New imagery shows how a former Victorian industrial site could be transformed under multimillion-pound redevelopment plans. Developers want to build 274 homes and apartments on the Friar Gate Goods Yard site, off Uttoxeter New Road and Stafford Street, in Derby.
Brailsford-based Clowes Developments said it also wants to restore the 11.5-acre site's two fire-damaged Grade-II listed buildings, and create a new commercial space, which could become home to shops, a restaurant and café, a gym and offices.
The site has been owned by the Clowes family for 40 years and the commercial property developer is working on the plans with housebuilder Wavensmere Homes.
A public consultation is underway ahead of a planning application this summer. The developers say the site would have new vehicle, pedestrian and cycle access from Uttoxeter New Road, Great Northern Way and Friar Gate.
Wavensmere Homes managing director James Dickens said: “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 use scheme and Birmingham-based Wavensmere Homes is already working on the £170 million Nightingale Quarter project to redevelop the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary site.
The Friar Gate Goods Yard was 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 on the Goods Yard in 2020 exposed the whole inner steel structure of the two historic buildings.
