CAN DERBY MEET THE CHALLENGE AND THE OPPORTUNITY OF WESTFIELD
Date : 25.09.07
Some of Derby's most influential business people got together last week for The Big Talk - a panel debate aimed at exploring the latest hot topic relating to the city.
Organised by Bakewells Solicitors, Marketing Derby and the Evening Telegraph, the subject for the first discussion was the impact on the city of the new £360m Westfield Derby shopping centre, which is due to open next month.
Business editor Robin Johnson sat in on the debate, entitled 'Westfield Derby - mission accomplished or catalyst for change?', which was chaired by Marketing Derby's director John Forkin.
John Forkin: So, now we've got Westfield, the question is what next? What are the next steps - the challenges and opportunities?
Chris Brown: Well, there are a lot of other developments going on as you can see from the number of screens that have gone up. I think the fact that Westfield has happened, people will begin to believe that behind those screens there is action. It's not just a talking shop any more - we have bricks, mortar, cranes and people. It's a rolling ball. Because of Westfield, it makes it easier for Derby to raise the cash for other developments. Ten years ago, if you wanted to build a new cinema, you would never have got the money. It's up to people like the ones we have in this room to make sure the ball keeps rolling.
Steve Hall: A key point is that there is a difference between our perception and other people's. When people see a derelict site, the public perception is that the development has stalled. It is our duty as a city to make them understand that they haven't stalled. For example, they need to know that the former police station and magistrates' court in Full Street will not stay boarded up and that things are actually happening.
Andrew Bock: I think in terms of Full Street, it has a lot to do with the fact that the concept of city living has not come up to expectations in Derby. Why? It's because Derby is still a 9 to 5.30 city. By 6pm it's dead and in the evening, you wouldn't want to come into Derby because it is full of drinkers. Westfield is going to change all that, with the centre staying open to 9pm. Life in the city is going to change.
Kevin Duffy: I'm doing a lot of work with John and the City Centre Management team on how to develop Derby's evening economy. In the spring, we're opening the cinema at the centre and Quad will be opening - which are things that will extend people's stay in the city. We're in discussion with bus companies and the city council about how we can offer a complete package, which will encourage people to come to Derby in the evening. It's about changing people's perception of what Derby is like in the evening.
Martin Jinks: These are undeniably exciting times. I'm Derby born and bred and these are the most exciting times I can remember. The city is on an upward spiral. Derby is going to be a more pleasant place to be in the evenings - and this should result in more people wanting to live in the city centre.
Peter Connolly: We've got to have a mix. You can have places to shop, eat and drink - but you've also got to have people living in city centre. We need modern office space as well, so we've got the full offer. Derby has been put on the map to investors now because of Westfield and it is up to us to deliver this next phase of schemes to get the public confidence.
SH: What is the next phase though? We need to nail our colours to the mast and get the public involved in these developments. What are the timescales? If they knew, then the public could join in the countdown and feel they are part of it.
KD: I agree that we need to educate people more about what is going on. I think it helps a great deal when people can see pictures and artists' impressions of what something is going to look like. It gives them something tangible and stokes their imagination.
James Blick: It's all about raising the city's profile and our game. Derby has come a long was in a very short space of time. It's making sure those developments are communicated properly.
Andrew Bock: The thing is, too many people are ready to put Derby down. For example, I was really surprised when plans were put forward for an ice rink in the Market Place in the run-up to Christmas that there were so many people complaining about it, when I actually believe it's a really positive idea. The Evening Telegraph didn't do it any favours as its report on the story was quite negative.
SH: We support initiatives which preserve history while enhancing development. There were fears from some quarters that the ice rink was too close to the war memorial, which is an important monument which remembers the sacrifice of our servicemen. If people supported the ice rink, then they should have come forward and made themselves heard but too many people sit back timidly and allow things to happen.
CB: I remember a front page of the Evening Telegraph from 1963, which showed the course of the proposed inner ring road. If there was a way to shaft a town, it was building that and they went ahead and did it. To my mind, there is no such thing as reality, just people's perception of what they think is reality. If something is perceived to be successful, it is, isn't it? Not necessarily. I was at David Lloyd's the other day and was chatting to a guy who I consider to be a typical Derby bloke. He said that Westfield will not work because there's nowhere to park. I said that they'd created 4,000 parking spaces and he didn't know that. So his perception was far removed from the reality.
MJ: I think the Evening Telegraph does a great deal to publicise what's happening in Derby. We had a Chinese student working with us on a three-month placement and I showed her a copy of the paper and the front page was about Rolls-Royce securing record orders and that student went away thinking what a fantastic city this is.
CB: The people of Derby have got to be given the information.
SH: It's like Cityscape's plan for Derby. How many people can tell you what it actually is? We need something to rally around. There is a second wave of developments and people need to know about them.
PC: It's a difficult balance. On the one hand, we need to publicise what we're doing to create interest, but on the other hand, you don't want to create a false dawn - this, too, can lead to scepticism. We can be confident about our scheme, which will be completed by spring 2009. It would be good if others would follow that route.
JF: I often think back to that photo of the environmental protester in the caravan on top of the bus station. That personified how bad things had got - and when you think about that, it was only a couple of years ago. Because of what has happened in the past, people stopped believing in these big plans. We were quite good at coming up with drawings which never became a reality. This scepticism has come from 30 to 40 years of Derby being second-best. It's hard to think that despite a strong economy over the last decade, new offices have not been built in Derby city centre for 20 years - until now, with the City Gate development. There will always be the small minority who are against any development. The real battle is with the slightly sceptical. It's a communication challenge. Riverlights is a £100m project but the knowledge of it among the public is zilch.
KD: The long lead time for that development has not helped. It's taken a number of years to get Riverlights off the ground. When nothing happens, people begin to think its never going to happen. We always knew Derby had the potential. We saw that the city had suffered from a lack of investment. On top of that, the demand for quality retail space in Derby was high. But at the time, all Derby had in terms of new retail units was those tin sheds opposite the DRI. Cities like Derby are all developing. You've got developments in Nottingham and Leicester. It's not just about a first or second phase, it's looking to the third and fourth stages of development. As soon as we stop developing, everyone else takes a leap ahead of us.
PC: Personally, when you compare us to other cities, I think we have a fantastic city centre. There's lots of diversity, particularly in the Cathedral Quarter. It's a very compact city and everything is within walkable distance. You can do anything here.
AB: Would you go for a meal out in Derby on a Saturday night then?
PC: Not at the moment, because the offer isn't there yet. But once everything opens, then I will.
AB: Derby does suffer from the drinking culture. I think it has to become an environment where you don't feel threatened for it to be successful.
PC: I think that will change with investment.
MJ: The signs are good. We've got some good restaurants. The quality is there now.
JF: I think Westfield knows that the success of the shopping centre is connected with the perception of Derby. The centre will attract six million extra visitors to the city. It's a massive opportunity for everyone. It may be a challenge for St Peter's Street and Victoria Street, but if Primark go into the former M &S building, that area could also do well.
CB: And again, it's walkable. It's not a long way to walk from Boots to Bennetts - but people perceive it to be.
AB: But surely once people go into the shopping centre, Westfield wants them in there for the day. For example, they've put in an amazing food court. I reckon for the first six months, people will just visit Westfield.
MJ: That's the challenge for Derby. It needs to draw people out to other areas of the city.
PC: I think it all boils down to confidence again. Success breeds success. Out of that extra footfall , people will go to other areas.
JB: But that footfall needs to know it's there.
KD: If people do decide to spend all day in our centre, then they've really missed a trick. They'll have missed out on seeing the cathedral, the river and the boutique shops Derby has. That's a real day out. If they come to the centre and then explore other areas of the city it adds to their trip, it makes it more enjoyable and often leads to more repeat visits. That's why we are fully behind plans for 'You are here' maps placed at key decision-making points, which will show where places like the Cathedral Quarter are.
JF: I agree that the Cathedral Quarter is already on the up - particularly with businesses of the quality of Andy's moving into premises which are, in fairness, at the other end of the city.
Andy Wardlaw: That didn't bother us. We saw an opportunity to have a store in what is a prestigious part of the city centre. Gordon Harwood Computers set a sort of precedent by having its Apple store in the Cathedral Quarter - another top-quality name. Although it's a separate area from Westfield, it will benefit from the six million extra people. We should not just be promoting 'destination Westfield', more 'destination Derby'.
SH: Derby will be a different experience. At the moment, when making larger purchases we go to Nottingham, have something nice to eat at lunch time, then maybe stay into the evening, or even overnight. There is no reason why people won't be able to do that in Derby.
MJ: The traffic is also better in Derby than Nottingham. But we need to keep working on that so we can ensure Derby is a pleasant place to come.
PC: And I think retailers here have something fantastic to offer.
JF: I'm particularly interested in Andrew's plans to create a piazza in the Cathedral Quarter, which should add to the whole experience. Any idea when that might happen?
AB: We'd like to see what the reaction to Westfield is first. We need to be cautious and make sure we're doing the right thing.
JB: I think what does need to be addressed is the issue of conferencing and exhibition space.
CB: Quad will be good for that. I'm hopeful that Quad will draw a lot of people in. They're going to be staging some really impressive exhibitions.
AB: Well, it will be a change from having the annual tattoo-fest at the Assembly Rooms!
JF: I think the overall conclusion then is that, as Andy rightly says, it's not about destination Westfield, it's about destination Derby - we can all win from this. Westfield has helped build the confidence of investors - and once up and running will hopefully persuade developers like Andrew to go ahead with their projects. However, the next phase, or Phase Two, of development is rather disperate and unknown. The challenge is to make people not just in Derby, but also surrounding areas, aware of the projects that follow Westfield. And Phase Three, the developments of the future, which as Kevin points out is very important in terms of keeping that momentum, particularly in light of the competition we face from neighbouring cities. It maybe is time to approach those people who are sitting on land that is ripe for development and rattle a few cages. And I think we all agree that Westfield should have a positive impact on our evening economy, with its later opening hours and the cinema. When Quad is completed, this should also strengthen that offer and encourage more people to spend more time in Derby.
Article courtesy of The Derby Evening Telegraph