phasing plans have been produced for the Highways and Public Realm project.
Derbyshire County Council is responsible for delivering the current Ashbourne Reborn highways work in the town centre. They are prioritising the re-opening of St John Street which is planned by the end of September, and this remains on schedule, however the overall programme is now expected to complete in early November rather than late October.
Some additional risks have been presented by third parties and additional work has been required to put things right as work progresses through the town centre and unforeseen issues are found under the ground. Severn Trent are currently working on a partial collapse of their culvert under the junction of Dig Street and St John Street, which they found to be in a poor state of repair. In addition, previous reinstatement work by utilities companies on Dig St has not been up to the required standards and has required remediation as part of the Ashbourne Reborn highways works. The requirement for additional trial holes and surveys and some delays with Galliford Try’s supply chain have also contributed to pressure on the works programme, alongside the prioritisation of work on St John Street, which means some workers have been moved from other areas to support the earliest possible re-opening of the road.
The impact on the overall programme is relatively minimal.
The latest Phasing Plans are available online at the Ashbourne Reborn website: Updated Phasing Plans June 2025 - Derbyshire Dales District Council
Additional round of public drop-ins held
As work continues, two additional drop-ins have taken place for members of the public and local businesses to ask questions about the delivery of the highways scheme and raise any issues about the delivery of the wider programme.
Once again the drop-in events were open to all, with the opportunity to find out more about the design, location and timing of the works, and raise any issues about the delivery of the two main projects, Highways and Public Realm, which is being delivered by Derbyshire County Council, and The Link Centre community hub delivered by Ashbourne Methodist Church.
The majority of questions focused on the timing of works, with representatives from Galliford Try talking through the phasing plans. Others were interested in seeing detailed designs, and printouts of artist’s impressions showing how improved public spaces like the Market Place and Shrovetide Walk could look and be used once the work is finished. We are following up issues about specific businesses and premises with the individuals that came along to raise them.
The drop-ins are in addition to a weekly drop-in held by the contractor’s public liaison officer from 12-3pm at Ashbourne Business Centre, Dig Street, DE6 1GF. For anyone unable to make it to the drop-ins, the PLO can also arrange to visit business premises at a time that is convenient to them. So far, more than 109 businesses have signed up for regular updates and local businesses are encouraged to get in touch if they would like more information.
StreetFest sponsored by Galliford Try
While works continue through the summer months, Ashbourne is very much open for business, and of course that means that StreetFest is back! Ashbourne Festival, the annual event celebrating the vibrant cultural tapestry of Ashbourne, presents another spectacular fortnight of entertainment from 20 June to 8 July. The Festival promises an array of performances, exhibitions, and activities that will captivate audiences of all ages and interests.
The transformation works will not dampen the spirit of the Festival, and the ever-popular Ashbourne Street Fest will happen again with an array of daring, entertaining and plain silly acts. With performance areas in Dig Street and the Market Place the organisers are working in partnership with the County Council’s contractors Galliford Try to ensure that audiences can move safely and quickly from one area to another.
Galliford Try is also sponsoring this year’s Festival, which is looking to be a sunny one on 20 and 21 June.
Open for Business messages reinforced with digital signage
Drivers might have noticed that Ashbourne Reborn have reinforced the ‘Ashbourne is open for business’ message by re-hiring digital signs at three sites on the main routes into the town centre. The signs can be seen on the A52 from Derby, A52 from Mayfield and the A515 north of Ashbourne (Tissington Gates).
Permanent lamppost signs and banners around the town centre with the same ‘open for business message’ remain in place.
Topping out ceremony at The Link
Over at the The Link Centre, the 10 June 2025 was an historic day for Ashbourne Methodist Church as it celebrated a significant milestone in the transformation of its buildings to serve as a new hub for the community.
Revd Andy Fyall, Chair of the Nottingham & Derby District of the Methodist Church, climbed to the top of the scaffolding accompanied by project partners for the act of ‘Topping Out’ for The Link Centre. Revd Fyall prayed for the project, the Ashbourne community and the church as a replacement finial was placed on the top of the church building. The finial included a capsule containing a prayer for the church and community signed by members of the congregation, and photographs of congregation members taken on Sunday.
Accompanying Revd Andy Fyall in the Topping Out ceremony were Councillor David Hughes of the Ashbourne Reborn Programme Board, Tony Walker of Ashbourne Methodist Church, Ian Bird of Messenger Construction, Laura Simpson of Derbyshire Dales District Council, and Anne Wright of Ashbourne Town Team.
When it is finished The Link Centre will be a huge asset to the town, able to be used as a flexible space for performing arts, community events, worship and as a conference centre.
As a reminder of how the programme came about, the Ashbourne Reborn proposals originated from businesses and community groups within the town. Ashbourne Reborn is a partnership scheme involving Ashbourne Town Team, Ashbourne Town Council and AshCom, with delivery of the Highways and Public Realm project being led by Derbyshire County Council and the Link Community Hub by Ashbourne Methodist Church.
Reborn Bosses say: 'We are aware that while the physical changes funded by UK Government will make a big difference to the town’s environment, the vibrancy the town needs will also depend on how those spaces are used in the future. We are working with local partners to develop options for a programme of activities, events and uses for these spaces once the work is complete. There are already strong building blocks with Ashbourne's programme of regular events like StreetFest and the Lantern Parade, so we are well placed to develop an exciting programme of existing and new events. Investing to improve our assets and spaces is an important first step and we look forward to local partners coming forward with ideas and creativity as to how we maximise the opportunities created through that investment'.
As usual, information will be shared on the Ashbourne Reborn website and newsletters so that residents and businesses in Ashbourne can follow progress in the final months of the programme. 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. To follow on social media, find @AshbourneReborn on Facebook and Instagram.
Comments