Homes England housing plan replaces stalled employment park
Up to 135 homes could be built on a former hospital site in Derby, after earlier plans for a business park were scrapped due to a lack of interest from developers.
The proposals for the seven-acre site at Kingsway Boulevard put forward by Homes England in September 2025 have been recommended for approval at a meeting of the city council’s planning committee on Thursday, 2 April.
A business park was originally planned to be built on the site as part of the wider mixed-use regeneration of the Manor and Kingsway hospital grounds, which was also set to include a local centre and around 700 homes.
However, the business park element is set to fall by the way side under the latest proposals, after the planned local centre was also canned in favour of housing on another part of the site, justified by the presence of other shopping facilities nearby.
“The purpose of the business park allocation was to provide a mix of uses on the strategic regeneration site, including job opportunities,” said a report by the city council’s planning officers.
“If the application is approved and this site is developed for further housing the policy requirement would be prejudiced and the business park could not be provided on site.
“It is material that no demonstrable interest has been identified for this use and no planning application has been forthcoming. It is understood that the landowner has sold the land to Homes England on the understanding that they would be seeking a residential use.”
The report added that “significant job opportunities” exist locally at the Royal Derby Hospital, which is within walking distance of the site.
Recommending the scheme for approval, Derby City Council’s planning officers said the loss of a non-designated heritage farm building on the site was “regrettable”, adding that the opportunity to prevent it from being lost is “considered to have passed” due to its poor structural condition.
The application will be decided at a meeting of the city council’s planning control committee on 2 April.
Plans and documents relating to the proposals can be found on the Derby City Council planning portal under reference: 25/01377/OUT
