What to do about Derby

[TomBustler1884]

I dont think anybody would deny that this pandemic is going to have a massive impact on cities across the world.

Weve seen that Derby has been highlighted for serious concern by Centre for Cities with its reliance on the aviation and manufacturing sectors.

Derby is also over supplied with shops and under supplied with offices and homes in its city centre, which is why there are so many empty spaces on the high street.

We then have the issue of elections by thirds, and we are a politically unstable place, as in election tions take place e very year for three years instead of once every four, and the ruling party changes s lot. This leads to no time for the Council to ever see a plan all the way through. Bu contrast, Nottingham is Labour every year, so they have consistency in policy, personnelcand planning.

So my question is this.

How do you think Derby should be planning to recover? The pandemic has, to me, offered an opportunity to reset thinking about the city and how we make it somewhere that people want to live in, work in and visit. The question is how?

For my money, I would look at 

Environment - go on a massive greening programme of the city centre, with trees, pocket parks, and planting. Increased cycle lanes, reduce emissions Nd make it a place you want to spend time.

High street - remove restrictions on uses. Encourage independent businesses to use empty space for new things, incentivise entrepreneurship.

Politics - 4 yearly cycle. Have a city plan that all parties must agree to and follow.

Performance venue - knock down the Assembly Rooms, replace with something better.

People - encourage people to take ownership of the city, have more pride in it, we run Derby down too much.

Presence - there is no sense of Derby's heritage when you walk around it. If you came here for the first time and just went to the city centre, how would you know about Rolls Royce, DCFC, Darwin, Florence Nightingale, Toyota. We need to be proud and shout about who we are.

Anyway interested in your opinions on it!

[alexxxxx]

The city centre has nothing to it in comparison to Nottingham I'm afraid to say. The shopping centre seems to have gobbled up the life of the city centre even though there are some nice buildings. 

[ilkleyram]

Is a really great set of questions @TomBustler1884.

The major challenges will be finding someone (or people) with the vision and the drive to get stuff done and finding the money at time when the world and landlords will be short of it. We need some Victorian energy and entrepreneurship sadly lacking amongst councillors  

To add to your ideas the new bridge over the A52 could become a real welcome beacon to the city, florence’s Statue could move somewhere more prominent in the middle of town, we could look to develop more of the area between the Intu and the railway station and if we’re going to ban (I know you didn’t say that) cars from the centre of the city then we need alternatives  - tram system, free buses, park and ride schemes etc, the indoor market is a shadow of what it used to be when I was growing up  

I am now only an occasional visitor to the city itself. From the outside it always appears to have poor political management. Perhaps a new CEO will be able to give better leadership because there is an opportunity to do something better 

 

[Stagtime]

1 hour ago, TomBustler1884 said:

I dont think anybody would deny that this pandemic is going to have a massive impact on cities across the world.

Weve seen that Derby has been highlighted for serious concern by Centre for Cities with its reliance on the aviation and manufacturing sectors.

Derby is also over supplied with shops and under supplied with offices and homes in its city centre, which is why there are so many empty spaces on the high street.

We then have the issue of elections by thirds, and we are a politically unstable place, as in election tions take place e very year for three years instead of once every four, and the ruling party changes s lot. This leads to no time for the Council to ever see a plan all the way through. Bu contrast, Nottingham is Labour every year, so they have consistency in policy, personnelcand planning.

So my question is this.

How do you think Derby should be planning to recover? The pandemic has, to me, offered an opportunity to reset thinking about the city and how we make it somewhere that people want to live in, work in and visit. The question is how?

For my money, I would look at 

Environment - go on a massive greening programme of the city centre, with trees, pocket parks, and planting. Increased cycle lanes, reduce emissions Nd make it a place you want to spend time.

High street - remove restrictions on uses. Encourage independent businesses to use empty space for new things, incentivise entrepreneurship.

Politics - 4 yearly cycle. Have a city plan that all parties must agree to and follow.

Performance venue - knock down the Assembly Rooms, replace with something better.

People - encourage people to take ownership of the city, have more pride in it, we run Derby down too much.

Presence - there is no sense of Derby's heritage when you walk around it. If you came here for the first time and just went to the city centre, how would you know about Rolls Royce, DCFC, Darwin, Florence Nightingale, Toyota. We need to be proud and shout about who we are.

Anyway interested in your opinions on it!

As frequent visitors from Qld here’s some of our Thoughts.

We always remark that you have this great big wide mall area in the middle of town that needs trees, gardens and outdoor eateries, beer gardens etc just to soften things up a bit. There’s some really nice buildings there that should be a focal point.

We really like walking along the river in town, maybe cafes or eateries over the river would be nice. Not sure what flooding is like, just seems like a missed opportunity.

We absolutely love Darley Abbey area with the park and the river. Is this linked to the CBD? We walk till we hit the main road and aren’t sure whether you can walk there so we end up driving instead. Maybe some signs showing where to go.

We can’t get enough of the history in the midlands, maybe more needs to be done advertising the fact that Derby is a great place to base out of as it’s so central. We do day trips to the Lakes district, York and the Dales while staying in Derby. We were staying in Bampton,Devon last year and telling the locals we were off to Derby and all they could say was why would you want to go there!

[RoyMac5]

Burn down Friar Gate railway buildings?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-52804585

Quote

A large fire has ripped through a Grade II-listed building in Derby, causing part of its roof to collapse.

Crews have been tackling the blaze at Friar Gate Goods Yard, off Stafford Street, since 01:13 BST.

 

[Stive Pesley]

22 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Burn down Friar Gate railway buildings?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-52804585

 

It's certainly good to see that Derby's arsonists have not been furloughed

 

Good set of questions though - as someone who lives in DE1, I certainly approve of the ideas around the city centre changes. More cycle infra and investment to fix the high street problem.

I think that the future lies in more city centre living. My parent's generation were all about moving to the suburbs and car ownership. People who follow that dream now complain about the fact it takes them 30 minutes sitting in queues (alone in their car) to get to work

As much as I'd love to see a tram system reinstated, I don't think we have the space or the political will to make it happen

Oh and ban Chuggers from St Peters St obvs

[Anag Ram]

As someone who is not from Derby I would say the city centre holds little or no appeal. 

Without sounding too much like my profile persona, Derby looks like an industrial city with little money. 

Before you all burn my house down I need to draw the distinction between being poor and being aspirational. 

If you want to attract business and money you need to appeal to a wealthier customer. 

If you provide more exclusive shops, bars and cafés, the people will come. 

Derby is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK yet that isn't properly reflected in its city centre. 

At present, and again I offer only my honest opinion, Derby looks like a city that has settled for what it's got and is not aiming higher. 

Bring in money from outside and it can be a better place for everybody. 

Hope that doesn't offend. 

[alexxxxx]

17 minutes ago, Anag Ram said:

As someone who is not from Derby I would say the city centre holds little or no appeal. 

Without sounding too much like my profile persona, Derby looks like an industrial city with little money. 

Before you all burn my house down I need to draw the distinction between being poor and being aspirational. 

If you want to attract business and money you need to appeal to a wealthier customer. 

If you provide more exclusive shops, bars and cafés, the people will come. 

Derby is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK yet that isn't properly reflected in its city centre. 

At present, and again I offer only my honest opinion, Derby looks like a city that has settled for what it's got and is not aiming higher. 

Bring in money from outside and it can be a better place for everybody. 

Hope that doesn't offend. 

The trouble is Derby isn't a poor city - there are plenty of reasonable jobs in the area in comparison to other similar sized cities. 

[Anag Ram]

5 minutes ago, alexxxxx said:

The trouble is Derby isn't a poor city - there are plenty of reasonable jobs in the area in comparison to other similar sized cities. 

Okay so all the more justification for offering a better retail and entertainment experience. 

I live in Bristol and until the past 15 years or so the city centre was depressing. Now it is vibrant.

Nearby Bath is surrounded by countryside and looks lovely. 

The secret is getting your population excited about the development and to see the bigger picture. If, as an individual, you cannot imagine yourself in John Lewis or Harvey Nicholls, it's hard to want those for your city. 

But it's the fringe benefits of having them that produces a better overall environment. 

[TigerTedd]

8 minutes ago, Anag Ram said:

Okay so all the more justification for offering a better retail and entertainment experience. 

I live in Bristol and until the past 15 years or so the city centre was depressing. Now it is vibrant.

Nearby Bath is surrounded by countryside and looks lovely. 

The secret is getting your population excited about the development and to see the bigger picture. If, as an individual, you cannot imagine yourself in John Lewis or Harvey Nicholls, it's hard to want those for your city. 

But it's the fringe benefits of having them that produces a better overall environment. 

Leicester’s got a way better shopping experience, with a big fancy John Lewis at the heart of it. Always wondered why we don’t have one. 

we always seemed to have the slightly lower rent versions of all the Leicester shops. Like Debenhams was always our big focal point. Or Wilkos or B&M. Not dissing those shops per se, and there’s a place for them, but you don’t want them to be your main focal point, or the first things that people see when they come shopping. 
 

the velodrome is a nice big, eye catching building, but it’s our of the city centre. We need a few more buildings like that. Like the assembly rooms being replaced by a world class venue, with eye catching architecture, bringing in big name acts. That would do wonders for the city centre. 

[StockholmRam]

Derby has vast potential but little in way of visonaries. 

City Council leaders, again and again are in the class of admin, not innovators. Its a flat steady line scenario and until innovators/ creatives  are put right at the very top, nothing will change sadly. 

The Assembley rooms, via the market place, through to market hall are crying out to be made into a modest Covant Garden type area to compliment Cathedral Quarter. 

Plus a concerted attempt to bring the business eco system into line on new business , start up community. The support network is currently poor. 

I do this for a living, for Swedens government. 

[JoetheRam]

Just going to engage my Sim City thinking... this is a complete ramble.

We don't need a House of Fraser or a John Lewis... anyone going into a UK city centre to shop at these UK-wide/multinational brand shops is sadistic. There's this thing called the internet for that stuff now.

The future of City centres is leisure. Sure the people who live in the city centre still might want the odd grocer or a pharmacy but visitors don't. We want pubs, clubs, cafes, bars, gyms, entertainment and something unique to persuade us to visit.

So, turn the Intu Centre into a massive venue for activities - keep the cinema and the food court, but repurpose the other indoor units into Laser Quest, Urban Crazy Golf, a massive indoor botanic garden, turn the roof into 5 a side pitches/cricket nets/basketball courts/go karting etc. Probably keep parking in the basement there.

I'd probably go big on the environment side of things, employing park and rides, Boris Bikes etc from the edges of the city limits. The Riverlights and the Riverside cycle path to Pride Park is pretty decent already so that might encourage a leisure aspect for people rather than simply being a means of travelling in as well. 

Scrap most of the pay and display car parking and instead charge people £10 or £15 per day congestion fee for entering the city limits unless it's to work. Taxis and deliveries exempt. Have car parks on the edge of the city at places like the bottom of Uttoxeter Road at the burned out railway building, Hospital Manor Car Park (at weekends), keep Bold Lane for the nostalgia, Wyvern, Pride Park, maybe half of Markeaton Park could go as well.

London Road Hospital site could become a city centre park.

I'd turn the focus for existing shops away from the Intu as above and encourage them into the vacant units that exist elsewhere in the city centre on East Street etc.

Encourage small independents/craft shops/cafes/restaurants as is traditional into The Strand/Sadler Gate/Cathedral quarter and probably the same for Castleward - make the rents cheap. Assembly rooms should either be torn down or turned into a museum/gallery celebrating Derby's history.

Old Debenhams and the bits behind it near where Syn nightclub used to be needs to be torn down and I'd make into a Castleward 2 type thing.

Friargate can stay as it is - chain bars and chain restaurants.

They pay one already probably but increase the levy on multinational Fast Food joints, betting shops and Pound shops so if they want to operate they can but it's going to cost them big. Make it massively cheap for independent shops to trade. 

Advertise the Indoor markets... they're useful and cheap on the whole, they just need some love and attention.

The pubs are already first class so no improvement needed there.

In short, scrap chain shops, encourage local boutiques/independents, make Intu a Leisure centre, keep the cars out, tell people the markets are open so they know they are there.

It's a small city (it's a town really), so use that as it's selling point and make it different.

 

[Stive Pesley]

3 minutes ago, JoetheRam said:

So, turn the Intu Centre into a massive venue for activities - keep the cinema and the food court, but repurpose the other indoor units into Laser Quest, Urban Crazy Golf

There is already an urban crazy golf centre on the top floor of Intu!

Speaking of the Intu - most people agree it's a generic soul-less mall, but I noticed on my last visit to Nottingham (pre-lockdown obvs) that the Victoria Centre is also an Intu. Yet they have branded it the Intu Victoria Centre, so it retains its identity

Why didn't they brand ours the Intu Eagle Centre? Only a small thing, but at least would have retained some of the history and identity

[JoetheRam]

2 minutes ago, SchtivePesley said:

There is already an urban crazy golf centre on the top floor of Intu!

Speaking of the Intu - most people agree it's a generic soul-less mall, but I noticed on my last visit to Nottingham (pre-lockdown obvs) that the Victoria Centre is also an Intu. Yet they have branded it the Intu Victoria Centre, so it retains its identity

Why didn't they brand ours the Intu Eagle Centre? Only a small thing, but at least would have retained some of the history and identity

Oh... shows how often I go in! You know what I'm getting at though? Turn it into something that you can't get anywhere else.

If I want a new pair of trainers I'm not going to Intu to get them.

 

[Rev]

Make more of the river flowing through the city. Most other places with a river make that one of the central attractions, lined with bars and restaurants.

An outdoor garden bar between the bus station and council house would be a good start, with the catering provided by a bustler market type set up.

[therealhantsram]

5 hours ago, TomBustler1884 said:

I dont think anybody would deny that this pandemic is going to have a massive impact on cities across the world.

Weve seen that Derby has been highlighted for serious concern by Centre for Cities with its reliance on the aviation and manufacturing sectors.

Derby is also over supplied with shops and under supplied with offices and homes in its city centre, which is why there are so many empty spaces on the high street.

We then have the issue of elections by thirds, and we are a politically unstable place, as in election tions take place e very year for three years instead of once every four, and the ruling party changes s lot. This leads to no time for the Council to ever see a plan all the way through. Bu contrast, Nottingham is Labour every year, so they have consistency in policy, personnelcand planning.

 

 I agree that Derby city centre needs a lot of work. However, Derby is a bit of an ecomomic miracle compared to other midland towns and cities. Nottingham, Stoke, Leicester consistently ranked among the poorest in the UK. Nottingham was ranked as the poorest city in the country last year. Derby often features at the other end of the scale.

The shops vs homes thing is the same in every town and city. The Internet has seen to that. And as for offices, we'll need way fewer of those too now everyone has learned how to manage people working from home.

Not sure what the right way forward is but I do think we often do Derby down too much.

 

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

1 hour ago, JoetheRam said:

Just going to engage my Sim City thinking... this is a complete ramble.

We don't need a House of Fraser or a John Lewis... anyone going into a UK city centre to shop at these UK-wide/multinational brand shops is sadistic. There's this thing called the internet for that stuff now.

The future of City centres is leisure. Sure the people who live in the city centre still might want the odd grocer or a pharmacy but visitors don't. We want pubs, clubs, cafes, bars, gyms, entertainment and something unique to persuade us to visit.

So, turn the Intu Centre into a massive venue for activities - keep the cinema and the food court, but repurpose the other indoor units into Laser Quest, Urban Crazy Golf, a massive indoor botanic garden, turn the roof into 5 a side pitches/cricket nets/basketball courts/go karting etc. Probably keep parking in the basement there.

I'd probably go big on the environment side of things, employing park and rides, Boris Bikes etc from the edges of the city limits. The Riverlights and the Riverside cycle path to Pride Park is pretty decent already so that might encourage a leisure aspect for people rather than simply being a means of travelling in as well. 

Scrap most of the pay and display car parking and instead charge people £10 or £15 per day congestion fee for entering the city limits unless it's to work. Taxis and deliveries exempt. Have car parks on the edge of the city at places like the bottom of Uttoxeter Road at the burned out railway building, Hospital Manor Car Park (at weekends), keep Bold Lane for the nostalgia, Wyvern, Pride Park, maybe half of Markeaton Park could go as well.

London Road Hospital site could become a city centre park.

I'd turn the focus for existing shops away from the Intu as above and encourage them into the vacant units that exist elsewhere in the city centre on East Street etc.

Encourage small independents/craft shops/cafes/restaurants as is traditional into The Strand/Sadler Gate/Cathedral quarter and probably the same for Castleward - make the rents cheap. Assembly rooms should either be torn down or turned into a museum/gallery celebrating Derby's history.

Old Debenhams and the bits behind it near where Syn nightclub used to be needs to be torn down and I'd make into a Castleward 2 type thing.

Friargate can stay as it is - chain bars and chain restaurants.

They pay one already probably but increase the levy on multinational Fast Food joints, betting shops and Pound shops so if they want to operate they can but it's going to cost them big. Make it massively cheap for independent shops to trade. 

Advertise the Indoor markets... they're useful and cheap on the whole, they just need some love and attention.

The pubs are already first class so no improvement needed there.

In short, scrap chain shops, encourage local boutiques/independents, make Intu a Leisure centre, keep the cars out, tell people the markets are open so they know they are there.

It's a small city (it's a town really), so use that as it's selling point and make it different.

 

Start with the basics of turning the car park they built here back into glass houses so the city centre can get a bit of colour back in its flowerbeds . No flowers since they turned it into a car park .

I think London road hospital site has been sold for housing .

Friargate desperately needs it's bridge renovating . All that netting on it looks ridiculous .  Green lane needs gutting at the bottom . Time for the old theatre to go I'm afraid . Another council duck up .  What can you expect when a council tears down one of only three remaining Georgian Squares in Britain to build a ring road and car park.  Stop building so many of these copper plated 8 tier monsters, the city is too small .  Areas like Pickford house are totally dominated by people staring at you from windows now.

Make more use of Derby as a Viking city. Under Irongate university scientific studies have shown layers of Viking history.

The assembly rooms should have gone years ago.  It's a shame the original façade up at Crich can't be put back on any build.

Good luck with a council that sell's of the oldest complete set of Crown Derby in the world to an American collector without even discussing it with local historians . It was previously at St Marys magistrate court prior to renovation and never returned.

The Debenhams building is one of the few remaining ones of that type.  It could still have life in it and anything they replace it with will look worse .

Feel free to carpet bomb St Peters Street and the spot and rebuild the lot . 

Let people have the guildhall market for small business with no rent and percentage of any profit -it's a sad old place .

 

[secretsquirrel]

Derby has suffered from teams of inept planners with no vision for years and in succumbing to the Westfields proposals for extending the eagle centre managed to shift the heart of the town from the market place.There has been no consideration to capitalize on the river which most places do and with the development of the bus station area they have managed to make things so fragmented it is particularly unappealing.

Having lived her all my life i now only go in to the city to go to the Quad any shopping trips are either Leicester or Brum.It needs a long term vision for the future (maybe it has one) that is not going to be perpetually reviewed by the politicians who have over the failed to be proactive and let everyone down.

[Angry Ram]

Pound shops, charity shops and takeaways. The new normal. Only it’s the old normal as well.

[Cisse]

A few things I've noticed on my visits to Derby.

The location is very good. A great cross roads for people who want to tour England with day trips by train. I don't if you advertise that fact.

I think you could create some life around the river. When you walk to the Pride Park from the city centre it's not the high point of your day, is it?

It wouldn't mind if there was more special stores to visit in the city centre I ain't a fan of chains. There should be more life in Eagle Market. It's kind of sad now.

You really don't advertise much what you have in Derby. Last time I was there the information place was closed. It's kind of hard to learn about Derby. The first Derby Feste I attended with my mate was very nice. For some reason it got down played a lot on this forum. Later I learned it was the biggest out door fest in the whole country. Now it has shrank but you could do something with it.