Derby is blessed with no end of beautiful historic buildings, from the charming commercial units in St Peters Quarter and the Cathedral Quarter, to the 19th and 20th-Century structures that proudly showcase our heritage for industry and innovation.

These historic buildings provide homes for residents, offices and premises for businesses, and places to shop and enjoy leisure time. All important parts of our modern and ever-changing city. However, some of Derby’s most prominent buildings have been neglected and have fallen into disrepair, standing empty for many years. Once abandoned the cost of repairing these buildings can be substantial and they become increasingly at risk of vandalism, damage and decay.

Despite these challenges, Derby City Council’s commitment to historic buildings is unwavering. The Council doesn’t just react, it proactively works with owners, developers, and businesses to promote positive use, reuse, and conversion of such buildings throughout the city. This collaborative approach is crucial as the vast majority of historic buildings are privately owned and there is no legal requirement for owners to keep them in a good state of repair.

The best way to conserve historic buildings is to keep them occupied, even if this is on a temporary or partial basis. That’s why the Council works in several ways with owners, architects and developers to help them repair and restore historic buildings, and develop proposals for creative new uses. This includes:

  • Helping to identify the opportunities for use
  • Advising on the requirements for planning and listed building consent
  • Helping to broker solutions between partners
  • Providing information on potential funding sources

The impact of the Council’s work is evident in several key projects:

  • The recent refurbishment of the Grade II Listed Market Hall by the City Council  has safeguarded the future of one of the city’s most prominent sites and provided a vibrant new leisure destination.
  • The Silk Mill, the world’s first factory and also Grade II Listed, now tells Derby’s 300-year story of innovation as the Museum of Making.
  • The £75m Friar Gate Goods Yard scheme will see restoration of a 19th Century Bonded Warehouse and Engine House by a private sector developer to create over 110,000 sq ft of commercial space, with 276 new homes.
  • Along St James Street, in the heart of the city, the Council has worked with a private sector developer to restore, regenerate and revitalise more than a dozen properties. Including transforming The Tramshed, into office space, overhauling ground-floor retail units, and repurposing extensive, unused upper floors.

To have the greatest impact, the Council uses a targeted approach to tackle those properties in the poorest condition, rather than a city-wide scattergun approach. To help identify those properties most at risk, DCC has provided £5000 of funding to the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust to expand their Buildings at Risk survey to cover Derby City. 

The project has recruited and trained more than 40 volunteers to record and categorise buildings based on their state of repair. To date, over three quarters of Derby’s listed buildings have been surveyed and once collated this information will provide a valuable resource for the Council and others to target the buildings most in need of urgent attention. 

The Vacant to Vibrant programme directly targets empty properties in the city centre, particularly within the Cathedral Quarter. This programme provides crucial funding to owners to bring historic buildings back into use. This work has had an impact on some of Derby’s most historic streets, including Foulds Guitars in the Strand Arcade, Tubo Gift Shop and Mr Shaws on Sadler Gate, and Brigdens on Irongate.

Given the number of properties in private ownership, ensuring the future of historic buildings relies on their owners to keep them in good condition. In some cases, this can present challenges which doesn't always result in a good outcome, which is sadly the case with the Hippodrome. 

What we can do as a Council is continue to look at future options to help us maintain Derby’s historic properties, using our resources and our powers where necessary to ensure that they can be used and enjoyed for many years to come. 

Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council, said: 

We know the value of our historic buildings and are committed to ensuring they are maintained and cared for. They have already played a crucial role in the history and identity of the city, and we want to ensure they continue to do so for many years to come.

Given there are many historic buildings in private ownership, owners need to take their responsibility seriously in caring for the city’s heritage.

Working closely with our partners, we’ve been able to make great progress in revitalising areas of our city centre, and this work will only continue.