Which building projects could make progress in Derby and Derbyshire in 2026?

Derby has seen some significant changes in the past year, with a cluster of long running projects like the Market Hall finally completed.

The Labour leader of the city council, Nadine Peatfield, has said the developments have made a "visible and tangible difference" to the city.

So what changes could 2026 have in store for both the city and the wider region?

While the next year may not look as lively as the last did for grand openings, there are still a number of significant developments in the pipeline.

Derby's Market Hall reopened in 2025 following a £35m refurbishment and it is hoped redevelopment plans for the area around the nearby Market Place will continue to progress in 2026.

VINCI UK and Ion Developments are working with the city council on proposals for a new hotel and office space to be built on the former Assembly Rooms site.

The plans have been updated from earlier proposals for a mixed-use community space.

A consultation on the plans ended in December.

While this is not something the city can expect to see completed in 2026, it can at least see the planning application, which is set to be submitted this year.

It should also mean that a decision is finally made on the demolition of the Assembly Rooms.

The council has said the summer of 2026 is a "target" for demolition to begin, subject to planning.

The former gig venue, which has been unused for 10 years following a fire, was due to be knocked down in "late autumn" in 2024.

The current Labour government has introduced the Railways Bill, which will create Great British Railways, or GBR.

Under its plans, all train operators will eventually be taken under state control and GBR will bring the running of passenger trains and infrastructure under one umbrella body.

The new body will be located in Derby, however a location in the city has yet to be fully confirmed - years after Derby was named as the new headquarters.

Government figures have indicated to the BBC that the area opposite the new Valliant Live arena in the Becketwell area is favoured. The developers behind the arena have urged the government to house GBR there.

Other possible sites mooted for its location have included Derby Works, Midland House, Pride Point and RTC Derby.

The Guildhall Theatre has been closed for seven years, but the city council said last month that renovation works were set to begin.

A total of £24.6m has been earmarked for the overall restoration.

The council has previously said it hoped to reopen the theatre in 2027, a year ahead of the building's 200th anniversary.

The next tranche of works, expected to be the second of five stages, would involve repairs to the "failed" auditorium ceiling.

Restoration work was being carried out to the theatre's ceiling in 2019 when it was discovered the work would require the building to close, initially for seven months.

Subsequent work then led to the discovery of extensive damage caused by water entering the building through its roof and walls.

While its reopening still appears to be some time away, initial designs for the building will be shared early this year.

There was hope last summer that "real change" was coming to the crumbling Derwent Valley Mills heritage site after years of indecision over its future.

Belper Mills, a key part of the Derwent Valley Mills Unesco World Heritage Site, are in "poor condition" after they have stood largely derelict for decades.

A decision on a planning application was initially expected at the end of 2025, but was then delayed by Amber Valley Borough Council until early in 2026.

The MP for the area, Jonathan Davies, is calling on the council to make a decision on the application as soon as possible.

The owners of the site hope to redevelop it into new homes and potentially a museum and heritage centre.

But given the costs involved and Unesco heritage concerns, the project is fraught with difficulty.

However, local leaders say they are confident of significant movement on the mills in 2026 as the council now has what it needs to make a decision and a potential funding from the East Midlands mayor to kickstart the scheme.

The struggling Elvaston Castle estate looks set for significant development this year after Derbyshire County Council leaders pledged to make it break even, following an unsuccessful attempt to sell it off in 2025.

The county council has over the years floated a number of options for the future of the estate as it grapples with rising costs.

A previous £35m plan for the site was abandoned for financial reasons and the estate currently operates at a loss of hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.

However, the deputy leader of the council Rob Reaney says that unlike previous leaders of the authority, Reform UK never wanted to sell the estate and intends to make it break even by the end of 2026.

The authority says it is aiming to attract new businesses to the estate and develop plans to make it an appealing venue for the entertainment industry - with hopes to make Elvaston "the next Chatsworth".

Plans to turn Derbyshire County Council's headquarters in Matlock into a hotel were submitted in March last year.

Permission is being sought for significant changes in a number of areas:

• Renovation of the Winter Gardens
• Demolition of one of the Smedley Street bridges and various outbuildings
• Change of use of the south block into a hotel
• Consent to turn County Hall north block into flats with commercial space on the ground floor
• Outline permission for new homes and a new office building for the council

The authority had said initially it had hoped for a decision late in 2025, which would have then led to a start on construction work in the latter half of 2026.

However, the application is currently still sitting with Derbyshire Dales District Council.

It is set to be considered this month - though the delay to a decision on the application could mean construction work is pushed back to 2027.

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