Demolition of Assembly Rooms could be 'years away'

Councillors say they are concerned the demolition of a derelict city venue could still be "years away", with plans to regenerate the area still in their early stages.

The Assembly Rooms have been unused for 10 years in Derby after a fire and had been due to be knocked down last autumn, but the plan was postponed.

Senior politicians say they still have not seen details on how deliverable a new Market Place scheme will be - a key condition for demolition to take place.

On Tuesday, officers also could not provide a meeting of Derby's regeneration committee with an anticipated review of the city's parking facilities. The council says work on the review is ongoing.

Nadine Peatfield, leader of authority, said at the time that the move would allow the demolition and subsequent construction work for the new scheme to take place consecutively, instead of the site standing vacant.

The Assembly Rooms car park has been closed since last year, initially in anticipation of demolition of the venue. The council says it has a "daily surplus" of parking spaces available in the city, though councillors have criticised the decision.

The budget the city council passed last week had around £3m earmarked for the demolition of the venue, but no money has been set aside for the new scheme in the budget documents.

Tuesday's meeting of the regeneration committee heard that officers hope to complete a business case for the scheme and a full planning application for leaders to sign off by the summer, which would pave the way for demolition.

It is understood that a finalised business plan, planning application and contractual agreements with developers must be in place for officers to have enough confidence in the scheme's delivery to allow the demolition to go forward.

However, the Conservative vice chair of the committee, councillor Matthew Holmes, cast doubt on the timetable for a final blueprint to be completed and signed off.

"The bar is set quite high, quite rightly, because what we don't want is demolition to be allowed and the area to not be developed," he told the BBC.

"Nobody has explained to anybody, any councillor that I'm aware of, how much this scheme is going to cost, and what the council's expected to put in there, and how the money is going to be raised...where does that confidence come from?

"If I was to give an estimation of when I feel the assembly rooms will be demolished and we'll actually see things happening on the site...I think we're a good two, three years away.

"I don't think actual demolition will happen this year."

Chris Poulter, the former Conservative leader of the council, told officers at the meeting that he was concerned a "spending gap" would emerge without the right level of investment.

"This site has been a thorn for a while. I don't think there's anybody who doesn't want to see it developed," he said.

The new Market Place scheme will be delivered in phases, beginning with the construction of new hospitality venues, including a rooftop bar. Phase two involves plans for new office space, and the third phase would centre on a new four-star hotel.

Draft designs are currently being reviewed by the council.

A "soft consultation", which will not inform the final planning application, will take place this spring.

Nadine Peatfield, leader of the council and cabinet member for city centre, regeneration, strategy and policy, said: "Late last year we made the decision to reorder plans for the demolition of the Assembly Rooms site to ensure the best outcome for the city.

"Since then, we have been continuing to work closely with our preferred development partners, VINCI UK Developments and ION Developments, on plans for the new Cultural Heart of the City which will deliver long-term value and a vibrant cultural destination for Derby.

"We are close to finalising our proposals for the site and look forward to consulting with our partners and residents very soon."

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