The Regeneration Strategy for the Darley Abbey part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site is a Derby City Council led project and aims to provide a way of realising the full tourism and economic potential of the area to secure its long-term future.
We have carried out a number of studies to inform the Strategy, which makes recommendations for new uses and continued use at Darley Abbey Mills site and Darley Abbey Parks Stable block and includes proposals for environmental improvements, alleviation of flood risk, traffic and parking issues.
Why do we want to regenerate the Darley Abbey area?
All elements of the project have previously been identified in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site’s Economic Development Plan, Management Plan and the Council's 10-year Action Plan for the southern end of the World Heritage Site. The project was needed to secure the long-term future of these listed buildings (many are Grade I and II) and to make the most of the potential of the World Heritage Site in terms of tourism and economic development.
What areas will be affected by the regeneration strategy?
There are two main parts in Derby; the Silk Mill and the Darley Abbey Mills site in Darley Abbey village, including the Stable Block and parkland of the former Darley Hall.
The Mills and Stables are run down and underused. Over the past 20 to 30 years, there has been no common vision or aims for the complex. This has led to a lack of direction and no significant investment from the public or private sector. The Darley Abbey Mills properties (including over 150,000 square foot of floor space) are all privately owned and include Grade I and II listed buildings. The Council owns the Stables Block, which is Grade II listed and in a very poor state of repair which is to be tackled through the implementation of this strategy.
How can I view the strategy document?
You can download the document by using this link: Darley Abbey Mills and Stables Regeneration Strategy 
8.2Mb
Darley Abbey Regeneration Newsletter, Edition 1: Spring 2011
Informing local people and stakeholders about progress being made in delivering improvements to the mills and stable sites in Darley Abbey.
Download the newsletter [202kb]
Darley Abbey Mills & Stable Block
In April 2009 Derby City Council managed to secure funding from the European Regional Development Fund and Single Programme funding from emda along with a contribution from Derby City Council. The aim of the project is to produce a comprehensive strategy for the Darley Abbey area, part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, and provide a blueprint for realising the full tourism and economic potential of the area to secure its long term future.
Darley Abbey Regeneration Strategy
The remit of the project has been to produce a number of documents including:
- Building Condition surveys for the Mill buildings and Stable Block
- Conservation Plans for the Mill buildings, Stable block and Darley Park
- A feasibility study considering the future ownership and viable usage options for the Darley Abbey Mills complex and the various buildings within Darley Park. These options considered residential, commercial and tourism/visitor facilities
- Access and public realm issues to the Mill complex and Stable Block
- Maximising the tourism potential of the Derby hub within the World Heritage Site
All of the supporting documents produced are being used to inform the Regeneration Strategy for Darley Abbey Mills and Stable Block – which will allow Derby City Council in partnership with the Mill owners to carry out the findings of the Regeneration Strategy.
In July 2009 Atkins were the successful consultants in tendering for the work to deliver the Regeneration Strategy. As part of the project two public consultation events have been planned. The first public consultation event was held in Darley Abbey in November over two days to show the initial ideas being generated by Atkins. Another public consultation event is currently being planned for May 2010 and this will consult on the Darley Abbey Regeneration Strategy that Atkins have produced.
Derby Silk Mill
In October 2009 Derby Museums secured Single Programme funding to carry out a feasibility study on the way forward for the Silk Mill Museum. It was to look at the viable options for a sustainable way forward for the Silk Mill. Costain Heritage were appointed in early January 2010 to carry out the study. It was agreed that this would be carried out as a two stage process, firstly to appraise the options and then to carry out a more detailed study into the preferred option.
The first stage which assesses the existing concepts and considers new unexplored ideas for the future use of the building. Then Stage Two will investigate short-listed options arising from Stage One. It will proceed to deliver a full feasibility assessment and business case for a single emerging preferred option. This process will identify the single, most viable, sustainable and high economic impact way forward for the Silk Mill. Following the feasibility study funding will be sourced to deliver the preferred option.
Belper Visitor Centre, Strutts North Mill
In 2009 the Derbyshire Economic Partnership provided funding to carry out a feasibility study on the viability of the current service provided. This included looking at the current premises and how this could work in a different way to meet the needs of the customers and staff, and look at expanding the service by taking up an extra unit at Belper North Mill and the different uses that could encompass. There were a number of options that Acorn Consultants worked up into further detail including layout options, costs to deliver the options and possible funding sources.
Arkwright Cluster
In July 2009 DVMWHS Partnership appointed Jim Oribine to carry out a visitor development plan for the northern part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site with Single Programme funding. This was highlighted in the Tourism Strategy as the strongest cluster due to its location - it has the greatest potential for attracting high numbers of Peak District visitors southwards into the WHS, and therefore possibly the greatest economic impact for the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
This Visitor Development Plan considers the Cluster’s current product mix, and explores influencing factors, including a number of relevant existing plans which relate to the built environment, transport, local infrastructure and tourism in general
Cromford Mill Building 17
The overall project will see The Arkwright Society refurbish the largest of the Grade I Listed Mill Buildings (Building 17) on the Cromford Mills site to house four floors of managed workspace and a visitor interpretation centre on the ground floor.
Refurbishment of the upper floors will provide a range of office/work space designed to respond the identified demand for flexible accommodation for new start-up and expanding innovative business in a variety of sectors.
Building 17 has been redundant for 30 years and is seen as a significant gateway for visitors into the north of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. The interpretation centre will include an auditorium for visitors to Sir Richard Arkwright’s Cromford Mills and to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site; this will also be available for training and meeting room purposes for the innovative businesses based at the mill.
The project has already received funding from Derbyshire Economic Partnership and from Derbyshire County Council to develop the project and support the Arkwright Society with the professional fees incurred prior to securing capital funding for the refurbishment of Building 17. The Arkwright Society has been working very closely with a number of partners to develop the project including English Heritage, Business Link, University of Derby and the District and County Council.
Branding Strategy
It was agreed that the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site needed a new visual brand. This had been raised in the DVMWHS Economic Development Plan which recognised that a new brand identity can be used as a tool of wider integration in the future, linking the four aspects of the plan - ‘live-work-invest-visit’- in the WHS.
We appointed Agency Called England to come up with the new brand and this was funded by Derbyshire Economic Partnership.
The first and main application of a new visual brand will undoubtedly be for use in signage, interpretation material and promotional work.
Through such applications the visual brand must help to:
- Create a recognisable sense of place for the WHS as an emerging visitor destination.
- Achieve an integration of identity and image throughout all the DVMWHS sites.
- Contribute to a more coherent visitor experience.
- Provide a visual tool for adoption by partners and stakeholders in the public and private sectors
Since we have the new visual brand we have now purchased some promotional items which have the new logo on them including pens, drinks bottles, trigger torches and cotton and jute bags. These are currently available at a number of the key mill sites in the DVMWHS.
Tourism Masterplan
On behalf of East Midlands Tourism, Scott Wilson produced a report looking at the Tourism Investment Opportunities all through the East Midlands and there was a focus on the DVMWHS. There were a number of objectives for the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site including the need for developing a Tourism Strategy. Jim Oribine was appointed to deliver this. The tourism strategy explores the long-term development of the WHS as a visitor destination. The strategy adopts a previously endorsed principle on visitor dispersal and movement based on key hubs, including an Arkwright/Cromford Cluster at its northern end, Derby hub at the southern end and the centrally located Belper hub. There are a number of short, medium and long term priorities to be delivered that are highlighted in the strategy.
Making the Most of World Heritage
The Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site Partnership secured £104,600 in January 2010 from Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership. The elements of the project are signing and branding and producing a new promotional film.
For the signing and branding proposal it includes producing the new branding images in new ‘brown’ tourist road signs at entrance points to the DVMWHS, new road traffic directional signs in key locations on major approach roads and signs with the new ‘brand image’ at the major visitor sites. This will help us to achieve the objectives of raising the profile of the World Heritage Site and helping people navigate their way to it.
The promotional film will help to take advantage of the national Cultural Olympiad and the place which is to be given in it to World Heritage Sites. The East Midland's sole World Heritage Site needs to put in place what is needed to secure a place in a competitive programme. The production of a 3 minute promotional film will assist us be in a position to do this. The East Midlands component of the Cultural Olympiad, which is being called "Festival of Festivals" is to begin in April 2010 and will finish in November 2010. The intention is to then show the film on city centre screens beyond the East Midlands in 2011 and 2012.
