On Tuesday 12th November Planning & Design joined around 200 guests, including fellow Bondholders, civic leaders and investors at Mansion House in London to hear about the latest developments in Derby and to celebrate the city’s investment momentum as it heads into its “Olympic” year in 2025.
Held annually, the Marketing Derby London Embassy is the organisations flagship event, helping to raise the profile of Derby and highlight its suitability as a place to invest. Backed by embassy partner Smith Partnership, the audience heard presentations from a number of keynote speakers, including East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward, attending her inaugural London Embassy.
The event was made extra special by being Marketing Derby’s 500th event, a landmark for “Team Derby” who look to promote the city, it’s potential and help shape its future.
Derby’s Olympic year
Derby has much to look forward to; 2025 is the year which will see the reopening of the Derby’s Market Hall following a £35 million refurbishment, which will see it become a hub for makers, traders, creatives and a central part of the city’s cultural offering. In addition, Wavensmere Homes will complete the Nightingale Quarter residential scheme, created on the site of the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, and begin work on the long-awaited redevelopment of Friar Gate Goods Yard, whilst the University of Derby’s £70 million new Business School will also open bringing an additional 6000 students to the city centre.
2025 will also see curtain’s up at the Becketwell Performance venue. A major project, the 3,500-capacity performance venue is currently in the final stages of construction by Bowmer + Kirkland. Once the £45 million building is handed over during the first quarter of 2025, the venue will be operated by ASM Global, a world-leading venue management company, whose UK portfolio includes OVO Arena Wembley, AO Arena (Manchester), and Olympia and OVO Hydro (Glasgow). Hosting over 200 cultural and commercial events each year, the venue is expected to attract an additional 250,000 visitors to Derby, create over 200 new local jobs, and increase levels of investment in surrounding areas of the city centre.
Live, work and learn Derby
Following introductory remarks by John Forkin MBE, Managing Director of Marketing Derby, Alice Hunt, group communications director at Rolls-Royce, Derby’s largest private sector employer, addressed the embassy to talk about the engineering giant’s commitment to investing in the city.
With a presence in the city stretching back over a century, Derby is home to Rolls Royce’s Civil Aerospace and Defence divisions. Recent years has seen the company investing heavily in nuclear; its Raynesway site will build power plants for the AUKUS submarines, and in the creation of a Nuclear Skills Academy – creating the nuclear engineers of the future.
Alice said: “Derby is in the blood of Rolls-Royce and we’re really proud of our heritage – but also excited about the opportunities which lie ahead.
“We are now full speed ahead on our transformation – and we believe we can take Rolls-Royce to the next level. All of this is good news for Derby as we are investing in our growth.”
Speaking at her very first London Embassy event, Claire Ward, the figurehead of the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), explained the opportunities that devolution will bring to the region – and how Derby has a key role to play in bringing about positive change.
Claire’s speech at Mansion House coincided with both the launch of a new Inclusive Growth Commission, chaired by Andy Haldane – the former chief economist of the Bank of England – which will recommend how EMCCA invests a £4 billion funding pot, and additionally confirmation by the Chancellor of £160 million to establish an East Midlands Investment Zone, which includes Derby’s Infinity Park.
Recently made Deputy Mayor of the East Midlands, and attending her first London Embassy as leader of Derby City Council, Councillor Nadine Peatfield talked about a “city on the rise, brimming with ambition”.
She outlined why 2025 was shaping up to be such a “pivotal year” for the city, with major regeneration and public realm projects taking place, as discussed above, many of which have been made possible thanks to investment “that has been achieved in partnership”.
Councillor Peatfield also talked about the city’s continuing evolution, including the recent launch of Rail Campus Derby, which bring further opportunities for new investment, and how being part of the EMCCA will create a “a collaborative powerhouse for change.”
John Forkin, MD of Marketing Derby and Councillor Nadine Peatfield, leader of derby City Council at the Marketing Derby London Embassy
Concluding the presentations, managing partner of Smith Partnership Kevin McGrath, talked about the power of ‘Team Derby’ in both attracting new investment and preserving what we already have.
Having been headquartered in Derby city centre for almost 40 years, Smith Partnership are “passionate advocates of the city of Derby”, and Mr McGrath suggested that with “estimates that in five years’ time we will have 15,000 prospective clients living on our doorstep in the DE1 postcode, our decision to stay and invest in the city centre has definitely paid off.”
Fit for a London Embassy – Mansion House
Our colleagues in our RIBA Chartered architectural team would not forgive us if we didn’t mention the stunning surroundings of this year’s London Embassy, Mansion House.
Until the mid-18th century, the Lord Mayor of London was perhaps the original “work from homer” using their own house, or an agreeable livery (guild) hall from which to conduct their work as head of the City’s governmental, judicial and civic functions. The idea of creating a permanent residence came after the great Fire of London in 1666, when it was felt to be inconvenient to continue this practice and that a permanent base was needed for this important civic role.
Mansion House was the result, becoming the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London, with the first to take up residence being Sir Crispin Gascoigne. The Grade I listed building was built between 1739 and 1752, in the Palladian style, by the surveyor and architect George Dance the Elder. It is used for some of the City of London’s most important functions, including the Mansion House speech, annually in June, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer gives an update on the state of the British economy.
Proud to be Bondholders
Having been Marketing Derby Bondholders for over a decade, Planning & Design Practice are proud to be part of “Team Derby”, part of a community of over 350 Bondholders comprising sole traders and SMEs to some of the region’s largest firms and internationally recognised brands.
Richard Pigott, Chartered Town Planner and Director at PDP said:
“There is no doubt that these are exciting times for Derby. A number of long discussed projects are now taking shape and coming to life. With our Derby office located in the city centre, we see daily reminders of the regeneration gathering pace in the city with the cranes visible in its skyline. The opportunities this creates for our own business are apparent – new clients, new collaborations and new incentives to help us recruit the talent we need to help our business thrive.”
