First homes ready to move into at Friar Gate Goods Yard

The first homes built at the £80 million Friar Gate Goods Yard development in Derby are ready to welcome their first residents.

An initial tranche of 31 family homes are ready to move into at the 11.5-acre scheme, off Uttoxeter New Road.

Meanwhile, alongside the 276 new build homes under construction, the vast Grade II listed Bonded Warehouse and Engine House buildings are being reanimated into over 110,000 sq ft of commercial space.

Construction is at various stages for the majority of the 227 two- and three-bedroom houses.

A four-storey apartment building containing 49 apartments will also reinstate the lost streetscape of the Stafford Street frontage.

The full redevelopment, restoration and construction programme is anticipated to complete by the end of 2028.

James Dickens, managing director of Wavensmere Homes, said: “Regenerating Friar Gate Goods Yard after nearly six decades of dereliction, urban decay and extensive fire damage, holds great symbolic importance in Derby’s ongoing renaissance.

“We have already spent £30 million on site works and construction to be at the major milestone we’ve reached today – welcoming the first new residents.

“This is in addition to purchasing the land and funding the extensive design and planning process.

“As you approach Derby city centre, Friar Gate is a huge historic landmark, and we are excited to see the ripple effect our investment could bring about in the wider area.

“The fine attention to detail and our emphasis on quality placemaking will see this £80 million project become a nationally important trophy asset for the city.”

Wavensmere Homes has already sold 180 houses off-plan at Friar Gate Goods Yard.

Prices for the next available plots start from £280,000, with completion dates falling in December 2027.

The painstaking restoration of the 19th Century Bonded Warehouse and Engine House will deliver a total of 111,275 sq ft of flexible offices, health and fitness space, a restaurant/café, together with a regional sales centre for Wavensmere.

Extensive new areas of open space, including pocket parks are also being created.