Iron Gate short-listed among Britain's top ten for national award

By [kgreen] kirsty green kgreen@derbytelegraph.co.uk

IRON Gate in Derby has been short-listed as one of Britain's greatest streets by urban designers.

The Academy of Urbanism, whose members are top-level urban planners and architects, has complied a list of ten places for its Great Streets Awards.

Iron Gate is up against places like The Arcades, in Cardiff, Bermondsey Street in London or Great Western Road, in Glasgow, for the Great Street title.

Martin Langsdale, chairman of the Cathedral Quarter management group, said he was delighted that Iron Gate had been short-listed.

He said: "The fact that Iron Gate has been recognised in this way is testament to Derby's growing stature as a noteworthy city in the UK and the increasing awareness of the Cathedral Quarter as an important area with its own special identity.

"Iron Gate has always been an important street – formerly as a major route through Derby and more recently as the pedestrian link between the early-16th-century cathedral tower and the 21st-century Quad in the market place.

"It not only reflects Derby's history through its association with famous forefathers and buildings but also embraces the thriving commercial heart of this unique part of the city."

The academy described Iron Gate as a 'time capsule' of Derby's past.

It highlighted the street's rich history as site of the homes of Joseph Wright, John Flamsteed and clockmaker John Whitehurst, and the scene of Bonnie Prince Charlie's arrival in the town in December, 1745.

It also commented on its current role as the preserve of independent local traders, such as department store Bennett's and Brigden's, the tailors.

Iron Gate shop owner Amelia Horne, of Jack Rabbits, said: "It is an absolutely amazing area with a fantastic community spirit.

"I think aesthetically Iron Gate is extremely pleasing. I came back to the shop last night and I stepped back and looked at the area and thought it looked really pretty. With the tree-lined area near where I am and the old buildings, it could rival other areas like The Shambles in York."

The full short list is The Arcades, Cardiff; Bermondsey Street, London; Royal Avenue/Donegall Street, Belfast; Great Western Road, Glasgow; Grey Street, Newcastle; Iron Gate, Derby; Ladypool Road, Birmingham; New Road, Brighton; Steep Hill/High Street, Lincoln; and Union Street, Aberdeen.

A panel will whittle down the nominees to three on May 14 before the final winner is announced at the awards ceremony on November 20.

The Great Streets Award is one of five categories in the academy's 2010 Urbanism Awards. The other categories are European City of the Year, the Great Town, the Great Neighbourhood and the Great Place.