Third time lucky for plan to create new Derby food market at St Peter’s Churchyard
The plan has previously been refused on two occasions
Developers are hoping it will be third time lucky as they once again call for the creation of a new food and drink market at a controversial Derby city centre location.
Burton Abbey Developments has submitted a third planning application to bring an unused green space into life at St Peter’s Churchyard – despite having planning permission refused on two occasions previously.
In November last year, Derby City Council refused plans to transform the disused space on the city centre street next to St Peter’s Street for a second time, despite huge support for it within the business community.
Now, revised plans have been submitted for consideration with the market’s size and layout changed to previous proposals. This time around, the plan focuses on 10 retail units (a reduction from 12) which would be located in an “L-shape” direction along southern and western edges of the site away from the Grade II*-listed St Peter’s Church and Grade II*-listed Old Grammar School. The plans also include a seating area for up to 100 people.
Councillors on Derby City Council’s planning committee turned down the plans last time around after planning officers recommended the refusal of the application as it would “have a negative and harmful impact on the significance of the Grade II* curtilage listed wall and the Grade II* St Peter’s Church and surrounding designated heritage assets”.
One of the most sensitive parts of the application and location is for the developer to create an opening from the historic 19th-century wall bordering the site as an entrance point to the new market. Derby City Council says the wall is “curtilage listed” – this means that the wall itself is not Grade Listed but it is a sensitive asset within an area where Grade Listed structures are located – and therefore should provide the same level as the Grade Listed settings within that area.
However, in its revised application Burton Abbey Developments say there is a debate to be had surrounding its “heritage significance” in the city and is once again calling for it to be partially demolished.
A design and access statement says: “Derby City Council believe that the wall located to the north of the application site is a curtilage-listed structure and for the purposes of this application we have accepted this assumption. It is, however, worth noting that although curtilage listing provides that same degree of protection as that of the host listing it does not infer any heritage significance. “
It then later adds: “Although associated with the Grade II* Church it is self-evident that the heritage significance of the wall is limited and therefore appropriate intervention should be perfectly acceptable. The application should be determined on the basis that the wall is a curtilage structure, but which has low heritage significance.”
Derby City Council hopes to make a final decision on the plans before the end of the year. However, dates can be subject to change.