Derby Riverside Masterplan

For many years, Derby city centre has turned its back on the riverside area and large areas of the river corridor are underutilised. Derby Riverside is one of a series of key sites with the potential to act as a catalyst for opening up the riverside through mixed use development, together with potential for iconic buildings and new pedestrian links across the river.

The vision for the 11ha site is to create a first class Derby Riverside providing a window onto the River Derwent and widening the city centre offer with new leisure, living and work opportunities. At the same time, a new Riverside Park network would be created that would deliver a great new asset for the city but would also form part of a conveyance corridor in times of extreme flooding, protecting the wider city centre from flood water.  Fronting the park will be an innovative area of public realm that will also integrate a flood defence barrier.

TEP led the masterplanning process, advising on urban design and supported by Buttress on architecture, transport planners Mott MacDonald on access and movement and Genecon on development economics.

The design required a sensitive approach towards flood mitigation, including a flood defence barrier and integrated landscape design with comprehensive stakeholder engagement and community consultation undertaken.

TEP prepared a number of masterplan options that were modelled in terms of predicted socio-economic and environmental benefits and a recommendation for the preferred option was submitted to the City Council and Environment Agency for approval. Development guidance was also prepared to convey the vision and design standards for Derby Riverside over the 5-10 year development period, so that the development could be delivered accordingly.