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CATHEDRAL GREEN
A river bus could
be carrying tourists from the Silk Mill to Darley Abbey
within five years in an action plan to improve the
Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site. The passenger
service would run between a landing stage at Cathedral
Green and another at Darley Abbey Mills and it is hoped
the scheme could be completed by 2012 if funding can be
found. The motor boat would cost around £150,000, with a
further £150,000 needed for the landing stages.
Barry Joyce, chairman of the World Heritage Site
technical panel, said, "It is a real desire of ours
to establish a river bus from Derby city centre to Darley
Abbey as an attractive, sustainable way of getting
tourists from the city centre into Darley Abbey and back.
A feasibility study was carried out on the project, which
revealed that it would be cost-effective providing the
capital costs could be found."
Derby City Council said it was looking for funding, with
possible sources from Derby and Derbyshire Economic
Partnership and East Midlands Development Agency. Ray
Rippingale, assistant director for cultural services,
said, "It is important the heritage site is not left
to deteriorate and that we are coming up with ideas to
take it forward. We are constantly looking for funding
opportunities so we can launch this boat for real."
Harry Hopkinson, team leader for the built environment at
the council, said, "To work it needs a tourist offer
so it is important the bus idea develops as other
schemes, such as work on the Silk Mill, starts going
ahead." Cabinet member for leisure and direct
services Alan Graves added, "We want to make sure
the Silk Mill is refurbished to attract more tourists and
this river bus will tie in very well with the tourist
offer then." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Jul/07)
Almost £7m is being sought to transform the
Cathedral Green area to encourage people to buy into the
idea of "luxury living" in the city centre.
Officials from the city council together with Derby
Cityscape have said the area is currently underused,
despite having a prime location. They want to restore
heritage features and build an 'amphitheatre' for open
air performances and activities.
Proposals have been put forward by urban regeneration
company Derby Cityscape and Derby City Council to create
a multi-purpose area to attract visitors, host concerts
and other events. The riverside would include a docking
area and a footbridge to take pedestrians to Stuart
Street on the other side of the River Derwent. While Full
Street would remain open to traffic, it would be
part-paved to make way for a wide, tree-lined promenade
from the back of the Cathedral to the proposed
footbridge.
Chris Williamson, leader of the council, said, "This
is an under-utilised part of the city, which could be
Derby's 'jewel in the crown'. With the catalyst of the
new Eagle Centre extension and Riverlights finally
getting off the ground, this is another sign that things
are going in the right direction."
Derby Cityscape chief executive John Cadwallader believed
the redevelopment could kick-start a wider regeneration
and provide a focus for over 1,000 apartments being built
nearby. He said, "Having a well defined, well
designed space will encourage people to go and live there
and give confidence to the housing market. We have to
create a space that people want to use. We want to
attract people from the city centre to the Cathedral area
and we want the area to be more functional.
Attracting developers to the Cathedral area would tie in
with Cityscape's plan for 5,000 homes as part of a
programme that would see more than £1bn invested in the
city by 2020. A £20m transformation of the former police
station and magistrates' court, in Full Street, and a
£14m plan for the former Eggleston Brothers steelworks,
in Stuart Street, are among the residential schemes
already planned. Another £22m development on the corner
of St Helen's Street and St Alkmund's Way would see more
apartments created, while a £25m Jury's Inn hotel is
proposed for King Street. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Jun/06)
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