£45m venue key to revitalising Derby – council CEO

The chief executive of Derby City Council has said a planned £45m performance venue is key to revitalising the area.A scheme to create a 3,500-capacity scheme in the Becketwell area was unveiled by the council and development partner St James Securities earlier this week.It comes after the Assembly Rooms, the city’s previous performance venue, was earmarked for demolition following a fire in 2014.He said the risks of “over-relying on manufacturing businesses” such as Rolls-Royce and Bombardier had been exposed by the Covid-19 crisis, and the city needed a more balanced economy.Simpson, who was appointed in March, added that the council would continue to bid for government funding to help overhaul the city’s infrastructure.Earlier this year Derby and Nottingham received £161m for transport improvements, which will include an electric rapid transit system for Derby, connecting the city centre with key sites such as Pride Park and the HS2 station at Toton.The online summit, which was viewed by around 250 senior business and public sector figures, included a passionate speech by retail veteran Bill Grimsey, who has written reports on the state of the high street.He said one way of revitalising cities such as Derby was to use compulsory purchase orders to “get rid” of absentee landlords of properties which had stood empty for many years.