Views sought on Derby city centre future vision

Derby City Council is seeking views from businesses and residents on plans to transform the city centre going forward.

It has created an ‘ambition document’, which lists a number of ideas, which could boost the city’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and help the city centre meet the challenges of the 21st century.

It is inviting people to visit its Let’s Talk Derby website to review these emerging ideas and share feedback.

The vision focuses on longer-term ideas and interventions that could transform the city centre and secure its future as a vibrant place that people can feel proud of and want to visit.

Councillor Chris Poulter, leader of Derby City Council, said: “We’re excited to start this open conversation with our residents, businesses and stakeholders.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to talk about what we want Derby to be in the future.

“From these discussions we’ll be creating a brand-new vision for the future of our city centre. I urge everyone to take the time and share ideas for the Derby of the future.”

The document is broken down into 12 themes that focus on the main issues facing the city centre and the key areas the council wants to improve or reimagine.

Councillor Poulter said: “While we need to take urgent action now to deal with the immediate challenges and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we also need a longer-term plan that addresses the structural issues that face the city centre, of which can’t be solved overnight.

“We’ll be working closely with our Team Derby partners and to get a greater understanding of what our residents and businesses would like and need to see in their city centre.

“These conversations will be the first step towards creating a new vision which will restore its position as the heart and soul of Derby.”

It is first time a city-wide future regeneration conversation has taken place of this size since the creation of the City Centre Masterplan in 2016.

The previous plan brought about developments within the city, including the £200 million Becketwell regeneration scheme.

The latest consultation will inform the next stage in the process for developing a new City Centre vision to be published in 2023.

To have your say on the council’s ambition document, please click here.