Changing Derbyshire

Something is definitely needed opposite Westfield instead of the wasteland car parks that are there at present. Smart offices (so long as not left empty) would certainly fit the bill and help benefit the city enormously. Derby has been a city for many years now but in too many respects it still feels like a large town and too many people seem to want to keep it that way.
Miles

For too long Derby has dipped its toe in the water and never really properly invested. I haven't moved here i have spent all of my life here, and i can see that Derby does need this investment. I hope that the Local council has seen the failings of Nottingham i.e. mass poor/rich divide, and looks to develop Derby tastefully. This office block, as long as it isnt cost engineered to nothing and does keep the green spaces then that would be a bonus. How about assigned a strategic percentage of local workers to reduce carbon footprint and help Derby relieve queues at the job centre. I hope that red tape isnt involved because what better time to get this thing built than in a recession, cheaper construction costs and programmed to open as new businesses spring up post recession.
Hopeful

I think the basic priorities need to be sorted out first like the bus station and public toilets issue in the City centre.We are constantly hearing about proposed flats and offices, concrete blocks, etc- but is this going to be designed and planned to be in keeping with Derby's historic character?What attracted me to Derby when I first moved to the outskirts 15 years ago was the Cathedral quarter and shops there, and Derby Playhouse. I agree with Chris- it's all about the "bigger picture" of what makes a city pleasant to live in and visit. At the moment it resembles a "hotch potch" of mismatching buildings, and a lack of really basic amenities. Just because we have Westfields shopping centre, this does not particularly add to "quality of life" in Derby. I'd also like to comment that if I was being relocated to a city, I would want a decent producing theatre as well as shops and bars!I hope Derby does not end up as a sort of cultural wasteland, full of concrete blocks, casinos and bars, and not much left of its heritage or green spaces....
joanne

Chris, I take on board and agree with what you say but...This scheme is much larger and being so will attract much larger organisations that hitherto have located to Nottingham, Leeds and Leicester. ( These Cities now are not attractive anymore for relocation. They have had their share now as I see it)It is Gov't policy to relocate a Gov't dept to Derby. We have lost out in the past becasue the office stock in Derby is simply not adequate for such a relocation. We can all moan about DERBY for its failings in the past but we cannot change that. We can change the future. Perhaps Derby has been under ambitious in the past and has fallen between the rock and the hard place. We have opportunites now not only with this proposal but also redevelopment of the DRI site, Sadlergate and the old Magistrate's court. WE HAVE TO EMBRACE THESE OPPORTUNITES AND CREATE JOBS FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS. It is time to stop pulling Derby down and start being positive. However, I do beleive that DCC does not really see the bigger picture and would rather let red tape get in the way of progress ( Wall in the Sadlergate redevelopment ) This time next year if all goes to plan the cranes should be up...we'll see.
Phil

Good idea in principle, but needs the highest quality of design to work!
Hopeful for the future

I think creating more jobs in Derby can only be a good thing, bringing greater opportunities for local people.
MH, Milford.

We have seen and heard all of this before, I remember the 1960s and 70s when new offices were built at Babington Lane, Cardinal Square, Friar Gate and Gower Street, all to attract the thousands of office jobs that were to be re-locating from London and the south. No such re-location ever took place then and I do not believe Derby can compete with the big players in the relocation game, if any re-location is to take place it will be to Leeds, Notingham, Manchester, Leicester or Nottingham. Thankfully the destruction of Derby's historic Friar Gate did not take place and the area became a conservation area.However many offices were built and have remained virtually unoccupied for more than 30 years - short term lettings have happened in a number of cases but now half of the Gower Street offices have been converted into flats, which are still mainly unoccupied, proof that we need neither offices or flats. This new development will turn Derby into an eyesore city, most of what made Derby a pleasent place to live has already gone. The streets will become like man-made canyons with very little daylight, I doubt that anyone would want to re-locate to Derby, a city with no theatre or independent cinema, just bars casinos and cloned shopping centres.We need to put the cultural and historical assets first so that we can keep what is best about the city alive and attractive to visitors.
Chris Harris

new development for the city is always welcome but the eye sore what was duckworth sq should be looked at first.
gary

Love all these drawings,but i remember riverlights drawings in the DET and on your website around 11yrs ago, so will it take another 11 yrs for this to happen as that always seems to be the case with Derby - these sort of projects are so important for the people of Derby and the surroundng areas for jobs and security so i hope it will get the planning passed,but i can see someone not liking it because it is over 5 storeys high.
Sean

I think it looks really impressive but needs loads of green space to stop it becoming a concrete jungle!
Michael Hill

This is an opportunity that Derby needs to become an established city in the UK. We have the networks and infrastructure in place but we really need Derby City Council to have the vision and ability to make this happen and to take this further.
Santiago Calatrava