DERBY HIPPODROME

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Crews from six stations were called to a fire at the Hippodrome in Green Lane at about 3:30am. Fifteen people were evacuated from nearby homes. Due to concerns about the building's safety officers would not be able to enter it for a number of days. Stephen McLernon, from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, said, "When the initial crews arrived they found a rapidly escalating fire in the derelict property and ascertained that they needed more resources. At the height of the fire we had nine appliances and 50 firefighters." The cause of the fire is being treated as suspicious and a joint police and fire service investigation has begun. Mr McLernon said there were now fears that the fire has made the building unstable and that some parts may need to be demolished. (Source: BBC News, Nov/11)

Investigations have begun into a fire which broke out in the stairwell of the former Hippodrome theatre. Firefighters were called to the grade II listed building and found upper areas and the roof space smoke logged. Crews remained for several hours at the scene to make sure all hotspots had been dealt with and a structural engineer has been called to examine the affected areas. They said it appeared people had been sleeping rough in the building and it is thought the fire was started deliberately as burning newspapers were found in one of the stairwells.

Councillor Matthew Holmes, cabinet member for planning and environment, said, "I think everybody wants to see the site restored and some would like it restored as a theatre, which I would support. But it is going to take private investment or significant investment from the third sector to get that. The council is not in a position to take ownership of the building or redevelop it but the message is we would certainly be willing to work with whoever comes forward with a viable proposal. I went down to the site with the structural engineers and there hasn't been a great deal of damage. I have spoken to officers and asked them to look at how secure the site is and if security could be improved to avoid further problems." (Source: BBC News, Mar/11)

The state of the Hippodrome has led nearby property owners to call for the Grade II-listed building to be pulled down. Derby City Council is still going ahead with its plans to force the owner of the Green Lane building to repair it and is expected to issue a legal notice soon but some businesses and residents said the building had become an eyesore and want it completely demolished. The council is aiming to issue an enforcement notice to force Mr Anthony to repair the building to at least the standard it was before the damage happened but while the legal arguments have dragged on, the former theatre has been left rotting.

A neighbouring property owner said the debris and damp was attracting vermin. John Saunders owns a terraced house in Macklin Street next to the Hippodrome, which he rents to students. He said, "I have had to buy ultrasonic vermin deterrents for the students and I believe the major cause of this problem is the monstrosity next door. The health and welfare of people and businesses in this area should be the first consideration and not dreamers and politics. The building won't be repaired and it will just stay like it is and I think it is dangerous."

The situation could drag on because Mr Anthony has made it clear he will appeal the enforcement order. Such an appeal could take a year to decide, during which time the former theatre would be left as it is. The council said it was committed to protecting the building and carried out some minor work to replace roof tiles and make the building more secure but Mr Saunders said that was not enough. He has started a petition calling for the building to be pulled down, which has attracted 200 signatures in three days. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Oct/08)

The city council and Christopher Anthony have agreed to work together to bring the Hippodrome back into some sort of use. The council has confirmed it has issued an enforcement notice which would force the Mr Anthony, to repair the building but says it will not pursue the action if Mr Anthony can come up with a way to retain the main sections of the Hippodrome and bring it back into use. To avoid the building decaying further, the council has agreed it will put a hold on the enforcement notice if Mr Anthony and his representatives can come up with a suitable use for the building.

A spokeswoman for the council said, "The council had a constructive meeting with the owner, during which he put forward some proposals about the building's future use. The council has agreed that these proposals should be progressed with a view to the owner submitting a listed building consent application. Provided that the owner complies with the agreed tight timescales for doing this, the council will extend the date for the enforcement notice to come into effect."

A spokesman for Mr Anthony said the plans would mean trying to retain as much of the remaining structure as possible – including the wall facing Macklin Street and the Green Lane facade. He said the timescale in which they have to achieve this had not yet been formally set and that he was not yet able to say what the building could be used for. Residents living nearby had feared the Hippodrome would be knocked down and flats built on the site but Mr Anthony's spokesman said turning the building into apartments was "highly unlikely" in the current financial climate. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Oct/08)

A notice forcing Christopher Anthony to repair the building is being withdrawn by Derby City Council. The authority issued the enforcement notice in October last year but because the developer said he would appeal, which could have led to a drawn-out and costly wrangle, the council agreed to delay enforcing the notice. Instead it decided to work with him to find another use for the building, retaining some of its original features but bringing it back into use.

A spokeswoman said, "Currently the enforcement notice is preventing the owner from raising the finance to pay for the costs associated with submitting the application. These costs include professional reports, including architects' drawings, which must accompany any application together with the statutory planning application fee, which could be in the region of £30,000." The council said it did not meant that another enforcement notice could not be served in the future if Mr Anthony did not submit plans.

The spokeswoman added, "Derby City Council is monitoring the situation closely and will continue to act in the interest of the public and the preservation of the Hippodrome. However, the legal processes involved are complex and time-consuming, and we realise this has been a frustrating time for the public and other interested parties." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Jan/09)

The Hippodrome theatre could be converted into a multi-storey car park. Owner Christopher Anthony believes a 346-space car park is the ideal future use for the building. His representative said the car park plan was "the only practical solution" which would retain some of the existing building. The car park would be created behind the existing Macklin Street and Green Lane walls of the early-1900s building and those frontages would be retained and restored under the plans.

On the ground floor of the Green Lane-facing entrance to the car park would be a coffee shop and newsagents, with two small offices above. Six new bedsits would be built along Crompton Street, blocking in the existing surface car park, which would be built up and incorporated into the new multi-storey one. That would go down below the existing ground level so that the building was not increased in height.

Andy Rutherford, an agent acting on Mr Anthony's behalf, said of the plans, "This will make Crompton Street residential once again, it will preserve the Macklin Street and Green Lane elevations and provide a safe and secure car park in a key city centre location, which would be a huge benefit to businesses nearby." He added that they had been working with Derby architects Maber and had ruled out other uses for the building, such as returning it to a theatre.

He said, "We have seen the problems in Derby of sustaining a theatre and we did consult with groups about buying it for that but they did not have the finances. We also looked at offices, but if we are to retain the Macklin Street elevation its design does not provide enough light for that, and apartments are not really feasible in the current market." He said that left three options, a supermarket, storage or a car park. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Jan/09)