Re-opening the city

Planning is well underway by Bondholders Derby City Council, the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and intu Derby to support the safe reopening of the city, as lockdown measures are eased from 15th June.

Following the Government’s recent announcement that high streets can reopen, and people are able to visit non-essential retail outlets, the necessary social distancing and hygiene measures are being put in place to enable the city centre to be as safe as possible for residents, visitors and businesses.

Councillor Matthew Holmes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transportation said: “The pandemic has had a huge impact on our retailers, and it is great news that the high street can start to reopen from Monday, and the city can begin to rebuild, though it is vital that it is reopened as safely as possible for everyone.”

Steps being taken involve introducing new temporary measures to further manage the public open spaces, the introduction of one-way pedestrian routes, additional signage for businesses, and street and pavement markings, enabling shoppers and workers to observe social distancing, and reduce the spread of the virus.

In a joint statement on behalf of the city’s Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Martin Langsdale, Chair of the Cathedral Quarter Board, and Helen Wathall, Chair of St Peters Quarter Board, said: “The BID Ranger teams will have particularly important roles as lockdown measures ease – providing visitors with a point of contact on the streets and continuing to be a vital link between businesses and statutory agencies.

“We look forward to continuing to work with businesses in the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter to ensure that the BID areas are vibrant, safe and welcoming areas for everyone to enjoy.”

Adam Tamsett, General Manager at intu Derby, commented: “From Monday 15th June, we will gradually see more of our stores open in line with Government guidance. Our priority as we start to come out of lockdown is to keep our visitors safe. Nothing is more important to us and we will continue to make sure our centre is a clean and a safe place to be.

“As well as managing the number of shoppers inside our centre, there will be a raft of other measures in place including; one-way systems, floor stickers, social distancing guidelines, enhanced hygiene regimes and deep cleaning of key areas and touchpoints. We’d like to thank everybody for their patience and support, and we’re looking forward to welcoming back our local community.”