Assembly Rooms site redevelopment plan approved

Delayed plans to redevelop the Assembly Rooms in Derby, which has stood unused for more than 10 years, have been approved.

The venue, which opened in 1977, has been closed since a fire on the roof of its car park in 2014.

The £100m scheme involves the demolition of the Assembly Rooms, the multi-storey car park and 34 Full Street, and replace them with a "civic cultural anchor building" called Derby Made, a 160-room hotel, and a five-storey office building.

On Thursday, Derby City Council's planning control committee was told the process was at an early stage, with specifics of design and layout still to be confirmed, but approval would allow it to move forward.

Work on the site has been repeatedly delayed for a variety of reasons.

It was due to be knocked down in 2024, but works were postponed so the demolition and subsequent construction work could take place consecutively, instead of the site standing vacant.

The redevelopment was put on hold earlier this year after councillors voted in favour of delaying a final decision, amid concerns with the design.

In May, planners met with the developers and Historic England to develop a clearer framework on how the scheme would fit into the existing cityscape.

The meeting heard of several objections, one being a petition of 1,661 signatures warning against "wasting £60m of Derby taxpayers' cash".

Derby's Civic Society also called for more consideration to be given to refurbishing the current building.

However, it was pointed out that the demolition of the empty Assembly Rooms had already been approved via a separate application.

Paul Clarke, the council's head of planning, said: "The proposed redevelopment of the site represents a major opportunity to revitalise a key part of Derby's historic centre located within the Cathedral Quarter and surrounded by significant heritage assets.

"The 1.98-hectare (4.8-acre) site has remained largely inactive for many years, creating social, economic and environmental challenges."

The approval is for outline planning permission, with Clarke emphasising it was just the "first stage" in what was likely to be a long process, but felt, as owners of the land, the council was "in the driving seat".

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