Rolls Royce launches plan for former Derby training ground

Derby County’s derelict former ‘Ramarena’ training facility could be redeveloped as part of plans to double the size of a Rolls Royce submarine-building campus in the city.

The club quit their former practice pitches on the banks of the River Derwent more than 20 years ago, switching to more modern facilities at Moor Farm in Oakwood.

Now, the 8.5-acre site is set to become a key part of Rolls Royce expansion in the east of the city under new plans submitted this month, a project the firm says is of “critical national importance”.

In 2023, the company launched an expansion of its Raynesway facility as part of a tri-lateral agreement between Australia, the UK and US to provide small nuclear reactors for use in submarines,

Last year, Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors was also selected as the government’s preferred technology partner for a £2.5bn project with Great British Energy.

Under the proposals, two cricket squares would be created at the Ramarena, across the A5111 Raynesway where Alvaston & Boulton Cricket Club currently plays its home fixtures. Once completed, the move would free up the current site for redevelopment as part of the expansion of the Rolls-Royce Submarines campus.

Rolls Royce Submarines Raynesway campus is set to double in size. Credit: RRSL

Plans for existing Alvaston and Boulton Cricket Club site include the erection of a multi-storey car park, office buildings and gateway buildings for use by Rolls-Royce Submarines, with more detail likely to be provided in a further hybrid application, due to be lodged in the autumn.

The Ramarena site is included in Derby’s ‘green wedge’ planning strategy, a city council policy designed to prevent urban sprawl and ensure areas retain their individual character.

“The proposed relocation of the Alvaston & Boulton Cricket Club offers the opportunity to bring lasting benefit to both the club itself – through the creation of a more usable pitch arrangement & the provision of modernised, purpose-built facilities – and to Rolls-Royce in providing a more efficient overall masterplan,” said a design and access statement submitted with the proposals.

“More than this, however, the proposal will create improvements within the wider urban context, bringing a derelict site back into use and enabling the Raynesway site to better address the public realm with its campus-style workplace environment on the current cricket ground site. ”

The project team for the application includes WSP, Arcadis and HLM Architects.

Documents and plans relating to the application can be found on Derby City Council’s online planning portal using reference: 26/00594/FUL