New images of Riverlights (with pictures)

By rjohnson robin johnson rjohnson@derbytelegraph.co.uk

NEW images of what the £100m Riverlights development will look like have been exclusively revealed to the Derby Telegraph.

Building is under way on the project, in the Morledge, which will feature two hotels, a casino, restaurants and bus station.

Later this year, Riverlights Ltd, the company behind the scheme, will publish a promotional brochure.

It says this should give the public further insight into the project – and help attract prospective businesses.

Riverlights has put together two computer-generated images to include in the promotion material, shown for the first time here.

One features the face which will front the River Derwent, with the Hilton Hampton Hotel on the upper level and shops and restaurants on the ground level.

The other image shows a view looking from the Morledge, the side which includes the development's other hotel, Holiday Inn.

It also shows Riverlights' relationship to its neighbours, with Derby Crown Court shown to the left and the Riverside multi-storey car park to the right.

David Osborne, director of Riverlights Ltd, said: "I'm very pleased with these new images, which I feel give people a good idea of what the completed project will look like.

"I think if people look at these pictures – and then compare it to where we are at with the construction work – they will begin to visualise it better.

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"The images also show how Riverlights will fit in with its surroundings."

Mr Osborne said he was hopeful that the new brochure could attract more businesses to the project.

He said: "It will be a useful marketing tool.

"We already have two major hotel chains signed up in the Hilton Hampton and Holiday Inn.

"Hopefully it will help in attracting more big names to the development."

But the images do not show the new bus station element of the development, which will be on the side facing the Riverside car park.

Last month, it was revealed that bus passengers would have to wait until next year to use the station.

Derby City Council had hoped that people would be able to start using the new station by October.

But they feared timetables were running too close to the busy Christmas shopping period and now the station will not become fully operational until the end of January.

Mr Osbourne insisted that the project remained on schedule.

The bus station will be the first element of Riverlights to open.

The hotels, retail units and casino are scheduled to be completed by summer 2010.

Riverlights had been dogged by delays and setbacks ever since it gained planning permission in 1997.

Work finally began on the project just over a year ago.