This is the sign that greeted visitors to the city centre car park before it closed(Image: Submitted)

Derby's Assembly Rooms car park will not reopen despite demolition reprieve

by · Derbyshire Live

Hopes that the Assembly Rooms car park could now reopen, making it easier to park in the city centre have been dashed by Derby City Council leader Nadine Peatfield. The car park was closed on September 30 pending the start of its demolition and the adjacent Assembly Rooms - the latter has been closed since 2014.

Plans for autumn demolition had been proposed by the city council. But failure to be able to remove a condition from the planning application, which said that demolition work could not begin until a fully costed and approved plan for an alternative building on the site was in place, put an end to them for now.

This prompted a large number of people to suggest that the Assembly Rooms car park is reopened in the meantime, including Derby Civic Society, whose vice-chair Ian Goodwin said: "They will hopefully reopen the Assembly Rooms car park now which makes sense from a revenue and public convenience point of view, especially with Christmas coming soon."

Councillor Steve Hassall, leader of the Conservative group on the city council, added: "I would call on the council to now reopen the Assembly Rooms car park seeing that this delay will take us into the new year and that parking provision over Christmas will be vital to trade.

The fire on top of the car park which forced the closure of the Assembly Rooms in March 2014(Image: Derby Telegraph)

"If they can’t or won’t do this then they should at least remove the bus gate on Derwent Street to help traffic looking for what is now limited parking to get across the city to Derbion or other car parks on that side of the city as the alternative route is difficult enough for Derby residents let alone visitors."

People who previously parked in the Assembly Rooms have been forced to find other car parks in the area. The nearest multi-storey council car park is in Chapel Street and there are surface car parks off Derwent Street and Sowter Road. Otherwise there are multi-storeys in Bold Lane and in the Derbion shopping centre.

Mrs Peatfield said: "Having reviewed the options, it is not financially viable to re-open the car park."

The car park reopened despite a fire in the plant room on the top of the building on March 14, 2014, which led to the permanent closure of the Assembly Rooms.