Bondholders team up for Nightingale Quarter garden project

Wavensmere Homes has commissioned Down to Earth Derby to create an expansive community garden within its Nightingale Quarter development.

Linked with Cornwall’s eco-focused Eden Project, Down to Earth Derby is the Community Interest Company (CIC) behind the city’s acclaimed Electric Daisy attraction.

The organisation has a vision to create a nature-led regeneration of Derby city centre.

If the £40,000 pilot project at the 18.5-acre Nightingale Quarter scheme is successful, it will be rolled out across Wavensmere’s city-wide portfolio.

James Dickens, managing director at Wavensmere Homes, said: “What we will be delivering at Nightingale Quarter in the coming months isn’t part of a planning obligation.

“I am very proud and excited that this pilot project will be a living test bed that could ignite a national appetite for funded community gardens.”

Jamie Quince-Starkey, founder of Down to Earth Derby, said: “With biodiversity net gain becoming a planning obligation for all future developments, we are already looking into impact reporting that could measure the tangible benefits of the Nightingale Quarter community garden, and hopefully many more to come.”

Once the designs for the community garden at Nightingale Quarter have been finalised, the work to transform the outdoor space into a magnet for nature, wildlife and people will commence.

The interactive garden and allotment space is expected to be unveiled during late spring.

James said he was inspired to team up with Down to Earth Derby after visiting the Electric Daisy, in Bold Lane.

He said: “When I first visited Electric Daisy last year, I was inspired by the way local people of all ages are brought together throughout the week to enjoy and learn about the power of nature.

“As Derby’s most active residential developer, I could see the opportunity to create something very special and spread the infectious ethos of Down to Earth Derby to our developments.”

Nightingale Quarter has been created on the site of the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary.

As well as creating hundreds of new homes and apartments, Wavensmere has restored the site’s iconic pepper pot buildings, which were built in 1894.

Pepper Pot South will be transformed into a residents’ gym and community meeting room, once the 925 new houses and apartments complete in 2025.

Pepper Pot North accommodates The Fulton Partnership’s £1 million Pepperpot restaurant, which is set to open on 14 February.

Jamie said: “My mum worked at the Royal Derby Infirmary, so to have the opportunity to create a community garden at the Nightingale Quarter development fills me with pride.

“James and the Wavensmere team understand the importance of purposeful living and the wellness benefits of inspiring people to be active and engaged with nature and gardening.

“Regular allotment meet-ups can be the catalyst to bringing a new community together, while also having a transformative impact on mental health.”