Strong partnerships helping the key pieces of Derby’s regeneration jigsaw fall into place

The key pieces of Derby’s regeneration jigsaw are falling into place thanks to its strong public/private sector partnerships – that was one of the key messages from this year’s Derby Property Summit.

Held yesterday at Vaillant Live, in the heart of Derby city centre, over 200 business leaders, key decision-makers and investors from across the region, were given an exclusive insight into the city’s development pipeline and major regeneration projects.

Through its line-up of respected keynote speakers and panellists, delegates learned how these projects are delivering to Derby’s growth ambitions within the broader regional growth and spatial plans.

Entitled ‘Shaping the Future’ the event also threw the spotlight on the key role Derby is playing in terms of strengthening the regional construction skills agenda to meet industry demand.

Speaking at the summit, Councillor Nadine Peatfield, leader of Derby City Council and Deputy Mayor of the East Midlands, said: “Derby is a city that works in partnership.

“When I speak to people from other parts of the country, they are envious of ‘Team Derby’ and the relationships that we have and the way we work with local and regional government and the private sector to get things done.”

The Derby Property Summit 2026 was organised by Marketing Derby, the city’s award-winning investment promotion agency, and was backed by summit partners Derby College Group and AtkinsRéalis, along with brand sponsors Chevin Homes, Derbion, Planning & Design Practice and Matthew Montague Architects.

And it was once again expertly hosted by respected business journalist Declan Curry.

In conversation with Declan, Councillor Peatfield, talked about the key projects shaping Derby’s future, which support the vision to be a top city in which to “live, work and play”.

In particular, she singled out the recent progress made on the regeneration of the Market Place – and that the Assembly Rooms can now be demolished, paving the way for ION Developments’ Derby MADE scheme –  a proposed multi-use civic and cultural anchor building.

She said: “This scheme is absolutely key to unlocking the city centre – and finally, it is unlocked.”

She also spoke about the work of ‘Team Derby’ – a partnership which brings together local, regional and national government – which has been awarded an initial £10 million to help the city fully realise its potential.

She said: “We’re a city which punches above its weight and has some big-hitting industries. Yet, to this day, we can still walk around our city centre and not always feel that.

“We will be going back to government and showing them what we are investing that £10 million in – and asking them for a regular deal to boost the development of Derby.”

And she spoke how the city council works in partnership with the East Midlands Combined County Authority to help deliver “inclusive growth” for Derby.

She said: “We need strategic thinking – which can happen on a wider scale when we have a combined authority. It allows us to deliver growth which we just couldn’t do on our own as a city council.”

This year’s other keynote speakers included Amy Harhoff, chief executive of the EMCCA, who talked about its role in creating growth for the region.

She was followed by Carol Dixon, director of employer partnerships at Derby College Group, and Brian Malyan, the college’s vice-principal for technical and vocational education, who took to the stage to talk about the key role it is playing in shaping the future of construction skills.

A year ago, Derby College Group was selected by the Department for Education as one of nine regional Construction Technical Excellence Colleges (CTEC) in the UK – recognising it as a national leader in delivering high-quality, industry-relevant construction training.

The summit also heard from Greenhatch Group and Vaillant Group – two employers who are working with the college to shape the future of construction skills – as well as a former T Level student and a current apprentice, who explained how they are benefiting from such partnerships.

Delegates then heard from Paul Morris, director of St James Securities, the company delivering the £200 million Becketwell regeneration project, who gave an insight into the exciting next phase of the scheme, which will bring new Grade A office space to the heart of the city centre.

Finally, a panel discussion took place on how new industrial schemes are supporting Derby’s growth, which featured contributions from Adrienne Howells, land director at SmartParc, Rob Richardson, development director at Indurent and Tom Goshawk, head of investment strategy and programmes at EMCCA.