Last week the Eagle Market traders were provided with an update on their future. It was stated that declining numbers is making the Market “unsustainable” for Cale Street Investments, the owners of the Derbion centre.
In fact it is Derby City Council’s Eastern Gateway project which is driving the Market closure; the Council has already secured Lidl for the site with no space for market traders.
The 15 million users of the Bus Station are currently presented with an uninspiring entrance to the City Centre.
Derby City Council has £11m funding for the Eastern Gateway project which will transform the area opposite the bus station, including the Eagle Market. The Gateway will also include residential properties as detailed in the Council’s recent “Towards a new vision for Derby City Centre : Ambition 2022”.
The Ambition 2022 document states:
“We think that there is an opportunity to look at a more comprehensive scheme in this area in the longer term, which could include the removal of buildings that currently have a negative impact on the townscape of the area. This could create an improved gateway experience for visitors arriving at the bus station and a better link between the bus station, Riverside car park and the Market Place.”
Comment
The Council should take ownership of the change and the effect it will have on the market traders – there will be no Eagle Market. For most, if not all, there will be no alternative location in the Market Hall when it becomes ready in mid-2024.
Derby City Centre will have a period of around 18 months where there will be no market at all. Not the accolade and the outcome the City should expect, especially when the Deputy Leader, Cllr Mick Barker, is also the President of the National Association of British Markets (NABMA).
The project is designed to bring significant investment into the area. This will be undermined if the prime thoroughfare for millions of visitors is a tired 70s style Market Hall. The Council wants more attractive shops like Lidl in the Gateway and not small market traders.
The City does need a transformed Gateway – perhaps it should have been more open with the people that will be affected!
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Derby News 
Is Lidl meant to be the “inspiring gateway” to Derby? Classy…
Thanks for putting the last nail in the Coffin for our once lovely Derby. You get a bus over from Derby to Nottingham you get off the Bus Nottingham is Buzzing . You get the Bus back from Nottingham to Derby and get off the Bus and it’s like walking into a Mortuary. Congratulate yourselfs the people who are apparently running the city of Derby. Congratulate yourselfs for making a once great MARKET TOWN into a Dump. What do we get yet another German supermarket. Brilliant.
Regarding the “closure” of the market that has been under threat for many years by different companies that passed the buck on to the next owner (& a blame game starts). There has been no clear leadership for the running of the market in favour of the traders by which I mean a “market manager’ who will endeavour to work for the traders welfare aswell as the smooth running of it. My experience is this has Never happened in the 30 years I worked there as a jeweller/engraver & unfortunately during 2020/21 the decision was made that the business would cease trading as we found there was no real help from the “people in charge” especially after all the meetings our business attended with talk of strategies, suggestions, plans & empty promises to the point they boarded off the bottom half of the market and stated that it would start a dismantling process which in the end became a Duckworth square (eyesore) and during its non development certain traders decided to use it as storage for their stock which in my eyes was an opportunity for possible crime which has happened to traders, us being one of them due to less & less presence of the “security” in the market. We have had no help whatsoever during the last 10/12 years of trading, during which time we have watched the remaining traders give up, move, close down etc
Scenario in my mind is start a rumour that the ship you’re going to sail with may not leave Port, next thing people panic, worry and start to jump ship and before you know it its empty. This has been my understanding of how the “management” in my opinion have operated over the years.
I can only assume that this is called progress however, how long does progress take..personally it can take seconds, minutes, hrs, days…you get the picture. Greed & politics will always divide people and in that process there will always be collateral damage. Well done Derby City Council, Westfield, INTU, Derbion & whoever else contributed to the demise of what once was a thriving market.
Mr Robert Breslin
This is disappointing and very bad for derby Town center. My brother has just had to close his still due to in future there is no wear for them to go. Also since they was forced to move them out old market. We don’t need more supermarkets in town we need new diverse places to shop.
If they want to get rid of an uninspiring face of Derby, get rid of the Debion, it’s an awful Construction.
It is a disgrace. Derby councillors have no idea what the people of Derby want. I use at least 4 of the stalls weekly and to not provide the stall holders with alternative accommodation is dreadful. I have lived in Derby all my life and never thought I would be ashamed of the place. The councillors should hang their heads in shame. Take a good look around the city center. It is dirty and not at all welcoming.What exactly does our council tax pay for ( apart from good pensions to look forward to)