Stunt academy plan for Victorian site approved

Plans would see the conversion of the derelict site in Chester Green

Plans to create a new facility to train people to become the stuntmen and women of the future have been given the go-ahead.

Derby City Council has approved the plans from Damien Walters, whose film credits include Captain America: The First Avenger and Kingsman: The Secret Service.

The derelict Aida Bliss factory in City Road would also teach the art of film-making and will also become a new home for Derby City Gymnastics Club.

Sigma Architects, which has drawn up the plans, wrote in planning documents it would provide a "high-profile opportunity" for Derby to become "a hub for film-making and gymnastics".

Damien Walters Ltd bought the site - which has previously been used as a location for stunt work - from the city council in 2023.

Planning documents state: "The film studio interaction provides an opportunity to elevate the profile of the city and the area, creating the potential for a massive diversification of Derby's economy."

Documents added the proposals provided "clarity" on how the industrial building could be repurposed in a way that benefitted the local and wider community.

According to plans, the proposals to transform the former ironworks, which has suffered from vandalism, fire damage and general deterioration, would take place in three phases.

Filming at the former Aida Bliss site in November 2023

The first phase of work would convert the newer warehouse into a gymnasium, performance studios and a cafe.

The foundry would then be converted into set areas for filming, stunt work and acting in the second phase.

And a gym and rehab facility for athletes would be created in the foundry buildings in phase three.

Planning documents describe the site as "a heritage asset" and state the external appearance of the building would "largely be unaltered" by the conversion.

In a statement, Sigma Architects added: "The proposals can breathe new life into the building in order to retain the history and heritage of the industrial era of the city."