Committee urged to back investment plans

Marketing Derby is urging Derby City Council planning committee members to back an investment which will create a vibrant food and beverage offer in one of the city centre’s regeneration priority areas.

Burton Abbey Developments wants to create an outdoor artisan food and beverage market – similar to those seen in London and Manchester – on an empty plot of land in St Peter’s Churchyard.

The proposals have been refused twice and council officers are proposing a third refusal to the committee which meets tomorrow evening.

However, the application has received strong backing from the city’s business community – including Marketing Derby and the Derby Economic Development Advisory Committee  – which has submitted letters of support.

John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, said: “We back this application, it’s exactly what the area needs. The report describes the site as ‘open, undeveloped space, vegetation and amenity which contributes to the verdant value of the street scene’. In truth, it is derelict and in desperate need of some TLC which this proposal brings. The Heritage Impact Assessment actually states the scheme would ‘enhance the conservation area’ due to the investment it brings.

“The proposal fits perfectly with Derby City Council’s ambition to create a vibrant city centre by regenerating such sites and this amenity will help attract more visitors.

“We urge committee members to welcome this as an opportunity that will help lift the area, support its heritage as well as complementing the council’s own substantial investment into the nearby Performance Venue. It’s exactly the sort of thing the Derby is crying out for and the applicant has shown considerable patience and willingness in seeking planning for over three years.”

Known as The Yard Derby, the revised scheme involves creating 10 retail units arranged in an ‘L-shaped’ configuration along the southern and western edges of the site, situated away from the Grade II*-listed St. Peter’s Church and the Grade II*-listed Old Grammar School.

The plans incorporate a seating area with a capacity for up to 100 people.

One key aspect of the proposal and location involves the developer’s plan to create a sympathetic entrance through the historic 19th-century wall bordering the site.

Marketing Derby’s letter of support states: “This particular piece of land sits on a significant pedestrian thoroughfare for visitors to the new 3,500 capacity performance venue on the regenerated Becketwell site from areas such as Derbion, the bus station and the Market Hall.

“The owner seeks to enhance and make reparations to the boundary wall and therefore improve the overall aesthetic from its current dilapidated condition.”

The scheme’s backers include respected heritage architects Lathams as well as historian Maxwell Craven, both of whom have carried out detailed analysis of the site.