Task force created to help city’s economy bounce back after Covid-19
‘AMAZING RESPONSE’ WILL SERVE CITY WELL FOR ITS RECOVERY, SAYS COUNCIL CHIEF
HOW Derby will emerge from the pandemic will largely depend on what happens nationally and globally. But local politicians and Derby City Council officers also believe that there is plenty that the city can do to help itself.
Towards the outset of the first lockdown, a recovery plan was drawn up by the Derby Economic Recovery Task Force, chaired by city council chief executive Paul Simpson.
Members include Rolls-Royce, Derbion, the University of Derby, the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter business improvement districts, Marketing Derby and Derby Renaissance Board.
The task force has been working with the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, East Midlands Chamber and government departments to deliver its aims.
An important element of its work has been a rapid re-evaluation of the city centre master plan, taking into account the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality.
The task force has been supporting investors with existing planned developments in the city to deliver those schemes and explored opportunities, highlighted during the current crisis, to improve web connectivity and safeguard the environment.
Derby’s success in aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors means the city is particularly vulnerable to the impact of the Covid-19 crisis.
City council leader, councillor Chris Poulter said: “The city was disproportionately affected compared to some areas because of its reliance and several major companies, which had been badly affected by the pandemic, such as Rolls-Royce.
“The recovery plan for the city brings partners closer together than before, meeting once a fortnight to discuss ideas and there are some major players in there.
“We need to recognise the need necessary for the future.
“The seeds of quite of lot of entrepreneurialism are emerging and Marketing Derby has new businesses such as the doughnut company Project D, which is three young people getting a small business off the ground to become international.
“We will soon be launching the £5 million Ascend programme in the city to help promising businesses to prepare and implement growth plans and secure investment.”
Mr Simpson thinks it is vital that people work in partnership across the city.
He said: “The amazing response to the pandemic in Derby shows an attitude that will serve us well for our recovery.
“A particular highlight for me was meeting Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for housing, communities and local government, face to face.
“He came here a couple of months into the situation, but I felt that our recovery plan was received and listened to and I felt that we got our message across.
“Moving forward, we will pick up pace on projects such as the Becketwell redevelopment and more companies are coming to the city, including new businesses signing up to come here for the first time, which we will be announcing soon.”
The Economic Recovery Task Force strategy is built around three key areas: maintaining short-term confidence among local businesses and external investors, diversifying the city centre and Derby’s employment base and decarbonising the city.
Currently, there are 11 major schemes in Derby under way, representing an investment of a colossal £700 million in the city.
They range from the Infinity Park hi-tech research centre to millions of pounds allocated to help improve out shopping areas.
INFINITY PARK MANUFACTURING RESEARCH CENTRE (MRC)
Cost: £15 million
Jobs: 70
Impact on economy: £52 million over five years
Aiming to create a world-beating advanced manufacturing research centre in Derby, the city council has teamed up with Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC), University of Derby and developers IPD LLP.
The MRC will help companies develop new techniques and processes to win work in the nuclear sector and tackle manufacturing challenges in automotive, rail, aerospace renewable energy and other high-value sectors.
It will also become a base for the University of Derby’s Institute of Innovation in Sustainable Engineering, which has developed an international reputation for innovation in design, manufacturing, product lifecycle management and application of new and smart materials.
Upon completion, the facility will create a permanent base for Nuclear AMRC in the city centre and raise the profile of Infinity Park Derby.
SMARTPARC - HI-TECH FOOD MANUFACTURING CAMPUS AT SPONDON
Cost: £300 million Jobs: 5,000
Impact on economy: Central distribution facility will rejuvenate a previously blighted but strategically important site.
Food production could be in full swing by the end of the year at a giant new Derbyshire industrial site. SmartParc has applied to create a 155-acre, hi-tech food manufacturing campus on the former Celanese site at Spondon.
It will provide state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, start-up incubation units and a potential location for a food manufacturing technology centre of excellence.
The idea is to combine purposebuilt food production units and a central distribution facility bringing food producers together on one campus.
FUTURE HIGH STREETS FUND GOVERNMENT FUNDING TO REGENERATE TOWN AND CITY CENTRES
Cost: £15.043 million
Jobs: Hundreds
Impact on economy: A better visitor experience with an improved city centre
The money will be used to refurbish the city’s Market Hall once current roof repairs have been completed and improving the eastern gateway to the city, which is the area around the bus station and entrance to Derbion via the Eagle Market.
And a sum of money will be used to create a better look for the city’s streets with the use of signage, orna
Nightingale Quarter
and street furniture.
The Market Hall repair and regeneration is expected to cost around £25 million.
Although internal designs have still to be finalised, the idea is that the Market Hall will become home to new food and drink-themed markets, a “make-and-trade” zone for new entrepreneurs and space for events and activities.
TRANSFORMING CITIESIMPROVING TRAVEL AND CONNECTIVITY IN AND OUTSIDE OF DERBY
Cost: £161 million funding divided between Derby and Nottingham Jobs: Hundreds of additional jobs could be created from construction through to new companies Impact on economy: The city will be more accessible to companies and commuters.
It will achieve the following for Derby:
■ Improving the area around Derby rail station
■ Bike hire
■ Create a more welcoming gateway into the city that connects the station with the city centre, public transport, active travel links and routes into the city centre including a dedicated bus lane along the Morledge and Siddals Road.
■ Development of three new smart park and ride sites with improved cycling and public transport links and electric charging facilities.
■ Establishment of the city’s first dedicated mass transit link across the city by providing a high-quality electric rapid transit route directly across the city centre, linking some key intra-city destinations and public areas.
■ Supplementary travel through a Demand Responsive Transport service – which will link the city centre and rail station to key employment sites including Rolls Royce, Bombardier and Pride Park and provide an innovative alternative to car travel for commuters.
■ Creation of more bus priority corridors by upgrading junctions, infrastructure and real time information at key junctions to improve bus reliability on major routes.
■ Cycle lane improvements along key routes to employment sites, including dedicated cycle lanes along Slack Lane, Raynesway,
Becketwell
and Nottingham Road.
■ Funding for a workplace travel service which will allow companies to encourage staff to make sustainable travel choices
■ Better connectivity between Derby and East Midlands Airport
■ Upgrading cycle links between the two cities
OUR CITY OUR RIVER (OCOR) DERBY’S FLOOD DEFENCE PROJECT
Cost: £95 million
Jobs: Thousands
Impact on economy: Protecting the city centre an properties from flooding will free up more land for development and inspire confidence The project which was first given the go-ahead in 2012 is being constructed in three phases - north towards Darley Park along the River Derwent; the city centre and the third phase is out towards Bass’s Rec and beyond towards Alvaston.
The latest £10 million funding came from the Government. This will go towards the creation of a new riverside park and will transform the east side of the river around Stuart Street, Phoenix Street, and Exeter Place, creating a new area of the city called Derby Riverside.
The scheme would not only support the ongoing OCOR flood alleviation programme, but also support the creation of more homes in the city and commercial space for 1,000 jobs.
NIGHTINGALE QUARTER AT DRI REDEVELOPMENT OF THE FORMER DERBYSHIRE ROYAL INFIRMARY SITE
Cost: £50 million
Jobs: Mainly during construction Impact on economy: Homes in the centre of the city will get the economy back on track with more people shopping, working and living in the heart of Derby. Wavensmere Homes is building 800 homes in a £150 million redevelopment of the historic former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary site and has developed a reputation over the past 15 years for delivering high-specification renovation projects and restoring heritage sites.
Its Derby scheme includes conversion of two iconic ‘pepper pot’ towers into a café, gym and exhibition centre.
CASTLEWARD - HOMES AND RETAIL DEVELOPMENT IN THE HEART OF DERBY
Cost : £100 million
Jobs: Construction and retail Impact on economy: Regeneration of an area close to the city centre that has been without inner city living for more than three decades Compendium Living is creating a further 800 homes and 35,000 sq ft of retail in the city’s Castleward.
The development is being built across 30 acres of brownfield land between Derby Midland Station and Derbion.
A38 ROAD IMPROVEMENT
Cost: £250 million
Jobs: Construction and potential new companies
Impact on economy: Keep traffic flowing, reduce congestion and improve travel times north and south from the city potentially bringing new businesses to the city. Work on the scheme could start in late summer and is expected to be completed by 2024-25.
The project, which will see three key junctions at Little Eaton, Markeaton and Kingsway islands overhauled with flyovers and underpasses, is intended to reduce congestion and improve travel times between Derby, Birmingham and the M1.
It is all being carried out to improve road safety for road users, especially those living near to the junctions and will provide new routes for cyclists, pedestrians and disabled people to cross the busy junctions.
Future Fuels - plan to be the UK’s leading centre for future fuels technology
Derby City Council announced last October that it wanted to use Derby’s advanced manufacturing expertise to revolutionise the way low-carbon energy is used to power businesses, transport and homes.
It believes Derby’s high-tech businesses are ideally placed to develop the equipment and infrastructure that will allow communities to generate low-carbon power and to capmentation ture and store by-product or waste energy.
They say the plan will create new jobs, reduce energy costs for domestic and commercial customers, assist with UK energy security and help with diversification of the economy and de-carbonisation goals.
Energy sources being considered include renewables, advanced micro nuclear, advanced gas, friction, batteries and hydrogen.
City Makers - a new maker zone for Derby
Ambitious plans would see creative businesses attracted to a key area of Derby city centre.
The project will target vacant retail units in St James’s Street, Market Place and Iron Gate.
It aims to encourage makers, artists, designers and those in creative digital businesses to cluster along the route, linking with the development of the new £17m Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill.
It will work with landlords of empty shops to attract tenants from its target sectors by offering incentives such as small grants to support fit-out, rates mitigation and a pool of demand for space.
The council also plans to improve the street scene by illuminating buildings, commissioning public art and creating green ‘parklets.’
Becketwell and Becketwell Arena regeneration of part of the city around Duckworth Square
St James Securities Group is about to start work on a £200 million project which will see the development of hundreds of homes, offices, restaurants and cafes around a new public square at Becketwell, on the site of the former Debenhams store and Duckworth Square shopping centre.
It is claimed that the project will create more than 2,000 jobs.
The development should act as a catalyst and drive subsequent phases of development on the wider Becketwell site and this important proposal will deliver much needed residential accommodation in the city centre.
Included in the plan is a £43 million 3,500-seater performance venue to replace the Assembly Rooms, which has been closed since a fire in the adjacent car park in 2014.
Moorways Sport Village - new pool and activity centre
Work to build Derby’s new 50 metre swimming pool and water park at Moorways has reached an important milestone. Construction work on the £42 million project got under way last February, with the Moor Lane complex set for a spring 2022 opening.
The site will feature a 50m swimming pool, England’s first state-ofthe-art WOW Wave Ball, two fourstorey flumes, and a learner pool.
When completed, Moorways Sports Village, as it is called, will also have gyms and fitness studios, a soft play area, meeting rooms and a café.