PRIDE PARK ANNIVERSARY
Today, March 4th, marks a very noteworthy anniversary. In terms of its significance to Derby, it may even rate alongside the corresponding date in 1836, when the first railway carriage rolled off the turntable at the Round House.
Assessing the contribution that Pride Park has made to Derby’s economy makes today’s date an extremely important one in Derby’s history.
Still wondering what I’m talking about?
Well, 15 years to the very day, the first spade was put into the ground that is now the Pride Park development and this got me thinking about where Derby would be now without Pride Park.
In my view, as well as looking very different, the city would be massively weaker in stature - not just in respect of the physical built environment, but also in terms of its status as a regional commercial centre.
Firstly, I doubt that Derby County would have had a stadium anything like the specification of Pride Park Stadium. Without Pride Park, what do you think would have happened? To conform with FA legislation, the Club would probably have been forced to modernise the old Baseball ground - but to the detriment of all the conference and banqueting facilities that are currently provided at Pride Park Stadium.
Think about the economic driver that this alone has become. Just about every business event and formal dinner now takes place at Pride Park Stadium. Where else could those facilities have been provided? Probably not in Derby, which would have leaked further business to Nottingham.
Without Pride Park, international organisations such as Egg and David Lloyd would not have come to Derby - it’s as simple as that. Egg alone now employs 3,000 people, many of whom are local. As a business they have made a significant contribution, not just to the jobs market, but also with their investment into community initiatives.
And similarly, without David Lloyd, youngsters would only have the choice of playing tennis at Borrowash and Woodlands!
There are now nine car dealerships on Pride Park, which occupy a total of 25 acres of land. Without Pride Park, that kind of clustering would not have happened. Instead the dealerships would have sprung up in disparate locations around the city.
Then of course, there would be no secondary access to Derby railway station. The Pride Park frontage and adjoining car park is very well used, but there is still congestion on Station Approach. Think what it would be like with only one way in and out of the station?
Finally, and most significantly, without Pride Park, where would all the office occupiers be situated now?
It is difficult to argue with the fact that the development of Pride Park as an office location over the last 15 years has been to the detriment of the city centre. In reality, however, it would have been impossible to accommodate the scale of development that has taken place on Pride Park within the city centre.
So what will Pride Park’s legacy be to the City of Derby?
In my opinion, the fact that it provided sufficient land in the right location to enable a whole range of Derby businesses to stay and grow within the city has played a significant role in the Derby’s resurgence in recent years.
I have no doubt at all that without having the land and options available at Pride Park, then some of those businesses would have probably relocated away from Derby.
Back to 2008 – and I believe that Derby College’s exciting plans to transform the Round House would simply not come to fruition without the adjacent development of Pride Park.
I am very proud to have been involved in Pride Park over the last 15 years as marketing and development agency adviser to Derby City Council.
With more than 9,000 people now working on Pride Park and with capacity to increase the employment level up to around 12,500, it is no exaggeration to compare the impact of Pride Park with the dramatic effect that the kick-start of the railway industry had on Derby in 1836.
Let ‘s just hope that the long term legacy left by Pride Park is still relevant in 170 years!
