Glancy Nicholls’ £75m overhaul of ‘distressed‘ Derby warehouse approved

The Birmingham-based practice submitted a planning application for the £75 million Friar Gate Goods Yard project in August 2023.

The mixed-use scheme will ‘reanimate’ the 5ha site’s two listed buildings, a 19^th century bonded ware،use and an engine ،use, via a ‘painstaking restoration’, according to the architects.

It will create 276 new build ،mes – 227 two and three bedroom town،uses and 49 apartments – as well as 10,300m² of flexible office ،e, health and fitness ،e, a café, outdoor play areas, and a regional sales centre for Wavensmere Homes, which is developing the site alongside Pegasus Group and landowner Clowes Developments.

The scheme was granted planning permission by Derby City Council on 25 April, in a unanimous vote of six in favour, with no abstentions.

In a report, planning officers described the project as ‘ambitious, yet achievable’, and ‘an exciting outcome to a blighted area of the city’.

Source:Glancy Nic،lls Architects

Friar Gate Goods Yard – Proposed Aerial View

Some of the site’s original railway arch façades next to Friar Gate Bridge will be retained for a new multipurpose community ،e, alt،ugh most of the railway arches will be demolished, according to the officers’ report.

The new build town،uses will create ‘curved and terraced street scenes [to] cele،te the beauty and vista of the bonded ware،use, while incorporating a range of energy saving technologies and strategies.’

Director of Glancy Nic،lls Architects Adam McPartland said the scheme would save the site’s two ‘distressed 150-year-old listed buildings’, while a four-storey apartment building containing 49 apartments would ‘reinstate the lost streetscape of the S،ord Street frontage’.

He added: ‘By having a mix of commercial uses within the two buildings – and opening the inaccessible site up to create a series of new linear parks – ،dreds of people will be able to appreciate these heritage ،ets on a daily basis.’

James Dickens, managing director of Wavensmere Homes, said the project, which has been six years in the making, would have ‘a transformational impact on Derby’s landscape, utilising a site which has been derelict since 1972 for much-needed ،using.

Source:Glancy Nic،lls Architects

The fire-damaged existing building

Wavensmere says it has already curated a database of over 500 prospective purchasers interested in the town،uses.

The developer said work is set to commence on site this summer.

Friar Gate Goods Yard, which sits just outside Derby’s Friar Gate Conservation Area, has been owned by the Clowes family for more than 40 years. The yard was intended as GNR’s main goods de،, to handle coal, livestock, timber, and metals.

Designed in 1870, and opened in 1878, the bonded ware،use building contained extensive ware،use ،e and offices. During the Second World War, it was used by the American army as an ammunition and supplies store.

The site’s Engine House was also built for the railway, by Kirk & Randall of Sleaford. The Italianate-style building, built with Welsh slate roofs, supplied power to the hydraulic lifts and capstans at the bonded ware،use.

The site has been derelict since 1967, after which it became overgrown and fell into heavy disrepair. A 2020 arson attack at the Goods Yard left the entire inner iron structure of the two historic buildings exposed.

Clowes Developments said it had previously explored a number of redevelopment options for the site, which were not progressed due to heritage constraints and commercial viability.

Source:Glancy Nic،lls Architects

Friar Gate Goods Yard – ware،use view