A derelict building in the centre of Derby is set to be demolished this year to make way for a new hotel, office and library scheme.

The hotel scheme can progress thanks to a £105,000 loan to Wilson Bowden from the council’s regeneration fund – to stimulate city centre developments.

The former Full Street police station, owned by developer Wilson Bowden, will be given a loan to carry out the demolition and submit planning application for a new hotel development. This will coincide with the regeneration of the neighbouring Magistrates’ Court which will be turned into office and library space in a £3m project.

Derby City Council Chief Executive Adam Wilkinson said the developer already had high hopes of signing up a firm to take over the building and Council Leader Paul Bayliss said the authority had “made it clear to Wilson Bowden that it wants the demolition by the end of the year”.

John Forkin, Managing Director of Marketing Derby said, “This has been an eyesore in the heart of our city for far too long and I’m delighted that it’s finally going to be demolished. I think the site will now be developed relatively quickly because it’s in such a prime location.”

The hope is that the development will be one of the final pieces in the jigsaw in the riverside development, after the Council House and Riverlights bus station were completed.

Together with the reopening of Derby Silk Mill Museum and the olympic-standard swimming pool – the river will, once again, be at the heart of the city centre.

Part-published on Derby Telegraph, Monday 10th June 2013.

Derby was at the heart of the UK property market yesterday as over 300 delegates filled Pride Park Stadium to hear about the city’s investment ambitions.

Hosted by TV’s Business Journalist Declan Curry, delegates heard updates from Russell Rigby on key developments in Derby, such as residential hubs Nightingale Quarter and Castleward, office schemes Friar Gate Square and One Derby, and details on new leisure facilities the Sports Arena and Olympic-sized swimming pool.

The event saw addresses from FDi Magazine Editor, Courtney Fingar, UK Regeneration Chief Exec. Jackie Sadek and Derby City Council Chief Exec. Adam Wilkinson.

The summit also brought together two guest panels to discuss wider property issues on urban residential living and inward investment.

Find out more about…

• Derby City Council Leaders’ “Number One Priority”>
• Derby’s “Skills” that will Lure Business>
• Investor’s Praise for cities inward investment agency>
• Launch of Derby’s regeneration magazine>

The ever enthusiastic and entertaining Jackie Sadek described Marketing Derby as “Best in Class” as an inward investment agency.

Jackie, Chief Executive of UK Regeneration – the developers of Nightingale Quarter, announced their plans to submit full planning application for the urban village this Autumn on the former DRI site.

She said, “I have worked with over 100 inward investment agencies in the UK, but your team in Derby is by far the best.”

The Nightingale Quarter drawn up by UK Regeneration will include 300 apartments to rent, independent shops and cafes, plus a food supermarket – as well as retaining original features on the site including the Florence Nightingale statue.

Jackie added, “This urban village is targeting those who want a quality of life, for people who want to live in a community. Londoners can be just 90 minutes from their office by train from their homes in Derby.”

For more information on the Nightingale Quarter, Click Here>

A “diverse skilled workforce” with a robust educational system was highlighted as the most important tool in attracting business to Derby according to Insider Media Midlands Editor Kurt Jacobs.

FDi Magazine Editor-in-Chief Courtney Fingar also pointed towards a city’s cultural offering as a reason to invest.

“You want to create a sense of place so that when people come to visit they can imagine they can get the type of workers they want. You might be able to prove on paper that you have those workers, but you still need to have those types of people walking the street.”

Derby is the UK’s leading hi-tech city with 12% of the city’s workforce in hi-tech functions – four times the national average. Find out more about our workforce>

Derby City Council Leader Paul Bayliss explained he would do “whatever it takes” to create jobs in the city after taking part in an inward investment discussion at the Summit.

The Leader also recognised the need to boost the city’s cultural offering and grade A office space, to attract companies to the UK’s leading hi-tech city.

“We’ve got a cultural offering – do you know about it? Have we got grade A office space? We’ve not got enough but we’re doing something about it.”

The City Council also outlined their commitment to support local and inbound businesses by promoting the Derby Enterprise Growth Fund and the Regeneration Fund – two pots of cash aimed at creating jobs in the city.

• For More information about the Derby Enterprise Growth Fund, Click Here>
• For More information about the Regeneration Fund, Click Here>

Derby’s newest regeneration magazine, Perspective, has been launched at the Derby Property Summit – where over 340 delegates attended.

The magazine, created by 3Fox International, will focus on Derby’s renaissance including developments on the Riverside, Global Technology Campus, and city centre office developments – as well as featuring updates on skills for employment and the city’s retail sector.

To get your copy of Perspective, browse the online version below or Click here to download>

• Date: Thursday 16th May 2013
• Time: 08:30 – 11:00
• Venue: PwC Offices, Donington Court, Pegasus Business Park, DE74 2UZ

New R&D Expenditure Credit (RDEC): Crediting Innovation for Your Business?

The Finance Bill on 28 March 2013 included legislation on the new RDEC regime. This new relief came into effect on 1 April 2013 and is given as a 10% taxable credit.

Guests include Rachel Hodge from HMRC, Diarmuid MacDougall, National R&D Partner and Andrew Wiggins, National Tax Accounting Services Partner.

Discussion points for the morning will include:

• A brief summary of the RDEC
• Should I elect in? When? What are the Pros and cons?
• What do HMRC want to see included in claims?
• Common errors HMRC see in R&D claims and how to avoid them
• What is the accounting treatment for the credit? How does this impact on the timing of preparing claims.
• Real-time methodologies for compiling claims
• What are others doing in respect of RDEC claims?

If you would like to attend, please contact Julia Levez by email at julia.levez@uk.pwc.com.

Over 350 delegates have registered for the Derby Property Summit to see an exciting mix of speakers and expert panels – hosted by TV’s Declan Curry.

Bookings for the event have now been closed after a record number of guests announced their intention to visit.

With Derby’s development on the agenda, the event is set to be shaped around the £271 million development in the pipeline for the city. Confirmed speakers include Courtney Fingar, Editor-in-Chief of FDi Magazine and Jackie Sadek, Chief Executive of UK Regeneration.

For updates on the Derby Property Summit as it happens, follow @MarketingDerby on Twitter.

The first phase of a £7 million scheme to build a retail and restaurant complex next to Derby County’s Pride Park Stadium is set to be unveiled.

The development – called The Plaza @ Pride Park will be at the North East Corner of the stadium, and the initial phase will provide a mixture of retail and restaurant units totalling 7,000sq ft. Once completed, the scheme could create dozens of new jobs.

The development is being undertaken jointly by the club and Derby-based developer Cedar House Investments, which is part of Peter Gadsby’s Ark Capital Group. The hope is that The Plaza will benefit from the £27.5 million multi-sports arena currently under construction.

Work on the arena started last month and, once completed, it will feature a 250-metre cycling track, a 12-court sports hall, a gym, multi-function rooms, a spinning room and a cafe. The arena will also double up into a concert venue for 5,000 spectators.

Mr Gadsby, Chairman of Ark Capital said, “The area is already a proven destination for leading occupiers including Greggs, Frankie and Benny’s, Subway and Starbucks. I’m particularly keen that this scheme will add to the success of Pride Park and provide further amenities for the 10,000 people who are working in the area.”

Published in Derby Telegraph on Friday 3rd May.