CATHEDRAL QUARTER

Clowes Developments wants to redevelop a section of land called St James' Yard into a retail complex, linking Sadler Gate with the Strand and St James' Street. The company was granted planning permission in 2002 to turn the land into a leisure and retail area but director Andrew Bock said the scheme had moved away from nightlife because it was felt that shops would be better for that part of the city.

Mr Bock hoped work could start in the autumn ready for an opening in the summer of 2007, coinciding with the completion of the Eagle Centre extension. The scheme would involve the creation of a thoroughfare lined with boutiques linking the alley at the entrance to Vines Wine Bar, in Sadler Gate, to the archway leading to the back of Jimmy's nightclub, in St James' Street. A former tram shed in St James's Yard would be converted into a courtyard, with balconies looking into the piazza of restaurants and designer shops.

Ian Ferguson, chief executive of Derby Chamber of Trade, welcomed the plans. He said, "It's just what this area needs. It's already got some good-quality specialist shops and this development will add to the offering and make use of old buildings." Cityscape chief executive John Cadwallader said of the piazza scheme, "It's exactly the sort of thing we're looking for." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Apr/06)

Work is set to begin on a The Strand shopping arcade to restore it to its former glory. The glazed roof of the arcade between The Strand and Sadler Gate in Derby will be refurbished and the floor will be replaced with stone paving slabs. The work is costing £414,000, made up of money from Derby Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Councillor Martin Repton, Derby City Council's cabinet member for planning and transportation, said, "This scheme will be a tremendous boost for this part of the city centre and will help improve its attractiveness to shoppers and visitors." (Source: BBC News, Feb/06)

Business owners at The Strand Arcade believe shoppers are being put off because the area has been turned into a building site due to a project to revamp the area over-running. They claim the work is threatening to ruin their Christmas custom. Traders welcomed the scheme when it was introduced, but they now say the council has gone back on a pledge to minimise the impact on customers. The city council could not confirm what extra work was required or when the scheme will finish. According to the traders, the noise of angle-grinders slicing through stone, and the appearance of cement being mixed up, is turning customers away. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Dec/06)

Independent traders in the Cathedral Quarter, who have suffered since the opening of Westfield, have been given a rates reduction. The Valuation Office has cut rates by up to 25% in some areas of the Cathedral Quarter in an attempt to ease their financial problems. But the move has come too late for Martin Roper, who has decided to close two of his three Scenario fashion boutiques in the Strand, resulting in the loss of 11 jobs because takings have slumped dramatically. He said, "Matters have not improved. It may pick up but I'm losing money and cannot afford to take the risk." Terri Reynolds, a member of the Federation of Small Businesses and owner of Ruby Shoesday, said, "We are really grateful. For some people, the saving over a year will equate to a month's rent." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Dec/07)

The cost of a campaign to support independent traders in the wake of the opening of Westfield was more than £800,000, which the city council spent on advertising and street improvements. It announced it was also investing a further £825,000 a year on rate relief for businesses in the Cathedral Quarter. A report shows that £863,139 was spent on directly or indirectly helping small traders in the city. Council leader Chris Williamson said the figures showed the authority was committed to helping small businesses in the city thrive.

The amount includes £30,000 spent on producing vinyl posters, which have been put up in the former Debenhams store windows in Victoria Street to promote the Cathedral Quarter, £7,000 for additional Christmas lights in Victoria Street, Green Lane, Strand, Bold Lane, Cheapside and Queen Street and £30,000 on more litter bins in Strand, Sadler Gate and other areas of the city. A further £26,000 was used for repainting benches, bins and posts in Iron Gate, Sadler Gate and Cornmarket. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Feb/08)

Traders in the Cathedral Quarter said they made less profit over the Christmas period than last year. Businesses in the area blame the drop in trade on the opening of the £340m Westfield Centre, which boasts nearly 150 shops and a cinema. Terri Reynolds, who runs a shoe shop, said she wants to know what will happen to stores vacated by retailers moving to the new centre. She said Cathedral Quarter traders are struggling with poor sales.

Ms Reynolds explained: "We're trying to get by on what we're making now which is thousands of pounds a week less than we were making this time last year and it only takes a few weeks like that for you not to be able to pay your bills." Martin Roper, who is shutting his footwear and women's wear shops, met the city council leader Chris Williamson at the Council House, along with two other shopkeepers from the Cathedral Quarter. (Source: BBC News, Dec/07)

The future of independent retailers in the city centre is being threatened by the recent opening of the Westfield Centre. Several shops have had to make staff redundant and claim they will have to close in a matter of weeks. They are calling for a rescue package including a decrease in council rates to help traders hurt by a drop in business. City council leader Chris Williamson said they were working with businesses to raise the profile of the area. He said local traders had been aware that Westfield was opening for a long time.

However, Westfield managers insist the extra retail outlets and the increased number of shoppers they would attract would benefit everyone. Terri Reynolds, who owns Ruby Shoesday in Victoria Street, said last week her shop took just £900, compared to nearly £6,000 in the same week last year. She said, "The day Westfield opened, we got a letter saying the rates we pay to the council were going up by £2,500. That means I am paying £20,500 a year in rates and when my takings are falling to £900 a week and I also have a rent bill of £26,000, the sums don't add up." (Source: BBC News, Nov/07)

Shopkeepers on Sadler Gate claimed they have been badly affected by the new Westfield Centre, which opened in 2007. About a third of shops on the street are empty and traders have called for help from the city council. The council said it was aware of the pressures and would look at ways to help, such as extra signs and revised parking charges.

Trader Nick Horne said, "Unless the council do something for us Sadler Gate is not going to survive. Three shops closed down in the last week. There used to be a premium to be on Sadler Gate, now you can't give them away."

Bob Betts, from the Cathedral Quarter Management group, which is funded by the traders to help boost business in the area, said, "The whole city centre is going to offer a better destination experience. The Business Improvement District team has developed £120,000 worth of advertising revenue in the last 12 months, the businesses would never had had any of that without the BID being in place." (Source: BBC News, Oct/09)

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