Derby: Work on 'The Landmark' allowed to continue

Plans for the 19-storey tower include more than 200 apartments

Developers have been given longer to build what would be one of Derby's tallest buildings.

After months of deliberations, the city council confirmed a drainage trench at the site of "The Landmark" constituted the start of work.

Planning permission would have expired if work had not begun in three years. The trench was built in the summer, 18 days before the permission ran out.

Developer Godwin Developments said work could now "commence in earnest".

Under the plans, the 19-storey tower will contain 202 apartments for rent, and a gym for use by its residents.

When it was approved in 2020, the cost was estimated at £30m.

The site is 150m from the Silk Mill, considered to be the world's first mechanised factory

The developer said a trench, drain and manhole chamber were built starting on 24 July.

Had work not commenced by 11 August, the planning permission would have expired and developers would have lost the right to construct the building.

Securing the permission took more than two years, after concerns were raised by Historic England and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), due to its proximity to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

Derby City Council chief planning officer Paul Clarke said the information provided by developers showed work had been undertaken "within the prescribed time limit sufficient to implement planning permission".

A spokesperson for Godwin Developments said: "All pre-commencement planning conditions have now been discharged, enabling work to commence in earnest, and we look forward to sharing further updates on this development in the new year."