City Centre Design Guide Consultation

Derby City Centre Character Areas

The quality of design of new buildings and spaces is a key factor in the image and perception of a place. A high-quality built environment will stimulate confidence, bring investment and attract people to live, work and play in the city centre. Poor quality will result in a poor image and lead to further decline.

There are some examples of high-quality new buildings in the city centre that we can be proud of. However, others do not live up to this standard. The feedback we received on the City Centre Ambition document (2022) was clear that we need to ensure that all new development is of high quality to raise the bar and improve the overall image of the city centre.

In response to the feedback, we commissioned consultants to develop a Design Guide document specifically aimed at the city centre; providing clear design principles to ensure that as the city centre evolves, it is inclusive, responds appropriately to its context and prioritises sustainability. The City Centre Design Guide (CCDG) has now been drafted and we want to hear your feedback.

The CCDG is a comprehensive document, broken down into several chapters, covering different aspects of design. By its nature it is technical and has been designed as a reference document. We have therefore produced a short summary document that provides information on the context and explains the type of issues covered by each chapter.

To capture feedback, we have set up two surveys, which can be accessed at the bottom of this page. The first one - Short survey - is anonymous and provides an opportunity to provide your high level views quickly and simply. The second survey - Full survey - aims to record comments on specific sections of the document. You can select which sections you want to comment on before providing free text feedback. So that we can identify comments that have been made by different organisations and stakeholders, the second survey does ask for contact information . Alternatively, you can send comments to planningpolicy@derby.gov.uk, or by post to the freepost address below (you don’t need to use a stamp):

Derby City Centre Design Guide, Planning Policy, Derby City Council, Freepost MID24259, Derby, DE1 2BR

For further information, or if you require the document in another format, please contact the Planning Policy Team using the email address above.

We will be hosting drop-in sessions at the City Lab (in Derbion) on Tuesday 22nd October and Wednesday 13th November, providing an opportunity to speak directly with Council officers about the CCDG. More information about the City Lab, including its location and opening times can be found on the City Lab website.

The deadline for providing feedback is 5pm on Monday 13th January 2025.

Following this public consultation, there will be a review of the feedback, which will then be used to assist in refining the document. Once this work is complete, the CCDG will be recommended for Council endorsement, making the document a material consideration in decision making.