Developers announce changes to first phase of Becketwell scheme.

The developers behind the £200m regeneration of the Becketwell area of Derby city centre, have announced that modifications are being made to their original proposals for the residential element of the scheme ahead of it going for planning consent this year.

St James Securities completed an extensive consultation with businesses, key stakeholders and the general public at the end of October and since then has been reviewing the comments received alongside the responses to its formal funding exercise.

As a consequence, the decision has been taken to scale back the residential element of the scheme, which will be located on the site of the former Debenhams store on Victoria Street.

The original plan was to create 342 Build to Rent apartments in two buildings, the tallest of which would extend up to 19 storeys in height and contain 246 apartments, with 96 apartments in a second, smaller building.

The larger building will now be reduced to approximately 224 apartments over a maximum of ground plus 10 storeys. The second smaller building fronting Green Lane and Victoria Street will be ground plus 4 storeys and will be developed separately.

The new multi-purpose public square on the site of the current United Reformed Church remains the centrepiece of the development and will continue to be delivered as part of phase one.

The existing planning application, which is now scheduled to be presented at the February planning committee meeting, is currently being amended and will continue to include a detailed application for the new square but with an outline application for the two revised buildings.

The rest of the submitted planning application which includes a range of other complementary uses of the site, including up to 25,000 sq m of new grade A offices, innovation centre and leisure to complement the residential and a planned multi storey car park with a smaller more intimate courtyard public square, remains the same.

The work on the demolition of the former Debenhams building is ongoing with construction work on the first phase of development set to commence this year.