Not too long ago the council cabinet passed a motion to apply for a grant to help fund the Eastern Gateway. It looked like this.
Knowing that the Eagle Market seen in the picture was already set to close and was earmarked for demolition, I asked what it was a gateway too. I was met with an awkward silence and shuffling feet. No further information was provided.
More recently I was invited to an exhibition to showcase the developers plans for the city. This shows THE SAME BUILDING…
Can you see it?
Do you think millions of pounds of government grant funding should go into this private project?
Can you spot why the Council is now urgently trying to build a new theatre at vast expense?
Did the council mislead the government and it’s own Councillors when it applied for the funding?
Personally, I don’t mind the new seven storey design but I don’t like being misled. I also dislike the 28 storey building in the background mist that is barely visible and the fact that no extra parking provision has been designed for the 850 flats in these plans, that’s potentially 2000 residents and not a single extra space. Having lived around the country and watched tower block after tower block demolished over the last decades, why is Derby even considering this madness? Our fire service can only reach 11 storeys maximum with great difficulty and anything above 6 makes life difficult for residents. Have we learned nothing?