Derby Assembly Rooms demolition decision

Images showing how the redeveloped Derby Market Place will look after demolition of Assembly Rooms. Images by Derby City Council.

The demolition of Derby’s empty Assembly Rooms has been given the all-clear – with work expected to start next year.

Planning Control Committee members of Derby City Council met on Thursday (September 3rd) to take part in the crucial vote that would see whether the city centre venue’s demolition could be finalised and if work to tear it down could now start.

Following the meeting, the city council announced demolition can take place in early 2027.

The green light to demolish the site signals the end of years of uncertainty surrounding the building’s future.

Major plans are in place to replace the Assembly Rooms with a new multi-use building which would run as a music venue, cultural/exhibition space, library, working space and meeting areas – including a rooftop bar.

A four-star hotel and high-quality office space is also a major part of the Market Place redevelopment – being led by the city council.

The knocking down of the Assembly Rooms – which has been closed for more than 10 years following a serious fire – was actually approved more than two years ago.

However, a condition was attached to the planning permission, saying demolition could not begin until an approved scheme was “covered by a Development Agreement with an approved time frame for its implementation”.

The condition was placed to ensure the Assembly Rooms was not demolished in isolation and to avoid the prospect of having a huge vacant space being left empty for some time.

Last week, the Labour-led council announced it had completed a ‘Master Development Agreement’ with ION Property Developments Limited to deliver the Market Place regeneration plans.

The deal was hailed by council leader Nadine Peatfield as an “important milestone” for the city’s plans to regenerate the Market Place.

The planning meeting saw a majority of councillors on the committee give the demolition the full go-ahead.

Councillor Jerry Pearce, chair of the planning committee said: “Something has to be done – its dragged on for a while.

“But we need to push the developers on this. I don’t want to see a hole on the ground for years and years. I hope to see big cranes and lorries and get the building knocked down.”

Cllr Martin Rawson said: “This agreement as I understand it gives us the best possible chance of making sure we move forward as quickly as possible and to get something that the people of Derby can be proud of. We’ve given it good scrutiny.”

But Cllr Lucy Care expressed concerns about the funding of the regeneration project and where it was coming from.

Council officials say work to demolish the site is expected to take around 12 months and, once complete, construction on the new buildings will begin.