Derby City Centre has ‘exciting future’

Councillor Gurkiran Kaur, cabinet member for Derby city centre, culture and tourism. Image by LDRS.

 The new leader tasked to improve Derby city centre says more empty buildings are set to be filled and it has an “exciting future”.

But shoppers say they are not convinced and there’s lots of work to do.

Derby’s youngest councillor Gurkiran Kaur has taken up her first cabinet role at Labour-led Derby City Council.

The 26-year-old Normanton councillor was appointed the new cabinet member for city centre, culture and tourism in May. She has lived in Derby since early childhood.

The city centre position was previously held by council leader Nadine Peatfield, but she has juggled roles to focus on Derby’s involvement in Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

Councillor Kaur says she has had a busy start as city centre leader – being part of Derby’s 50-year twinning celebration with Osnabruck and in talks with Derby Museums and other partners to seek improvements.

She said: “I think Derby is a brilliant place and I’m very proud to call it home. There’s so much diversity here.

“It is a lot of responsibility but I feel ready for it.

“I want us to celebrate Derby’s culture and heritage. I want to make sure residents and people from outside Derby want to visit by having nice places to shop and eat and learn about the city’s heritage.”

But looking around the city centre, the challenges are laid bare. Big name and smaller retail shops are closing and High Streets are struggling across the country as online shopping continues to trend forwards.

Cllr Kaur added: “Habits have changed in inner cities across the country and we’re working hard to support local businesses. We’ve got ‘Vacant to Vibrant’ funding to fill empty units – in the coming months hopefully we will be able to announce a few more.”

Asked if the centre had an exciting future, Cllr Kaur responded: “Definitely. I’m very excited about its future.

“I think with our venues we are able to put on more events – especially in the music scene.”

The council says it is working hard to fill empty buildings and more details will be announced in due course.

Recently a new pub – The Tannery – opened its doors on Sadler Gate taking up an empty unit.

But just on the other side of the street, The Wedding House shop currently has “closing down sale” signs on its front window. This shows the scale of the challenge to rejuvenate high streets.

Shoppers in Derby believe there is much to do to improve the city centre.

Graham, who used to work in the city centre for decades, said he is saddened by what he sees.

The 77-year-old said: “I think it’s going downhill and has been for the last ten years.

“I sit outside the Market Hall because it is classier than The Spot. There you get beggars coming up to you every minute.

“I don’t think the shops are as good – everywhere you go you see a vape shop. They closed British Home Stores years ago and it’s been boarded up ever since.”

Ellen Smyth was catching a bus from the city centre and told how she was not impressed with things.

She said: “It’s drab and the [opening] of the Market Hall has been a disaster.

“There’s not enough shops – when Primark goes from the Cornmarket it will be dead as a dodo.

“I’ve lived in Derby all my life and we used to like coming to town but not any more. Iron Gate and Sadler Gate used to be vibrant but there’s not much there now.”

But city centre resident Robert Keeling was upbeat about the city centre and said he enjoyed visiting.

The retired 71-year-old said: “I don’t go to the Derbion shopping centre a lot but I think the Assembly Rooms needs sorting out. I think they’ve just left it there not knowing what to do.

“I do like the new padel courts at the old Eagle Market. I think that was a very good idea and I see lots use it.

“I go to a café here every day but I’d like to see more traditional cafés.”