Derby: Builders want to start £75m redevelopment by summer

The regeneration of the Friar Gate Goods Yard site could start this summer

Construction of a new £75m housing, leisure and business complex at a derelict site in Derby could start within months.

The companies behind the Friar Gate Goods Yard redevelopment said they wanted work to start as soon as August.

Derby City Council granted planning permission on 25 April to develop the former railway site, which has stood empty for 56 years.

The development will include 276 new homes and a restaurant.

Developers and city council bosses met at the site

Wavensmere Homes and Clowes Developments met city council bosses at the site on Wednesday to discuss their plans and vision for the area, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The two fire-damaged Grade II-listed buildings on the site - the Bonded Warehouse and Engine House - will be turned into a restaurant and delicatessen, and the headquarters of Wavensmere Homes, respectively.

James Dickens, managing director of Wavensmere Homes, said he was confident work could start within a few months.

An artist's impression of how the Bonded Warehouse could look

"We are exceptionally excited about these plans. It's a scheme that has been in the making for about five years," he said.

"Things have really taken pace and we are looking to breaking ground very quickly - I would like [to start] before the end of the summer.

"We are still awaiting for the pre-commencement conditions which I hope will be a light touch but we are intending to start works at the start of August if we are able to."

The residential section includes homes and apartments

City council leader, Baggy Shanker said he had been frustrated to see the site in such a derelict state for so long but said the new plans would be a huge boost to the city.

The site has been owned by firm Clowes Developments for many years, but several plans to transform the site did not come to fruition.

Managing director Thomas Clowes said he was happy things were finally moving forward, describing the site as "a victim of circumstance".