Restoration of key Friar Gate Goods Yard building nears completion

Wavensmere Homes has said restoration work on a key building at its £80 million Friar Gate Goods Yard redevelopment project is nearing completion.

The housebuilder has invested more than £1 million in the 12-month restoration of the Grade II listed Engine House, which will be used as a marketing suite for the wider development.

The work has been carried out with Derby City Council’s conservation officers.

The Engine House operated from 1876 until the 11.5-acre goods yard closed in 1967, providing power for hydraulic lifts and capstans serving the neighbouring Bonded Warehouse.

The building later fell into disrepair and was extensively damaged by a fire in 2013, which destroyed much of the roof over the engine room, boiler room and accumulator tower.

Donna Smith, sales director at Wavensmere Homes, said: “The transformational progress at 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.”

Around 90% of the Engine House’s brickwork has now been repointed or repaired, with almost 1,000 damaged bricks replaced using reclaimed Victorian-era materials.

Replacement works have also included round oculus windows and bespoke louvred windows for the accumulator tower.

The residential element of the Friar Gate Goods Yard scheme comprises 276 homes, with 180 sold off-plan to date.

Construction is expected to continue through to 2028.

Donna added: “The homes under construction have already benefited from the rising values you would expect from a major city living regeneration scheme, and there will be much more to come, as the construction phases continue through to 2028.

“We would urge those interested in living at Friar Gate to get in touch as soon as they can, so we can arrange a date for them to explore the site.”

Restoration of another key building on the site, the Bonded Warehouse, is also under way, with plans for more than 100,000 sq ft of flexible office, health and fitness, restaurant and café space.

The wider regeneration includes new public realm and pocket parks, as well as a multi-purpose space next to Friar Gate Bridge incorporating retained railway arch façades.

New vehicle, pedestrian and cycle connections are also being delivered from Uttoxeter New Road, Great Northern Way and Friar Gate, alongside an extension of the Mick Mack cycling route.