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Sep 29, 2023

First images reveal how eyesore Friar Gate Goods Yard site could look after 274

Two fire-damaged Grade-II listed buildings would be restored during the

Two fire-damaged Grade-II listed buildings would be restored during the multimillion-pound redevelopment

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New computed-generated images have revealed how a long-derelict Derby site could look if a multimillion-pound redevelopment gets the go-ahead. The Friar Gate Goods Yard site, off Uttoxeter New Road and Stafford Street, has been an eyesore in the city centre for decades but could be transformed into 274 houses and apartments.

Brailsford-based Clowes Developments also plan to restore the 11.5-acre site's two fire-damaged Grade-II listed buildings, the Bonded Warehouse and Engine House. They would form part of a new mixed-use commercial space, which could become home to shops, a restaurant and café, a gym and offices.

For 40 years, the site has been in the ownership of the Clowes family, which includes Derby County owner and chairman David Clowes, who saved the Rams from the brink of disaster last year. Wavensmere Homes, the housing developer working with Clowes, has today (Thursday, June 1) shared three visuals that have been created to illustrate how the scheme could look, subject to planning.

READ MORE: New deal to build 275 homes at eyesore Friar Gate Goods Yard site

A public consultation process has been launched welcoming local opinions on the plans. A new multi-purpose community space is also proposed for the area adjacent to Friar Gate Bridge, with the retention of some of the original railway arch facades.

New vehicular, pedestrian and cycle access would be created at various points around the site, from Uttoxeter New Road, Great Northern Way and Friar Gate, with the "Mick Mack" cycling route also extended. Following the public consultation period, Wavensmere Homes and Clowes Developments will be in a position to submit a planning application to Derby City Council this summer.

James Dickens, managing director of Wavensmere Homes, said: "We are very pleased with how quickly our design team has worked to create the inspiring visuals for how Friar Gate Goods Yard could be reanimated. Our plans are commercially viable, while maximising the amount of new public open space, and investing millions into saving the two badly fire-damaged 150-year-old listed buildings.

"In addition to our masterplan visuals, cross-section plans of the houses can be viewed on the Friar Gate website, to illustrate the innovative designs and energy-saving technologies that we are seeking to implement. We hope that the people of Derby will engage with the consultation process and welcome the collaborative efforts being made to create something truly special here."

Glancy Nicholls Architects has been appointed to design the mixed-use scheme. The latest green energy features will be incorporated into the design of the new homes and commercial space. The environmental impact of the project is being carefully considered with "pocket parks" and additional green spaces incorporated to deliver new "green lungs" to benefit the city.

The Birmingham-based Wavensmere Homes is already well-known in the city for working on the £170m Nightingale Quarter project to redevelop the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary site.

This is not the first time plans have been drawn up for Friar Gate Goods Yard. In 2013, plans to turn the bonded warehouse into a supermarket were granted but lapsed. A similar application proposal for the same building was made in 2016, but this again failed to materialise.

To view the latest plans, read more about the project, and submit feedback, you can visit the website here. The public consultation process will conclude on Friday, June 19.

The Friar Gate Goods Yard site sits just outside the Friar Gate Conservation Area, which features notable Georgian townhouses with high-quality brickwork and fine architectural detailing.

The Goods Yard was intended as the main goods depot for the Great Northern Railway line, to handle coal, livestock, timber, and metals. Designed in 1870, and entering operation in 1878, the Bonded Warehouse building contained extensive warehouse space and offices. It was used as a store for the American Army during the Second World War to house ammunition and other supplies.

The Engine House was also built for the Railway by Kirk & Randall of Sleaford. It is Italianate in style and built from Welsh slate roofs. The Engine House supplied power to the hydraulic lifts and capstans at the Bonded Warehouse. The site first became derelict in 1967, and over time became overgrown and fell into a poor state of repair. An arson attack took place at the Goods Yard in 2020, which exposed the whole inner steel structure of the two historic buildings.

Photos show sad state of derelict Friar Gate warehouse building

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