Questions submitted in advance to the Programme Board
The Programme Board is an operational meeting that members of the public can attend to observe. Answers to questions submitted in advance will be provided at the start of this meeting, and those questions and answers will be recorded in the minutes. This page will be available for the duration of the meeting so that attendees can view on their own devices. It will be removed at the end of the meeting, and Q&As will be published in the minutes of the meeting.
To manage the time available, responses will not be given to questions that were not submitted in advance. As is the case with all meetings of this type, there will not be an open Q&A session. People with questions are encouraged to come to the second drop-in on Wednesday 18 June, which is open to all members of the public and local businesses. At the drop-in, members of the project teams will provide detailed information and answers to specific questions. The next drop-in is on Wednesday 18 June 4:30-7:00pm at Ashbourne's Elim Church, DE6 1DG.
Question from Charlotte Dawson
What mitigation for impact to archaeology has been put in place. The horizons exposed in the market place and the deep stratigraphy revealed in trenches across the town centre should have been subject to an archaeological watching brief. Could the committee confirm that this has been undertaken please.
DCC Response: An Archaeological watching brief has been present during excavation works in areas requiring a Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) for archaeological work.
Questions from Mike Molloy
1 Why haven’t you got a trader compensation scheme?
DCC Response: There is no statutory provision for compensation if a business is affected by roadworks, and the Highway Authority does not provide compensation for works undertaken for public benefit, in line with national policy. The project, originally proposed by local business representatives, and subject to a number of local engagement events prior to implementation, aims to create long-term improvements to the town centre for businesses, residents and visitors, with temporary disruption outweighed by the longer term public benefits.
2 Why didn’t anyone do some sort of assessment to the damage caused to the traders in the town during the works and the damage caused by visitor habits changing as a result of not being able to get into town for months prior to closing the town down?
DCC Response: The town has not been closed down. Access for residents, shoppers and visitors has been maintained. District Council car parking data indicates total transactions in Ashbourne have increased during the period January to May 2025 compared with the same period last year and there is an ongoing communications campaign to demonstrate that Ashbourne is open for business, with additional variable message signing, information on social media and support for business-led promotional initiatives.
Delivering a regeneration scheme in a small, compact and historic town centre was inevitably going to cause some disruption. The impact of the works was considered by the Project Board and a works programme agreed which aims to allow the works to be completed in the most efficient, cost effective and safe manner. The programme has been organised to complete the project within the limited time available which means working on more than one area at once. It takes into account restrictions such as business opening times, access and deliveries, whilst seeking to maintain a safe working space for both the workforce and the general public. The planned programme of works was shared at three public engagement sessions held in November and December 2024 to enable businesses to prepare for the construction period.
Derbyshire Dales District Council has also offered support from their business advisor to businesses with concerns.
3 Why are the paths so slippery when wet ? Have you used the wrong or cheap stone?
DCC Response: No, the wrong stone or cheap stone has not been used. The design of the new paving construction conforms to British Standards and Health and Safety Executive requirements related to the design, construction, and maintenance of pavements. The abrasion resistance and slip/skid resistance of both the new and original paving along St John Street have been tested against the requirements. The new paving surpasses the required thresholds by a considerable margin in both dry and wet conditions. We can confirm from our tests and the design approach that the paving is not slippery, and the correct stone has been used.
Questions from Su Woodcock
1 We have received no communication from yourselves regarding the loading bay outside 30-34 st john street since the visit at the beginning of may. Please would you confirm that the buildings cellars are guaranteed structurally sound enough to take the weight of an abnormal load passing by so closely to the buildings (which are the most photographed and historic in ashbourne), what guarantees you are giving against damage.
DCC Response: The Project Team is surprised by the suggestion that you have received no communication and can demonstrate that this is not the case. Records show emails were issued on 07/05/25 and 23/05/25 and visits were made to your premises on 9, 12, 13 May and most recently on 9 June. There have also been six hand delivered newsletters since the start of the project.
Ashbourne is currently a designated abnormal load route requiring additional space for large vehicles to safely navigate tight turns, which was the case prior to the scheme. Reinforced materials are being used to distribute vehicle loads to protect nearby structures and maintain the functional integrity of the abnormal load route. The circumstances are not new and the scheme is designed to maintain the current position.
Accountability, should any damage occur, would depend on the individual circumstances of the incident. Please see further detail provided in response to questions on 24 April.
2 Why is Millennium Square so far behind according to your plan of works? it clearly states that this was going to be completed by the end of may. We are faced with nothing but a large hole, more rubble and some unsightly metal work, visitors to our town have no where to sit as they once did. When will this finally be completed as nobody worked on this sight last week from Monday.
DCC Response: The final construction detail for Millennium Square took longer than anticipated to finalise and therefore works could not commence as per the original phasing plan. The updated phasing plan provided by the contractor and now published indicates this part of the scheme is due to be completed by August 25.
3 We mentioned at the previous meeting that the figures you required from the carparks in town were taken from january to april 2025 (this was again not minuted). the works did not start until 10th march and the full impact took longer to hit the town , even the two weeks included is not a full overview. This does not give a truthful overview of footfall in the town since work began, your latest questionnaire has also taken the figures from jan-april. Please be honest and acknowledge that the local businesses are being deeply affected, we are now losing businesses weekly which will have an effect on the town long after the rubble has been swept up- there will be very little left to draw people back into town.
DDDC Response: Information about car parking data available at the time was provided at the last meeting and included in the minutes. Further analysis has been carried out on car parking data for Derbyshire Dales car parks. Comparable data is now available between January and May 2024 and the corresponding period in 2025 and does not show a decline in the numbers of transactions. Looking at a subset of the data from 10 March 2025 onwards, when St John St was closed, still does not show a decline and this has also been borne out by checking against mobile phone data within the period. Data for Ashbourne is also comparable with trends in other town centre car parks in the Derbyshire Dales for the same period.
However, analysis is ongoing to consider length of stay and visitor spending supported by information from additional visitor and business surveys undertaken by Derbyshire Dales District Council and promoted with help from the Town Team. Alongside further work with businesses and stakeholders, this is being used to inform decision-making.
Questions from Dawn Lewis
1 Phase 1 South Dig Street was due for completion in March. It is clear from the latest Phase 1 Plans that there is a slip of 3 months. Both businesses and general public could quite clearly see that the Phase Plans were slipping but the message has constantly been that the Programme is on schedule. The Programme Critical Path may be on schedule but the Project Critical Path slippage has not been clearly communicated to businesses in Ashbourne. Why not?
DCC Response: The need for updated project phasing plans is acknowledged. This has now been addressed through liaison with the contractor and an updated phasing plan for the Highways and Public Realm project is available to view on the Ashbourne Reborn website. The updated phasing plan was also shared at the drop-in session on 9 June and confirms prioritisation of the critical path, including the re-opening of St John St. It also provides additional detail of the staged completion of works on Dig St.
2 Businesses in Ashbourne are finding it difficult to plan things such as staff rotas and fresh produce as they are not receiving the right kind of information in a timely manner. Why can't the communications team provide a quick weekly progress report on previous weeks planned activities and details of any changes to the schedule for the following week? This will allow the business to forward plan.
DCC Response: We have established direct communications channels with businesses in Ashbourne via the contractor’s public liaison officer (PLO), who is on site on a weekly basis and makes visits to businesses. In addition, the PLO holds a weekly drop-in session for affected businesses between 12 and 3pm every Tuesday at the Galliford Try office on Dig St. No appointments are required within this time and businesses are encouraged to make use of this opportunity. Businesses unable to make it to the drop-in are encouraged to contact the PLO to arrange a time for him to visit their premises. In January 2024 we established a business-specific newsletter so that town centre businesses could be the first to hear about new developments. 109 businesses are currently signed up.
3 It looks as though the stakeholders on the Programme Review Board are all organisations who were involved in the original bid and obviously means strong support for Reborn. The businesses are keen to see Reborn succeed, but at the moment there is a view that their concerns are being ignored. Why can you not include a stakeholder onto the Programme Board to represent those businesses and their concerns?
DDDC Response: Business interests are represented by Ashbourne Town Team, made up of business owners and residents from the town. The Town Team has a place on both the overall Programme Board and two places on the Highways and Public Realm Project Board. Businesses are encouraged to get involved in the Town Team if they feel their issues and concerns are not being represented.
To manage the time available, responses will not be given to questions that were not submitted in advance. As is the case with all meetings of this type, there will not be an open Q&A session.
People with questions are encouraged to come to the second drop-in on Wednesday 18 June, which is open to all members of the public and local businesses. At the drop-in, members of the project teams will provide detailed information and answers to specific questions. The next drop-in is on Wednesday 18 June 4:30-7:00pm at Ashbourne's Elim Church, DE6 1DG.
