Green light for apartments plan at former M&S

The upper floors of a former Chesterfield department store will become 40 residential flats after plans put forward by ALB Group were approved.

The former Marks & Spencer store on the High Street has been closed for nearly four years, closing its doors for the final time in November 2022.

Nottingham-based ALB submitted a planning application for the four-storey building in May, with the ground floor already refurbished as a retail unit, which has been leased to Tesco Express since February.

The Chesterfield scheme is not ALB’s first foray into former department stores – the firm also had residential-led plans for the iconic former M&S store on Dudley Street in Wolverhampton approved earlier this year.

Documents supporting the proposal said the scheme would “breathe new life” into an underused asset, adding that it would support a sustainable approach to town centre regeneration, supporting “increased footfall, economic diversification, and the delivery of high-quality town centre living” in Chesterfield.

A report by the borough council’s planning officers criticised the lack of an active retail frontage on Knifesmithgate, but said the provision of housing supply in the town overrode those concerns, particularly as the more ornate frontage onto Market Square has been retained.

Plans for the scheme were prepared by Nottingham-based Leonard Design, with planning consultancy provided by Aspbury Planning.

The application was approved by Chesterfield Borough Council’s planning committee on July 6.

Documents and plans relating to the application can be found on Chesterfield’s online planning portal using reference: CHE/25/00340/FUL