Eagle Market returns to Derby committee
Approval is recommended for a revised scheme involving demolition, with 674 homes and 33,000 sq ft of commercial space inked in as part of the wider Derbion masterplan for a city living-led gateway.
The outline planning application, to be considered on the evening of 11 December, seeks permission to demolish the former Eagle Market, along with the partial removal of the basement car park to facilitate the site’s redevelopment.
This will comprise up to 674 homes, up to 32,990 sq ft of commercial floor space, and the reprovision of up to 145 basement car parking spaces, along with a new public square and pedestrian routes and associated works including servicing and landscaping.
On the professional team are planner Lichfields, Leonard Design Architects, Currie & Brown, Bidwells and Waterman.
Six buildings are mapped out within the proposal, the tallest of them 19 storeys – this is Block D, close to Derby Theatre. Four blocks would come in at seven to 16 storeys, with a singe-level pavilion building rounding off the scheme.
Derby Theatre sits within the application site’s ‘red edge’ boundary, with the outline application seeking to retain the theatre in its current position, with the possibility of a new access directly off the new square.
Along with height and scale, this is an area the scheme differs from the iteration put forward in 2023, which did not include the retention of the theatre.
As set out in the planning officer report that flatly reports that “the former Eagle Market offers little in terms of architectural merit to the city”, the market space is now occupied by an indoor skatepark and indoor padel centre. The parade of shops linking the Derbion shopping centre and the Cock Pitt car park remain open, although the car park remains closed.
Close to the bus station, the market site sits at the edge of the city core. Credit: planning documents
Despite the re-activation of the site, officers said, the building itself “acts as a barrier to connectivity from the bus station and train station providing a poor gateway to the city centre”. Introducing a gateway-aware scheme would thus build on the improvements commenced by the Eastern Gateway urban garden.
The application site is bound by Derby’s bus station and hotels to the north-east, to the south by the Derbion shopping centre and cinema complex, and to the west and north by the city centre.
This project sits within the Eagle Quarter part of the Derbion masterplan, which also includes the Bradshaw Way retail park, where around 400 homes are plotted.
Cale Street Investments bought the Derbion shopping and leisure complex – where a 40,000 sq ft deal was recently agreed with Primark – in 2021, the destination previously having been part of the intu empire. The business instructed Eurofund to plot a path for the development of areas around the complex soon after.
Statutory consultee Historic England described the proposal as representing “significant progress” from the 2023 version, adding that it has no objection.
Changes from the 2023 scheme include reductions for Blocks A-C, and the introduction of curved edges at the site’s boundary.
Summing up, the officer report said: “The public benefits associated with the proposed development can be considered as significant, in particular the housing-led characteristics of the masterplan.
“The challenges facing the city centre economy have increased following the economic down-turn which has affected the overall purpose and function of the city centre. Members will also be acutely aware of the importance of housing delivery, particularly in highly sustainable locations such as the city centre.
“All facilities and amenities would be on the doorstep of future residents and city centre housing delivery also, in part, reduces the pressure on greenfield sites and more sensitive locations around the city.”
The plans can be viewed on Derby’s planning portal, with the reference 25/01315/OUT.
