At last, a scheme to bring the former Derby magistrates' courts back into use
THE derelict Full Street magistrates' court will be turned into offices, meeting rooms and a café in a £3 million revamp.
The city council is in negotiations with owner Wilson Bowden Developments over the purchase and refurbishment of the grade two listed building that has been empty for nearly a decade.
The project will be paid for out of the council's £10m regeneration fund.
Under the latest plans to be unveiled, the building would feature 16,500 sq ft of office space with the potential to accommodate up to about 150 workers.
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Alongside the office and café plan, the city council still intends to use the former magistrates' court and police station building opposite the refurbished Council House to rehouse Derby's local studies library, should it relocate from St Mary's Street, as previously reported. It is still the aim to demolish buildings on two thirds of the site.
As part of the deal, work to refurbish the building would be undertaken by Wilson Bowden, which bought the freehold of the magistrates' court and adjoining former police station in 2004.
Design work is well under way on the project, although the council has yet to apply for the necessary planning and listed building consents.
The intention is for the serviced office accommodation to be suitable for a number of small businesses rather than one or two large occupiers.
It is being designed to complement the authority's Connect programme that provides office space where businesses can grow.
Leader of Derby City Council Paul Bayliss said: "We are very excited at this investment which will mark the next step of our planned riverside enhancement and regeneration of city centre.
"Despite the tough economic climate, it is vital we continue to invest in the city and the regeneration of the former magistrates' court is an example of our firm commitment to that goal."
The Full Street site has been empty since 2004.
Wilson Bowden Developments came up with a £30 million project for the former police station and magistrates' court, which would have seen the police station demolished. However, after 12 months of marketing, a tenant had not been found for the office space and the scheme ground to a standstill.
The developer has since come under pressure to act over the site's derelict buildings, smashed windows and graffiti-daubed hoardings.
In 2012, Derby North MP Chris Williamson said the site – ironically, opposite the Tourist Information Centre – gave visitors the wrong impression of the city.
No one was available from
Wilson Bowden last night.
16 Comments
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by keepr_dylocal
Saturday, January 26 2013, 12:12AM
“As I'm interested in local history can anyone direct me to the Local Studies Library in St Mary's Street? I'm aware of the one in Irongate - I'm a frequent visitor - and aware, too, of the wealth of resources that one has, but sufficient for TWO Local Studies Libraries?
Come to that, does anyone know where St Mary's Street is?”
by Derby_born
Friday, January 25 2013, 8:39PM
“Just a reminder of how the story started, this report from 2007:
"Derbyshire police have made £2.7m from the sale of Full Street Police Station, after refusing to sell it to the city council for use as a new library and arts centre. Derbyshire Police Authority allegedly turned down a £1m cash offer from the council in order to hold out for a bigger offer from a property developer. The police authority inherited the building from Derbyshire County Council only 10 years ago.The money made by the police from the sale of Full Street to developer Wilson Bowden will go into the police authority's capital pot, money used for buildings, maintenance and infrastructure. But it is likely that most of it will be spent on projects outside Derby. Money has already been earmarked for refurbishments to Glossop Police Station, Chesterfield custody suite and the police station in Chapel-en-le-Frith.Councillor Chris Williamson, leader of Derby City Council's Labour group, who was involved in negotiations with the police authority and Derbyshire's Chief Constable, David Coleman, when Labour was in power more than a year ago, said the decision to hold out for the highest bid was "regrettable" and was not the best way to serve the community".
http://tinyurl.com/agqqmqd
The land, which was jointly owned by the city council and police authority, is set to be transformed as part of a £30m scheme, which will see 125 apartments created as well as four new restaurants and 95,000 square feet of office space. After 15 months of deliberations, the arbitrator decided the police authority will receive £298,022 of a disputed amount, while the city council will receive about £160,000.The city council made the decision public and claimed a victory, as it said it was receiving £90,000 more than was offered by the police authority in pre-arbitration discussions. The police authority will also bear the bulk of the arbitrator's costs. City council leader Councillor Chris Williamson said, "The police authority reneged on the agreement we had with them. I hope we can now put this behind us and move forward." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Oct/07)”
by Snow_Man
Friday, January 25 2013, 2:09PM
“What business in its right mind is going to want offices in the city centre with all the parking restrictions, high parking charges, and congestion which that entails.
Just as retailers have moved to out of town shopping centres, so too are businesses moving their offices out of town.”
by Fasty
Friday, January 25 2013, 1:25PM
“So more people sat shivering round tables on the pavement, drinking over-priced coffee to enhance Derby's 'cosmopolitan' image?”
by DerbyTom
Friday, January 25 2013, 1:14PM
“Could have been a good site for the new swimming pool!”
by janine2011
Friday, January 25 2013, 12:44PM
“Be intersting to see if the council use some of offices and meeting rooms for their own staff because the office sharing isn't working out if they thought it would. What other reason for more offices given the number of empty ones there are all over Derby ?”
by Tamas
Friday, January 25 2013, 12:06PM
“Meeting/conference rooms, cafe and art gallery for LOCAL artists. Use it as a focal point for business people and somewhere for the public to call in.
If possible, maybe use the cells as unique hotel type rooms?
Use some imagination!”
by dianae
Friday, January 25 2013, 11:54AM
“thanks - error corrected”
by stolen_ID
Friday, January 25 2013, 11:20AM
“What makes the council think they can find tennants for such offices when, Wilson Bowden, a specialist in this field failed after 12 months of marketing?”
by DerbyBNB
Friday, January 25 2013, 10:52AM
“With the amount of already empty office space in Derby, and the newly proposed spaces being built - this will bcome another white elephant.
There are literally 100's of thousands of square feet of unused office spaces stretching from the top of London Road into the city and beyond Friar Gate - and that's before you get to Pride Park. Next time you're in the city centre and walking down one of the older streets realise that above every shop is another 3-4 floors of mostly empty offices.
It's shocking that instead of thinking of innovative new spaces or facilities for the city - the best the planners can do is create more office space - why would a small / medium sized business want to move to a city centre that looks like a derelict wasteland unless you are at the Westfield end - and even then once you've walked through Westfield a couple of times you realise that it's a limited range of shops.
More and more we're going to find that the brightest of Derby will simply leave to go to cities that offer more - in realistic terms. The cities growth will all be about new builds because it's an instant win and we get to put shiny new buildings on the landscape - regardless of whether they are empty.
Plan for the future you bozos.”