Report by Local Democracy Reporter – Jon Cooper
East Midlands Combined County Authority is looking to invest £3.5m over two years into supporting a feasibility study for a highways scheme to improve the busy A61 road between Chesterfield and Clay Cross.
The authority will consider supporting the funding plan during a Transport and Digital Connectivity Committee on January 15 to outline a case for proposed eventual improvements to the A61 Derby Road from Chesterfield to Clay Cross including the A617 junction at Chesterfield to boost connectivity and economic growth.
An EMCCA spokesperson stated: “This project comprises initial feasibility testing of a set of potential interventions on a key strategic link from [Chesterfield], and including its junction with the A617, to Clay Cross improving connectivity to unlock potential strategic employment and housing growth areas, supporting economic development and productivity.
“Early commitment to the activity is required to integrate resource planning with the wider development programme across transport, housing and regeneration.”
The revenue spend will be used to develop and test feasibility options to determine a preferred option to develop a business case, according to EMMCA, for the A61 Chesterfield to Clay Cross route with a £1.5m investment of funding proposed for 2026-27 and £2m of funding investment proposed for 2027-28.
An EMCCA report called, EMCCA Additional Highways Maintenance Investment – Case for Investment, includes a submission from Derbyshire County Council’s highways authority requesting £1.5m from EMCCA for the proposed feasibility testing of a set of potential interventions into potential future schemes on what it regards as a key strategic link from the A61 in Chesterfield to Clay Cross including Chesterfield’s junction with the A617.
Due to the location of the carriageway other local authorities including NE Derbyshire District Council and Chesterfield Borough Council are expected to have an interest in any such feasibility study or future highway scheme.
The county council appointed AECOM Infrastructure and Environmental UK Ltd to compile an A61 South of Chesterfield Strategic Review as long ago as 2020 which featured an area from the A617 Horns Bridge roundabout in the north to the junction with the A6175 in Clay Cross in the south which leads to the M1 Junction 29.
It revealed that the area has already been subject to various previous work assessments including examining junction capacity between Horns Bridge Roundabout and Tupton for the redevelopment of the former Avenue Coking Works for housing and employment.
Others included a potential new A61 – A617 Link Road, an A61 Growth Corridor Strategy, a Chesterfield Walking and Cycle Network Wayfinding Strategy, and an East Midlands Manufacturing Zone North Derbyshire Mobility Strategy.
The National Planning Policy Framework also emphasises the importance of considering sustainable transport in the area, according to the review, with opportunities to promote walking, cycling and public transport while considering the environmental impacts of traffic and transport infrastructure and patterns of movement, streets, parking and other transport considerations.
NE Derbyshire District Council has stated in its Local Plan that there is a focus on addressing the current capacity issues along the A61 alongside the importance of unlocking development potential between Chesterfield and Clay Cross and it aims to continue working in partnership with the county council and Chesterfield Borough Council to support and develop this work.
It acknowledges the need to improve access with the proposed A61/A617 Avenue link road to help bring forward the Avenue Strategic Site at Wingerworth and that it expects a number of packages of interventions will be taken forward with secured funding to help mitigate the overall impact of development in the area.
The district council identifies such interventions as bus detection and upgrades to traffic signal control at junctions along the A61 south of Chesterfield town centre, the completion of walking and cycling routes between the Avenue site and Peak Resort, and the provision of real-time bus information and other roadside displays giving traffic and parking guidance to road users along the A61 corridor.
It states that any county council plans to pursue an alternative mitigation strategy along the A61 Growth Corridor to accommodate increasing demand should not affect the construction of the A61/A617 Avenue link road plan.
Chesterfield Borough Council has also identified the A61 Corridor as a priority area for sustainable transport as it seeks to maximise walking, cycling and the use of public transport through the area with parking provision.
Its Local Plan includes an Infrastructure Delivery Plan including desired A61 Growth Corridor improvements for roads, roundabouts and junctions, pedestrian and cycle routes, and technological solutions.
Derbyshire County Council’s Local Transport Plan already includes three other schemes for the area alongside its hopes for the A61 South of Chesterfield Corridor development including projects for the A61 Chesterfield Inner Relief Road Junctions, the A61 / A617 ‘Avenue’ Link Road, and a Clay Cross Station.
The AECOM review highlights key locations for the proposed feasibility study to consider for a A61 South of Chesterfield Corridor improvement scheme including Horns Bridge to Storforth Lane, Langer Lane to Tupton, and Tupton to Clay Cross, as well as the Avenue Strategic Site.
EMCCA is expected to note the successful progress of the delivery of its overall Transport Investment Programme concerning many regional schemes during 2025/26 at its transport committee meeting on January 15.
It will also consider recommendations to approve submissions for its March 2026 board meeting and confirm its latest funding allocations concerning proposals for transport investment including the feasibility study for the A61 road between Chesterfield and Clay Cross.
