On 29th July 2023 the 50 year old Eagle Market closed for the final time to make way for an “indoor go-karting, drinking establishment, family entertainment, amusement centre” proposed by Derbion’s owners, Cale Street Investments.

In the opinion of Derby City Council

“…this proposal, as amended, represents the right development, in the right place at the right time. It has strong policy support and aligns with the thrust of the recently compiled Ambition Document, which has received valuable support from the public and other stakeholders”

Planning documents

This plan is now changing as the commercial interest for this entertainment proposal has “fallen away”.

A new planning application has been submitted, by Derbion’s owners, which is much smaller in scope; it is the “installation of a new building facade, including digital screen…and a new area of landscaping”. No mention of whether this aligns with the “recently compiled Ambition document”.

Background

The original 2023 planning application ( for the go-karting etc) required significant demolition of the Eagle Market.

In January 2023, Derbion submitted a much grander scheme for the whole Eagle Market/Derby Theatre area, including 875 homes. This has been referred to the Secretary of State for approval due to the height of the buildings.

This was covered in the Derby News article:

Housing vs Heritage: Outline planning permission granted for controversial Eagle Market/Derby Theatre development.

The scope in the 2024 scheme has been drastically reduced.

The declared virtues of the new scheme, as per the published Planning Statement, relative to the 2023 scheme are:

• Reduced extent of demolition of the Eagle Market
• Reduction in size of landscaped area, to allow for more of the existing Eagle Market to be retained.
• No change of “use” proposed to the retained Eagle Market.

It also states that:

“The high-quality” landscaping scheme proposed will create a postive city centre environment which will help to encourage future uses to locate in the Eagle Market”

Opinion

In a few months time it will be one year since the last business was coerced to vacate the Eagle Market. Coincidentally, at the same time as the “Go-Karting” planning application was approved.

It is evident that the “indoor go-karting, drinking establishment, family entertainment, amusement centre” was not part of any formal City Centre strategy that would benefit Derby residents but straightforward shot-term opportunism for commercial gain by Cale Street Investments (owners of Derbion) and the leaseholders of the, now closed, Riverside car park.

It feels that the Council’s City Regeneration strategy is not clearly focussed, and community led, but one that lurches and flip-flops based on the whims of the transitory developers who are simply desperate for shareholder value…and, potentially, a profitable exit from Derby.

The victims in all of this are the stall holders of the Eagle market who were unnecessarily cajoled to leave their pitches when there were no meaningful plans for the future.