 | | Derby Riverside |
Derby Cityscape is a government-funded body given the task of making Derby city centre a better place to live and visit. It was created in recognition of the fact that the centre had seen relatively little development over the past few years in comparison to East Midlands rival cities Nottingham and Leicester. The project brings together a number of partners including Derby City Council and the East Midlands Development Agency who will work with commercial and retail companies in the coming years to bring the plans to life. What will change? Cityscape divides the city into a number of areas with different plans for each: Castle Ward The area between Derby train station and the main centre will be turned into an urban community with bars and cafes, new homes and shops. The idea is it should be a 'gateway to the city'. Friar Gate Derby's 'business quarter' will see new office developments and a new purpose-built centre to house creative industries. Civic Quarter/Beckett Well The heart of the city centre, including the new Visual Arts and Media Centre, new and upgraded open spaces at Market Place and Cathedral Gardens, apartments on Full Street, a new 4 star hotel and the Riverlights development.. Meanwhile after years of decline, Duckworth Square is being rebuilt with shops, bars and cafes. Riverside A new high quality residential neighbourhood, with landmark office developments, new public spaces and pedestrian bridge links across the Derwent. St Peter's Quarter The new Eagle Centre will form the cornerstone of Derby's challenge to Nottingham's boast of being the shopping capital of the East Midlands. What will it look like? Use the 'Cityscape Gallery' on the right of this page for artist impressions of how the city could look as the improvements are made. When will it happen? Work has already begun on demolishing buildings to make way for the new Eagle Centre which is scheduled to open in Winter 2007. Derby College's new sixth-form building is almost complete and opens later this year and planning application for Quad, the new arts centre off Derby Market Place is expected to be submitted this summer. Meanwhile space is being cleared around the city for many of the residential and commercial developments planned as part of the scheme and the plan is for the Cityscape vision to take shape over the next 10-15 years. | 
