Campaigners believe Assembly Rooms can be still be saved from demolition as it'd be cheaper to reuse

Campaigners feel there is still a chance to save Derby's Assembly Rooms after plans to demolish the building were put on hold. Members of Derby City Society say there is still a chance to save the building and instead use it as the basis for new development after demolition plans were delayed pending a fully-costed and approved replacement buildings planning application being produced for the Market Place.

They are hoping to put pressure on Derby City Council, which had intended to begin demolition of the 1970s Brutalist-style building imminently but found that planning conditions imposed by its own planners could not be easily removed and opted to go away and try to finalise plans for the multi-storey office and meeting space, as well as restaurants, hotels, and commercial spaces on the site, which up to now has been part of a vision statement only.

Ian Goodwin, vice chair of the civic society said that the city has a "window of opportunity" to try to save the Assembly Rooms. He said: "The Assembly Rooms is an extremely robust building, built with a reinforced concrete frame. To demolish the Assembly Rooms is a waste of resources demonstrated by the calculations for loss of embedded carbon.

"A proposed building to replace it would require another structural frame of a similar size so why not reuse the Assembly Rooms structure."

Mr Goodwin points to Derby City Council's new draft City Centre Design Guide, which states: "Major development should aim for a net zero carbon standard by reducing carbon emissions over the full life cycle of the development from conception to end of life/reuse – this includes wherever possible, applicants should retain and reuse buildings, structures and materials on-site to reduce carbon emissions. Buildings should only be demolished where applicants can demonstrate no other means of regenerating the site."

He said: "We have made this comment many times previously and now we aim to keep the city council true to their new design principals and save the Assembly Rooms structure.

"From a purely financial point of view, the cost of the proposed new development outlined in the vision document would cost in the region of £100 million. Whereas, the cost of reusing the Assembly Rooms structure and reconfiguring the building would in our opinion cost closer to half that."

Mr Goodwin added that evening trade in the Cathedral Quarter had been suffering ever since the venue closed ten years ago.

Councillor Nadine Peatfield, leader of Derby City Council , announced that the demolition would be postponed would after the council's regeneration scrutiny board questioned the wisdom of removing a planning condition that was imposed to prevent it becoming a derelict open space.

She said: "The purpose of a scrutiny board is to analyse and question the decision making of the administration. As the leader of this minority administration, it’s essential that I listen and take time to consider the questions posed by our opposition.

"Resequencing our plans is the responsible thing to do and supports the pledge this cabinet made to leading responsibly and maintaining stability. We’ll continue to work with our development partners to ensure that the new scheme will follow on seamlessly from the demolition of the existing building.

“The city’s cultural offer has also changed significantly since we announced plans to begin demolition back in March. This means that it’s more important than ever to ensure that we work with our partners, VINCI UK Developments and Ion Property Developments, to refine and perfect our plans for the city’s new cultural heart.

“I understand that this may be disconcerting for our residents and partners who are keen to see visible progress, but please be reassured that we’re confident in our proposals for the site and are committed to transforming our city centre into a vibrant and welcoming place with culture at its heart."

The Assembly Rooms was closed and never reopened after a fire in the plant room on top of the adjacent car park on March 14, 2014. Since then it has been the subject of various plans including refurbishment and demolition and redevelopment and also of a number of influential bodies who are concerned about its demolition including Historic England, the Twentieth Century Society, as well as Derby Civic Society.

The Twentieth Century Society, which campaigns to save outstanding buildings and design that have shaped the British landscape since 1914, responded previously to the plan to remove the condition that stops the Assembly Rooms being knocked down currently. The society is on record saying that says that the Assembly Rooms "is an important post-war civic building in Derby, built by a reputable architects’ practice to a fantastically high standard".

A society spokesman said: "We registered strong objections to the planning application for the demolition of the Assembly Rooms originally. We argued that the building should be considered a positive contributor to Derby city centre conservation area and that its loss would result in heritage harm. We maintain this position and continue to strongly object to the building’s demolition."