Derby City Council appoints Tibbalds for Riverside North Masterplan

The 6.7ha site is bounded by the River Derwent to the south and west, and the Inner Ring Road to the north and east. Derby Cathedral, the Museum of Making (in the former Silk Mill) and wider city centre shopping and leisure are a short distance away west of the river.  The site sits adjacent to, and within buffer zone, for the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site – providing a significant heritage character for proposals to reflect.

Its regeneration is a high-profile priority specifically referenced in the Council Plan 2025-28, which aims to deliver new homes on brownfield sites in the city centre including through Council intervention.

Tibbalds’ masterplan will support the proposed residential allocation of this site in the Derby Local Plan and the delivery of future development. It will provide the spatial framework for a new residential-led mixed-use neighbourhood that establishes the optimum development capacity, spatial parameters and indicative phasing for each site. Heritage considerations and local character will be balanced with a mix of housing and non-residential uses and the creation of characterful, resilient and adaptable neighbourhoods that are rooted in their context and able to respond to future needs.

The masterplan builds on the momentum of other regeneration projects across the city centre, as well as the ongoing construction of Phase 2 of Our City Our River (OCOR) project within the site boundary; a scheme which will deliver new flood defences that unlock the regeneration potential of the area, alongside a new riverside green space.

Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council, said: “We are always looking at opportunities to champion growth in Derby and create an attractive city that people want to live and work in. Transforming brownfield land is a key part of that ambition.

“We’ve seen the city centre’s residential market continue to grow – with new developments like The Condor at Becketwell, and Castleward Urban Village – and Riverside North can act as a catalyst for further growth and investment.”

Ketki Mudholkar, Associate, at Tibbalds said: “Based on its location alone, this is an ideal place to live: already well-connected to the city centre, with good transport links, direct access to the river and proximity to Derby Cathedral, the historic city core and World Heritage Site. Our masterplan will address the challenge of regenerating this highly constrained setting, establishing the right mix and scale of housing, amenities and public spaces to create an attractive, successful neighbourhood– and deliver wider benefits for the city centre.”

The appointment follows Tibbalds’ work in Hatfield, supporting town centre regeneration through a place-led masterplan that celebrates Hatfield’s New Town character and will shape development opportunities that help the council deliver its town centre living ambitions.