Welcome to our website about the Derbion’s emerging plans for the future.
The city’s shopping centre Derbion has been developing a masterplan for the future of three key sites within its footprint:
1. Eagle Quarter, including the Eagle Market;
2. Riverside Quarter comprising the closed Riverside Car Park;
3. Bradshaw Way Retail Park.
Whilst Derbion, a major retail and leisure venue, continues to evolve through ongoing investment in new brand, customer experiences, and projects such as the Eastern Gateway. We are also looking further ahead so that Derbion can fulfil its full potential in the heart of the City Centre.
The Derbion Masterplan is a framework for longer-term redevelopment that complements and supports the existing centre and its significant position within Derby. This plan serves as a starting point for exploring opportunities over the next 10 years and beyond, aiming to benefit both Derbion and the ongoing regeneration of Derby City Centre, as envisioned by the Council.
Previous proposals were progressed in 2022 for Eagle Quarter and Bradshaw Way, but have since been updated. The main amendments include: the retention of Derby Theatre on the Eagle Quarter; a reduction in the height of the proposed buildings on both Bradshaw Way and Eagle Quarter; and the inclusion of the Riverside Quarter, following the permanent closure of the multi-storey car park.
The focus of this consultation is on the emerging proposals for the Eagle Quarter and Riverside Quarter sites.
A new vision and development opportunity for the city centre
Derby City Council prepared a vision in 2022 to ensure the City Centre responds to the changing needs of how we live in the 21st century.
The Eagle Market, Bradshaw Way Retail Park, and Derby Riverside were identified as key areas for change, with the vision focusing on several key themes:
Shopping and leisure – Ensuring new developments meet high design standards to enhance the City Centre environment.
City living – Ensuring new developments meet high design standards to enhance the City Centre environment.
Design quality – Ensuring new developments meet high design standards to enhance the City Centre environment.
Public realm – Creating high-quality, welcoming public spaces that are vital to the City Centre’s success.
In October 2024, the Council consulted on a new Design Guide, outlining development opportunities that are within the Derbion Masterplan, including:
1. Eagle Market – Redefining the gateway to the City Centre, enhancing the riverside park and surrounding streets;
2. Riverside multi-storey car park – Redefining the gateway to the City Centre, enhancing the riverside park and surrounding streets; and
3. Bradshaw Way Retail Park – Redeveloping the site for urban-scale, residential-led mixed-use development, improving the entrance to the City Centre.
The Derbion Masterplan presents emerging ideas that align with the Council’s vision for the future of the City Centre.
Eagle Quarter & Riverside Quarter
The Existing Sites
The Eagle Quarter is made up of the current Eagle Market and Derby Theatre.
The former market building is monolithic and poorly integrated with its surroundings. It presents a barrier to movement, including to and from the River Derwent.
Derby Theatre will remain in situ providing a focal point adjacent to the south of the redeveloped Eagle Quarter.
The Eastern Gateway redevelopment is already underway on part of the existing Eagle Market site. This project received funding from the Future High Streets Fund to assist in transforming the site into a new welcoming arrival from the bus station. It forms the first phase of the Derbion Masterplan
The proposals will improve public access from the bus station and build a new public square on the corner of East Street and Morledge. A planning application for this element of the Derbion Masterplan was approved by Derby City Council in June 2024.
The Riverside Quarter is made up of the Riverside Car Park
The large brick car park structure is an imposing and unattractive gateway to the City Centre. The car park closed in 2023 and is no longer required to meet the needs of the City Centre. The site offers potential for redevelopment as part of the Derbion Masterplan.
Eagle Quarter – ‘Eastern Gateway’ Scheme
Phase one of the Eagle Quarter development is already being considered within the proposed Eastern Gateway project on part of the existing Eagle Market site. This project received funding from the Future High Streets Fund in 2021 to assist in transforming the site into a new welcoming arrival from the bus station.
The proposals will improve public access from the bus station, build a new entrance to Derbion on East Street, add additional shops and leisure outlets and create a new public boulevard. A planning application for this element of the Derbion Masterplan was submitted to Derby City Council on 21 November 2022.
The masterplan includes new homes and commercial uses with new public spaces and walkable streets that will integrate the site with the rest of the City Centre and improve new connections to the river. There is scope to introduce some tall buildings to make better use of the site with new food and beverage, leisure and other activity at ground floor level. The proposals will contribute towards the Council’s vision in a way that responds positively to the site context including surrounding character areas.
Eagle and Riverside Quarter Proposals
Key components of the Derbion Masterplan for the Eagle and Riverside Quarter include:
New City Living – The masterplan shows there may be the potential to provide approximately 880 new homes through the introduction of taller buildings across Eagle and Riverside Quarters. The new buildings will be designed to a high standard and maximise views towards the river.
Commercial uses – New food and beverage, leisure and other new activities at ground floor of Eagle Quarter will diversify the uses in this part of the City Centre and help create a vibrant new place.
Green Cultural Heart – A Green Heart will be the focal point of the Eagle Quarter development. A big green space with an entrance to Derbion and the retained theatre, will provide a new space for everyone to dwell and enjoy.
Enhanced accessibility and pedestrian friendly connections and spaces – A new green boulevard is proposed to link the development from Morledge in the north to the green heart in the centre of the Eagle Quarter site. New walkable streets will also significantly improve accessibility to the Riverside site and the rest of the city centre via East street.
Gateway development – The masterplan increases the height of new buildings towards the east of the sites with new landmark buildings proposed in the eastern corner of Eagle Quarter and Riverside, marking the gateway into the heart of the City Centre.
Bradshaw Way
The existing retail warehouses resemble an out of-town style of development, with low rise industrial-style buildings surrounded by car parking. It is an under-utilised site in a gateway location on the southern edge of the City Centre.
Existing shops on the site may need to be relocated to other accommodation in the City Centre, responding to the Council’s aim of focusing retailing into smaller, more concentrated areas.
The Derbion Masterplan proposes to transform the Bradshaw Way Retail Park by providing new homes surrounded by new public open spaces when the site becomes available for redevelopment in the future.
Previous proposals were progressed in 2022 for Bradshaw Way, alongside Eagle Quarter; however, both have since been revised with a reduction in height following feedback from heritage consultees. A revised application is now being submitted at Bradshaw way to reflect these changes.
The masterplan shows there is potential to provide approximately 480 new homes and commercial space by redeveloping the site and introducing some taller buildings.
The buildings would provide new homes with commercial uses providing activity on the ground floor, around attractive new public spaces.
The buildings are proposed to increase in height towards Derbion but with a stepped down approach to the north to respect the existing locally listed Victoria Chambers building.
There is an opportunity to improve the connections to the Nightingale Quarter and significantly improve views across the site from Bradshaw Way and the south of the site. The proposals will contribute towards the Council’s vision in a way that responds positively to the site context including surrounding character areas.
Have Your Say
This website has been designed to provide you with information about the proposed development and enables you to submit feedback on the proposals.
We asked for all feedback to be submitted by the 10th December.
We will use the comments we receive to help finalise our proposals which we hope to present to Derby City Council, in the form of three outline planning applications (one per site).
The detailed design of the buildings and public spaces would be the subject of further reserved matters planning submissions in the future, as the sites become available for re-development.
Please let us know what you think of our emerging plans for the Derbion Masterplan. Members of our team are here to answer any of your queries.
We will be holding a public consultation event on Thursday 5th December from 11am – 4pm and on Friday 6th December from 11am – 3pm. The information provided at the event is held on this website.
