Derby Telegraph

Expert’s ideas to resurrect

- By ZENA HAWLEY zena.hawley@reachplc.com

A CALL has been made to create an ice rink at the former Queen’s Leisure Centre, reinstate car parking in the Market Place, move the statue of Queen Victoria to the city centre, and open up the brook between The Strand and Albert Street.

These are just a few of the ideas put forward by well-known Derby architectu­ral historian Maxwell Craven, and his wife Carole, in response to a current city council consultati­on on Derby’s future.

The council is asking people for fresh ideas to help transform Derby city centre in the coming years. The 12-week consultati­on is giving residents and business owners a chance to say what their vision is for the city centre.

A new “ambition” document has been drawn up, which will replace the Derby City Centre Masterplan 2030, which was published in 2016.

In a statement in the new document, the council’s ambition is defined as follows: “People should be at the heart of a transforme­d city centre. The city centre needs to become a ‘place to be’ destinatio­n, where a wide range of people actively enjoy and engage with its places and spaces.

“It needs to have a positive image and feel, providing an experience which makes you want to return. It should inspire confidence that it is a place that is loved and valued to encourage people to invest in it.”

Mr and Mrs Craven have worked their way through the extensive 88-page document, which is divided into subject areas such as heritage, climate change, tourism, shopping and leisure and public realm.

Mr Craven thinks that cycling is promoted too much and thinks it is pointless spending more money on it, adding: “Not everyone wants to go by bicycle and in the winter, very few do.”

But he does think there is virtue in encouragin­g more cars into the city centre. He believes that the “slow death” of Derby is “not only the result of generation­s of councils seeking to shift the retail axis southwards, but it is a result of over-pedestrian­isation”.

He added: “The motor car is one of the greatest personal freedoms mankind has come up with. It is important to remember that cars will, in a decade, probably be at least 50 per cent electric or hydrogen driven, so there will be no excuse to ban them on climatic grounds.

“One sensible policy to be implemente­d without delay to help retail is to allow all parking north of St. Peter’s Bridge free for the first hour-and-ahalf. Ban personal transport and the city dies. Our Market Place should be re-dedicated to parking – there should be room for in excess of 100 spaces.” Mr Craven has also had a close look at the future of the city’s northern gateway – the area around King Street, Queen Street and Cathedral Road. The council has previously said it is looking to create an impressive entrance into Derby.

Mr Craven said: “A car park is clearly needed at this end of town (without people having access there is little hope of regenerati­ng the area), apart from Bold Lane, but it requires drastic improvemen­t.

“Queen Street Baths is a building of exceptiona­l quality. It would be reasonable to repurpose some of it for housing, but the space of the original bath requires reuse.

It is a splendid set piece which would be wasted if sub-divided or demolished (it is probably listable). Would an ice rink not be an excellent solution for the old baths? Apart from Nottingham, there are no others within 40 miles.” Currently, the area around Becketwell, including Duckworth Square, is undergoing a £200 million transforma­tion with apartments, a public square and a performanc­e venue already in the pipeline, with a hotel likely to follow.

Mr Craven is concerned that the original Becket Well, which gave the area its name, has not been included in future plans.

And he added: “Also we should be seeking to restore Sir Joseph Boehm’s statue of Queen Victoria to stand at the west end of Victoria Street, opposite the end of St. James’s Street. “Also, as was suggested 30 years ago, open up Markeaton Brook between The Strand and Albert Street and repair the bridges.”

Queen Victoria’s statue was originally erected at the top of St Peter’s Street, but has resided in the grounds of the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary since 1928, which has now been demolished to make way for housing. Markeaton Brook, which has caused extensive flooding in Derby over many years, was covered over and culverted leaving its bridges in situ, but it still flows under the streets out towards the River Derwent.

Mr Craven is also concerned

Would an ice rink not be an excellent solution for the old baths? Apart from Nottingham, there are none within 40 miles Maxwell Craven

that the council has plans for a large or landmark building in the area around Bradshaw Way, and said that “this sounds like an invitation to develop something really horrible”.

He continued: “The approach down London Road is tree-lined and pleasant and is being regenerate­d to a good standard, all things considered.

“Surely, the best idea would be to extend the mature planting of London planes across the gap made by Bradshaw Way, and replace the retail emporia with well chosen, discreet developmen­ts.

“Improving London Road south of the Nightingal­e Hospital would also be of enormous benefit. London planes all the way up to the railway bridge – plant, plant, plant. Go green.”

Plans for culture and tourism get a thumbs down from Mr Craven, who says the document does not give any

indication that there are plans to promote museums or improve access to them.

“We are one of the few European cities with a 250-year tradition of making fine porcelain, and this is insufficie­ntly exploited. People come from all over the world to see the collection­s, they need to be in one accessible place,” said Mr Craven.

“The latest thinking about the carbon footprint of high-rise new builds, as opposed to imaginativ­e re-use of existing buildings, seems to indicate that planning permission for buildings like Becketwell, Phoenix Street and Derwent Street are wildly inappropri­ate and exceptiona­lly bad for the planet, let alone their impact on the historic environmen­t.

“A radical, climate-change orientated policy re-think on behalf of Marketing Derby needs to be brought about, with pressure from the city council.

“The area around Stuart Street and Derwent Street needs to avoid the demolition of two heritage assets – locally listed Exeter House flats (Aslin 1932) and the Harwood’s Depository, Derwent Street (Naylor & Sale 1931).”

Overall, Mr Craven thinks that some basic changes could make a difference to the city.

He said: “The vision for the area around St James’s Street is all very well, but where are the people going to come from? The document suggests about 40 new cafes and other food outlets are suddenly going to spring up in an area now full of charity shops, building societies and estate agents.

“Nowhere in the document is there a strategy for getting people back. We suggest living over the shop to be revived and encouraged; ease of planning to allow conversion of retail to domestic, and a scheme to allow reasonable car access and parking for such residents.”

St Peter’s Street does not escape Mr Craven’s criticism. He said: “Too much has been spent to no purpose on St Peter’s Street. It’s an irredeemab­le mess frequented at all hours by louts and winos. Spend no more.”

And while he is concerned that Derby’s plans for a rapid transport system are not viable because of the size of the city and will only serve to “clutter the streets further”, he does welcome the river as a transport corridor and applauds plans to run river trips, which are due to start soon.

The consultati­on, which the council hopes will “inspire a conversati­on with the people of Derby to share their own ideas”, can be found on the Let’s Talk Derby council website. Consultati­on closes on Wednesday, August 31.

 ?? ?? Above: The Victoria Street Bridge over Markeaton Brook. This photograph was taken around 20 years ago by TOGS member Alan Baseley when the bridge gave way under the weight of modern traffic. Left: Mr Craven wants to see this statue of Queen Victoria moved to the city centre. Right: Plans for the Becketwell area
Above: The Victoria Street Bridge over Markeaton Brook. This photograph was taken around 20 years ago by TOGS member Alan Baseley when the bridge gave way under the weight of modern traffic. Left: Mr Craven wants to see this statue of Queen Victoria moved to the city centre. Right: Plans for the Becketwell area
 ?? ?? Historian Maxwell Craven
Historian Maxwell Craven
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 ?? ?? The Market Place, with the Guildhall in the background, with cars parked in the 1960s
The Market Place, with the Guildhall in the background, with cars parked in the 1960s

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