Green light for new 'kinetic' city centre display

The LED display will have freely-moving features

Plans to regenerate an "unattractive" part of Derby by installing a new illuminated LED shopping centre entrance and open space have been approved.

The plans at the former Eagle Market site were given the go-ahead at a Derby City Council meeting.

The new facade is set to feature a "dynamic" kinetic frontage - a wall with freely-moving features.

Councillors at the meeting on Thursday called on bosses of the Derbion shopping centre to turn the plans into reality “as soon as possible”.

The application to redevelop the Eagle Market entrance and adjacent area currently occupied by the Castle and Falcon pub, in East Street, was submitted to Derby City Council in March.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said the approval came after Derbion’s plans to create an indoor go-karting track and amusement space inside the former Eagle Market were scrapped earlier this year.

Planning documents say Derbion wants to create a “high-quality landscaping scheme” to inspire a “positive city centre environment, which will help to encourage future uses to locate in the Eagle Market”.

The current frontage of Eagle Market would be demolished under the plans

The LDRS said councillors voted strongly in favour of the plans, saying it would “significantly improve” the current East Street street scene.

Councillor Martin Rawson said: "This will be a significant improvement to the street scene as it is now.

"The use of the kinetic wall is potentially quite interesting and there is some scope to do something quite interesting there.”

Another councillor Sue Bonser said: "I think this is an important but currently unattractive gateway to the city, especially its proximity to the bus station.

"I think it is really important that we do something to make this an attractive part of the city."

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