Chesterfield pub to be demolished within months

The Wheatsheaf in Newbold Road will be transformed into a Co-operative food shop after Chesterfield Borough Council approved the plan.

A spokesman for NewRiver Retail - which is the company behind the proposal - said: "The Wheatsheaf is still operating as a pub at the moment but construction work is expected to start within the next few months."

In planning documents, NewRiver Retail said: "The community food store will result in a number of benefits for Newbold and the local economy.

"There would be a high-quality new, small convenience store in a convenient, accessible and sustainable location and there would be the creation of up to 20 new jobs, likely to be attractive to residents of the area.

"The food store constitutes an inward investment of more than £1million.

"It would enhance the range of local facilities and amenities and help to ensure that a higher proportion of locally-generated retail expenditure is spent within the area."

Objecting to the plan, one resident said: "There is an existing Tesco store 250 metres away on Newbold Road and a Central England Co-operative 300 metres away on Littlemoor.

"Three identical stores so close together suggests that one of them might need to close in a year or two."

Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins said: "This is very sad news.

"Pubs which are trading successfully as going concerns being closed because they are more profitable as convenience stores is a real shame, particularly when that area is well served with three such shops within 600 yards or so of there."

Meanwhile, building work is underway to transform the former Spital pub in Spital Lane, Chesterfield, into a Co-operative food store after that proposal was also approved by the borough council at the start of last year.

The building is expected to be handed over to the Co-operative next month.

In 2014, the Co-operative signed an agreement to develop 54 pub sites from the Marston's public house portfolio owned by NewRiver Retail.