Derby City Council's radical plan for former magistrates' court
DERBY City Council cash could be used to buy the former magistrates' court in Full Street to kick-start its stalled regeneration.
Developer Wilson Bowden owns the building, along with the adjacent derelict police station, and had plans to turn the site into a mixture of offices, apartments and a hotel.
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The former magistrates' court in Derby
But a lack of interest from firms to occupy the office space has meant there has been no progress and the site is falling further into disrepair. Derby City Council is keen to make sure the site does not continue to be an eyesore.
It is therefore considering agreeing with the developer to buy the magistrates' court building once it has been developed into offices.
The council is also proposing to use more of its money to pay towards demolishing the derelict police station adjacent to the listed court.
Council leader Philip Hickson said: "Wilson Bowden were going to sell on the building and that would put it in limbo and we want to try to do something to regenerate the site."
The council had originally agreed last year to use some of its £10 million regeneration fund to help Wilson Bowden to repair the listed magistrates' building.
However, the company still failed to find anyone to use the building once it had been turned into offices and, in the current economic climate, was not prepared to take the risk on developing it without that security. A report making the recommendations will go to the cabinet in a week's time and states the offices will help to create 165 jobs and could be delivered between 2014 and 2016.
However, the report does not state how much council cash could be used.
The council is also considering bringing forward some new schemes using the regeneration fund.
They include redeveloping a brownfield site into a scheme which would be the "first of its nature to be developed in Europe".
However, no details have yet been released, other than the overall capital cost would be about £70 million.
The authority said a separate report would be brought forward on that scheme.
The council could also use the fund to progress ideas for a "Connect 4" project. That would involve linking together four of the council's work spaces to improve collaboration between tenant businesses.
It will be made up of Friar Gate Studios, the planned Cathedral Quarter Enterprise Centre, Shot Tower and Kings Chambers. It will create or safeguard 40 jobs and money will pay to refurbish the office space used.
The fund will work by committing £600,000 of council cash a year – which allows the authority to afford yearly payments on the purchase of a piece of land up to £10 million in value. The money is then used in a variety of ways – such as lending it to developers for a return once schemes are completed.
Mr Hickson said it was in this way the council's regeneration fund was helping to "lever in" jobs and kick-start development when other parts of the country were not seeing regeneration progress.
Work today gets under way on creating offices at Agard Street under the Friar Gate Square scheme which has been helped with regeneration fund cash. The council used the money in a form of loan.
The fund was also used to entice Hero TSC to take over the former Egg call centre on Pride Park, securing hundreds of jobs in the city.
Mr Hickson said: "We hope the Friar Gate Square scheme will be the catalyst for other developments which have stalled. The regeneration fund has been tremendously important.
"Without it we would never have seen the Friar Gate Square scheme coming out of the ground now and we would never have got Hero to come to the city."
The projects to which the council has already committed money will deliver 1,060 jobs. Those which are still in the pipeline will create or secure a further 805 jobs.
However, the council said some other agreements with developers, made last year to help their schemes off the ground, had been withdrawn.
Mr Hickson said it was generally because the companies had not wanted to commit or demanded "no risk" agreements. They include offices in Central Square, St Mary's Gate and the City Gate House site next to the Joseph Wright Sixth Form College.
25 Comments
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by Hoosen_Fenger
Wednesday, February 15 2012, 8:21PM
“Welsh Invader.... which half would you keep?”
by Welsh_Invader
Wednesday, February 15 2012, 2:53PM
“It will never happen, but I'd like to see it knocked down, grassed over, trees planted, and left as open green space.
Actually I'd like to see that done to half of Derby.”
by B_o_b1
Wednesday, February 15 2012, 1:41PM
“We are often reading in the DT that Derby does not make the most of its riverside location. Here is an opportunity to do so with a large building with the majority of one side along the river bank.
There is scope to do something useful and utilise that here.”
by Derby_born
Wednesday, February 15 2012, 10:43AM
“The Council says it has no city centre venue for the Local Studies Library, well here we have a great building that would be ideal for this purpose, so no more excuses once the building is restored!”
by Derbysport
Wednesday, February 15 2012, 9:47AM
“"lack of interest from firms to occupy...."
Hang on, this is the same Wilson Bowden who plan to build a massive new development at Chellaston!
Don't these people ever research the likely interest in sites? Or are they just allowed to buy them - or build them - and leave them - and then move on to their next white elephant? Companies like Wilson Bowden should have to PROVE there's an interest in their pie in the sky plans before they get to buy sites or get planning permission to build on them.”
by SkeeterY2K10
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 7:16PM
“I sent a huge socking great email to Derby Council a few weeks ago about the eyesores you see in Derby and how they are dragging down the reputation of the whole city, like Full Street police station, the site of the former Princes supermarket and the state of Duckworth Square. Lo and behold a few days later what do we have..... they are finally getting a move on”
by Welsh_Invader
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 5:36PM
“by littlemoaner
"did I really just read Welsh_Invader suggesting the building of riverside cycle paths?"
Why not? Anything that gets them off the roads and stops them slowing the rest of us down is a good idea.
Besides, with any luck they will fall into the river.”
by littlemoaner
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 4:24PM
“did I really just read Welsh_Invader suggesting the building of riverside cycle paths?”
by oscardoodle
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 4:06PM
“I know that the Council's blinkered view tends to obscure various stretches of the Trent in Nottingham centre, but someone ought to tell the Council to look at a more friendly, open and mixed development along the most convenient stretch of the Derwent from a visitor/resident point of view.
Obscuring the river with yet more multi storey offices and apartments,leaving a narrow footpath and still having the nerve to call it 'Riverlights', is counterproductive and unfair to anyone with a love of anything that remains of our fair city. Ironic that the Council have made no such 'radical' plans for Duckworth square.
I give it a timescale of 2 years before the only chance of a decent riverside vista will be from the slipway of Derby rowing club. I'm sick to death of Marketing Derby, Hickson et al telling us what we want.
Carpet bombing might be a good start.
A relaxed dining, restaurant (same standard as Darleys, not Burger King) and seated recreation/open entertainment area with good plantings and walkways would not be too much to ask. An annexe for all of our Museum's archived exhibits wouldn't go amiss, but hey- I've only been here 53 years, so what do I know?”
by JonBoyWalton
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 3:28PM
“When the council announced all it's grand plans for the riverside development, wasn't this section of the riverfront a key part? When did it change to becoming offices?
Last thing we need to do is hem more of the riverside area in with offices making it less attractive. This *should* be a bustling section of riverside. It's close in to the important sections of the city (i.e. many of the cultural bits, and not Westfield) and nicely tucked away from most of the main roads so it's reasonably peaceful (which is more than can be said for the riverside up near the bus station).
And if you filled it with offices, where would the staff park? worst location ever for driving to...”