Derby regeneration among projects in line for funding

The flagship Becketwell scheme is one of 10 projects which could benefit from a cash boost from the East Midlands combined authority.

A total of seven projects fell by the wayside as the authority worked out which schemes would receive a share of a £25m capital investment fund, launched last month to support delivery of its ten-year growth plan for the region.

The first two phases of the “significant, comprehensive” Becketwell city centre regeneration scheme in Derby have already seen 259 build-to-rent apartments and a £46m new indoor performance venue constructed on the former Duckworth Square area.

Funding from the combined authority is ear-marked for enabling works ahead of the third phase of the scheme, as yet undetermined but which could include offices, a hotel, a multi-storey car park and purpose built student residential developments.

Cllr Nadine Peatfield, Derby City Council Leader said the inclusion of the scheme was a “powerful demonstration of confidence in Derby’s future.”

“With the success of the Grainger build-to-rent scheme and the incredible Vaillant Live venue already established, Becketwell is clearly delivering on its promise. We will continue working with partners to complete this flagship scheme and transform a key part of our city,” she said.

Those also included in the final shortlist for funding include a new business centre at Stapleford Pencil Works, the development of nine new start-up units in Giltbrook, alongside town centre regeneration schemes in Chesterfield, Staveley and Clay Cross.

Around £19m is allocated to the East Midlands by central government each year for capital investment projects – a fund which can be rolled over into the following year if it goes unspent.

Funding totals for six out of the 10 named projects in the report were exempted from publication on the grounds of commercial sensitivity.

However, of those published, the Stapleford scheme is set to receive £320,000, which will be spent creating “ready to go” workshop space in the £6.2m facility, which is currently under construction with a target completion date of November 2026.

Meanwhile, up to £2m will be spent on a regeneration project in Staveley, near Chesterfield, with a planned refurbishment of the town’s community hall targeting improved health provision, a family hub, and early years provision.

Around £1m will be spent on the Clay Cross regeneration scheme while £84,000 was allocated to the Ashbourne town centre programme.

Mayor Claire Ward says the funding will support delivery of the East Midlands Growth Plan, a set of policy objectives designed to add £13bn to the regional economy and support 60,000 more people into work over the next decade.

In September, the authority adopted a new “twin-track” approach to allocating funding to capital programmes in the region, aiming to roll out longer-term, strategic programmes alongside smaller packages of work to kickstart projects that could be completed more quickly.

“As part of the process of building a strategic pipeline of investment, the EMCCA Board agreed on 22 September 2025 to identify shorter term investment priorities that provide deliverable and strategic outcomes to stimulate economic growth that can be added to the EMCCA Investment Fund Pipeline,” said a document put before the authority’s investment board this week.

Each project will now set out a final business case prior to funding being formally allocated.

The full list of projects under consideration for funding are:

• Stapleford Pencil Works (Nottinghamshire) – Construction of a business centre in the heart of Stapleford, housing coworking space, retail units, small offices, and makers spaces/workshops;
• Greening Growth in Giltbrook (Nottinghamshire) – Nine new-starter business units for small and micro-businesses in the area;
• Yorke Drive Housing, Newark (Nottinghamshire) – Redeveloping the existing Yorke Drive housing estate with new mixed tenure homes for sale and rent alongside improvements to sport and leisure, public realm, safety, accessibility, and electric vehicle charging points;
• Sherwood Revival, Ollerton (Nottinghamshire) – Regenerating the town centre with an enhanced and better connected new public sector hub, business units, housing, public realm space, and cinema;
• Becketwell Enabling (Derby) – Enabling works at the third phase of development at Becketwell, a flagship regeneration scheme in Derby City Centre and home to a Grainger 260-apartment build-to-rent development and 3,500-capacity Vaillant Live events and conferencing destination;
• Staveley Investment Programme (Derbyshire) – Delivery of the Barrow Hill Memorial Hall which will create community spaces, health provision, and early years activities and contribute to the Staveley Moorings project to deliver the final works to the project and complete the Staveley Basin project;
• Chesterfield Town Centre Masterplan (Derbyshire) – Supporting the delivery of housing in the Spire Neighbourhood alongside spaces for businesses, and further works to the Stephenson Memorial Hall refurbishment project to create a modern visitor experience in the heart of the town, with an extended theatre, a reconfigured modern museum, alongside new gallery space, a café bar, education and community facilities;
• Ashbourne Reborn (Derbyshire) – Improving access to Ashbourne Town Centre, supporting the Ashbourne Reborn Programme through targeted public realm enhancement, safety and drainage solutions, and sustainable transport measures;
• Long Eaton Town Deal (Derbyshire) – Supporting the development of high-quality infrastructure and enhancement of the Long Eaton Town Deal as part of a wider programme of works led by Erewash District Council;
• Clay Cross Town Deal (Derbyshire) – Developing the town centre including new-build public realm, retail space, improved library facilities, and refurbished adult education centre.