£8M DREAM

A new area of bars and boutiques looks set to be created in Derby city centre in an £8m project. For five years, Clowes Development has been buying up properties between Sadler Gate and St James' Street as part of a scheme to create a shopping and leisure development in a hidden land pocket. The Brailsford-based company wants to create a thoroughfare from the alley at the entrance to Vines Wine Bar, in Sadler Gate, to the archway leading to the back of Knights nightclub, in St James' Street.

Clowes unveiled detailed plans for the scheme in an application for planning permission, submitted to Derby City Council. For director Andrew Bock, who believes the scheme will regenerate the historical quarter, it was a major step towards fulfilling a 12-year dream. He said, "Derby is crying out for something like this. Not everybody wants indoor shopping complexes like the Eagle Centre." The proposed development, which would have a European-style piazza as its centrepiece, includes four shops, two restaurants and a bar.

Three entrances to the piazza are planned - one in the Strand, another from St James' Street and a third from Sadler Gate. Mr Bock said, "We want to create an area which rivals Nottingham's Bridlesmith Gate for shopping, and its canalside for nightlife. "The plan is to attract independent retailers rather than chain stores - delicatessens, hairdressers, coffee shops and clothing boutiques." The application includes a scheme to create nine luxury two-bedroomed flats over what is now Bagshaws Residential, in the Strand.

And there are plans to build a further nine two-bedroomed apartments over Hall and Partners estate agency in St James' Street at a later date. Knights nightclub, which was bought by Clowes on Monday, could also be incorporated into the scheme eventually. Roger Bailey, co-owner of Vines Wine Bar, said, "They have taken a city centre area that is falling down and they are going to rejuvenate it. That has got to be a good thing."

Councillor Margaret Redfern, chairman of the city council's licensing committee, said she was keen to see new bars aimed at more mature clients. She said, "I would like to see somewhere people in their 40s and older can go and enjoy a quiet meal and a drink." Councillors are likely to consider the proposals in September. If they grant permission, work on the first phase could start within six to nine months.

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)