OPINION: What young people want to see change in Chesterfield

The constant cycle of closures and new shops opening has caused the town to lose some of its identity. However, with the shops that remain open, the target demographic is clear, and it certainly isn’t the youth. The heart of the town hosts only a handful of shops to intereat younger people, like Primark, H&M, New Look, JD, Pandora and McDonalds as a few examples. I would still argue that this simply isn’t enough.

Post-covid, any new builds never seem to have young people in mind, in fact, it appears they are not for the public in general. The biggest newest buildings scattered across Chesterfield are consistently offices; what young adults crave most, I know!

If you venture out of the town centre, there are once again a few shops oriented to the young, like the new Dunkin’ Donuts and Tacobell in the Alma Leisure Park. Some could argue that the Cineworld and Nando’s, in the same park, accommodate young adults but the prices have reached a point beyond that of a normal youth’s budget.

These prices are often irrelevant anyways as very few people make the trek to get to the leisure park, as the path involves walking all the way out of town, down a hill and round a constantly clustered roundabout. Without a car these shops are simply to much “faff”.

For the more daring demographic there is a skate park tucked away near the Spire Walk Retail Park, which lacks imagination but is still a pleasant thought.

So, with very few shops of interest and the only accommodating locations on the outskirts of town, one would hope that town events acknowledge this. However, the few events that happen in the town centre every year, have very little to offer people of my age.

There are a few reoccurring events, like the Medieval Fun Day and the 1940s Market. Both of these are plainly catered to families, but are not providing much entertainment for any young adult.

Some events are more appealing than others, like the Peddler Market which at least includes live music, but many people, not just the young, will travel to the nearby city Sheffield if they are interested in music.

But was town just always like this? Perhaps my expectations are unrealistic, and Chesterfield has never been known as a place for the youth. One woman gave me in sight detail explaining how Chesterfield town was once a booming place of excitement and thrills. She said that back in the 90s you could attend “under 18 discos’, every Friday at the Winding Wheel” or “we could go to the swimming baths, you could pay for a session”. That sports centre now requires a membership which offers students over 16 a monthly price of £18.50. This is extortionate and definitely makes the swimming baths a lot less popular. She described going to town as a teen as “going out but without going to pubs”. This experience sounds incredible, with activities and events everywhere that are specially designed towards the young demographic. So where did it change?

I asked one teen girl, Caitlin Monaghan, to give me some perspective on how she finds town. Her outlook was bleak saying, “lots of shops are shutting down and the town is full of provocative people who make it feel unsafe”. Quite a contrast from the enticing town Chesterfield used to be.

So, what is the solution? Firstly, shops need to be consistent; the irregular opening and closing of shops makes town appear unsteady and nobody knows what is open and closed. Secondly, Chesterfield should adjust its yearly events to bring in more young people. There should be no reason that only families are catered for. If the events had more attractions, like rides not just child-oriented merry-go-rounds, moderately priced food and potentially fashion stalls, I believe a lot more young people would be far more invested.

Lastly, town needs a polish, the empty M&S is a sad shell, the market stalls are falling down and the only place in the centre that seems to have reoccurring maintenance is Vicar Lane. I say all of this because I want to enjoy Chesterfield town because I know it has the capabilities to become a great attraction for people my age.