Built environment professionals from across the region have been learning first-hand about Derby’s development plans at a breakfast event backed by BSP Consulting, Pick Everard and Lovell.
Around 100 people gathered at Derby Museums’ Museum of Making for the session, organised by the Forum for the Built Environment (fbe) East Midlands, entitled ‘Derby’s Development Plans’.
fbe is regarded as the country’s leading independent built environment networking organisation – and the event saw representatives from across the industry come together to network and get an insight into Derby’s exciting development pipeline and its regional context.
Carrie Booth, secretary of fbe East Midlands and organiser of the event, said: “We chose to focus this event on Derby as it is one of the key cities within our branch region.
“Our members and the wider built environment community gain the most value from events that highlight city’s development, project pipeline and economic strengths.
“We reached out to Marketing Derby to help put together this event and would like to thank the team there for their assistance.”
Tammy Whitaker, director of city growth and vibrancy at Derby City Council, who leads on the strategic delivery of the city’s ongoing regeneration and economic growth, was one of two keynote speakers at the event.
With £2.1 billion of investment to the city centre attracted over the past 15 years, the heart of the city is being re-purposed as a location in which to live, work, study and play.
Tammy talked about the scale of the opportunity – and how the city council is working in partnership with the private sector to bring forward a range of commercial, residential and mixed‑use schemes.
This includes the transformation of the Guildhall Theatre and Market Place to create more things to do, creating housing-led regeneration at sites such as the Station Quarter and Northern Gateway and delivering a Grade A office space pipeline at Becketwell and Derby Works.
Speaking at the event she said: “We are really ambitious and confident about the future. We have a credible pipeline of schemes in Derby; a strong public-private partnership approach to bringing them forward is key.”
Tammy also spoke about the importance of creating a quality, connected environment, mentioning the work being undertaken by the council on a new Public Realm Strategy.
She added: “It’s also about place, not just the big schemes; creating the glue that sticks the large developments together to improve the look and feel of the city, enliven the streets and to bleed the blue and green assets back into the centre to create a quality environment which helps anchor those catalyst schemes.”
Joining Tammy was Ken Harrison, spatial development director at the East Midlands Combined County Authority, who outlined its spatial vision and regional opportunity.
He talked about how Derby contributes to the Trent Arc, which spans the Derby-Nottingham corridor – and includes the city centre, the railway station and Infinity Park Derby, which is part of the East Midlands Investment Zone.
A prime location for advanced manufacturing, AI and energy transition investment, the Trent Arc could deliver 30,000 homes, 40,000 jobs and 2.7 million sq ft of commercial space, generating £2.4 billion in regional growth.
Ken said: “The largest concentration of assets and opportunities across the combined authority area is found in the Trent Arc connecting Derby and Nottingham.
“In Derby, there is a particularly strong pipeline of opportunities across advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and commercial sectors.
“We’re working closely with our local authorities and bringing together the public and private sectors to unlock sites and accelerate delivery.
“We’re looking forward to continuing our conversations at UKREiiF as we take forward our shared plans and proposals.”
All profits from the event will be donated to fbe East Midlands’ chosen charity for the year – Epic Partners, an organisation that supports more than 3,000 young people.
Diana Hawkins, chair of fbe East Midlands, said: “The event was extremely well received by delegates, with over 100 tickets sold – marking a record turnout for our events in recent years.
“I am incredibly proud of our branch for delivering highly sought-after events within the built environment.
“Most importantly, with the support of Marketing Derby and our attendees, we have achieved our key goal: raising funds for a nominated charity while fostering valuable networking within the community.
“Derby’s regeneration momentum is widely recognised among property professionals in the East Midlands, and the event gave them a really helpful update on the development pipeline and future goals, which will further shape the city – and provide opportunities for the wider network to engage.”
