Two key city centre gateways have been successfully regenerated, thanks to partnerships between the Council and their private sector partners.
In 2021, the Council secured £15 million from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund to transform the city centre into a vibrant destination for residents and visitors. Funding was awarded to both Derbion for the regeneration of the Eastern Gateway (£3 million), and St James Street (Derby) Ltd to support their plans to revitalise St James Street (£2 million).
The Eastern Gateway project, now known as Derbion Square, was completed in early 2026, improving pedestrian access to the city centre from Derby bus station and enhancing the appearance of the area. The project transformed the site of the former Eagle Market and Castle and Falcon pub, introducing a new entrance to Derbion on East Street and creating a new public boulevard for the local community.
The newly transformed area also features a new façade and an urban garden, as well as a vibrant mural from local music and arts development organisation, Baby People.
A short walk away, work to regenerate St James Street, a key but neglected city centre corridor, has also taken place. The £10 million vision for the area was launched in early 2025 by Developer St James Street (Derby) Ltd and aimed to restore, regenerate and revitalise more than a dozen properties on one of the city’s most historically significant but underused areas. The area’s key location connects city centre landmarks, such as the state-of-the-art performance venue, Vaillant Live and the Market Place and Market Hall.
The properties comprise a mix of long-term vacant ground floor shops and extensive redundant upper floor spaces.
Funding from the Council has helped to transform The Tramshed, a disused historic warehouse into Grade A offices which are now home to world-leading game developer Bulkhead.
Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council and Cabinet Member for city centre, regeneration, strategy and policy said:
We have been working hard to purposefully and carefully design a city centre that is safer, greener, more vibrant and accessible for everyone and the completion of these two projects marks another milestone in our journey to achieving this.
By working with private sector partners, such as Derbion and St James Developments (Derby) Ltd., we’re able to combine the Council’s knowledge of the area and funding with our developer’s industry expertise, bringing our vision for a vibrant Derby to life.
A huge thank you to our partners and everyone involved in bringing these neglected areas of our city back to life.
The revitalisation of St James Street is set to continue later this year with further private sector investment from Bustler Market, who are relocating to St James Yard. Derby’s iconic outdoor street food market, which has previously been based on John Street, will bring a mix of micro-restaurants, street food, bars, entertainment, cafes, retail and lifestyle units into the area later this year.
The remainder of the Future High Streets Fund was used to support the restoration of Derby’s historic Market Hall and Lock Up Yard, which were completed and reopened for the public to enjoy in 2025.