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The developer behind plans to revamp Derby's derelict Friar Gate Goods Yard has promised he will save the historical site.

Derby City Council's planning committee approved a £75m restoration scheme last month and work is due to start this summer.

The plan includes renovating two Grade II-listed buildings for commercial space and building 276 new homes.

James Dickens, managing director of Wavensmere Homes, said features of the Victorian site would be revealed as rubble was cleared.

"The Victorians built it properly," he said. "It is built like a battleship.

"There are lots of features that we can't see yet because it's full of rubble, but when we begin to peel that back, there'll be things we want to save and restore."

The 11.5-acre (4.96 hectare) site, west of Derby city centre, has been disused for over half a century.

The site's main warehouse was built in the 1870s but closed in the 1960s and was severely damaged in an arson attack in 2020.

A number of previous development proposals for the site have failed due to heritage constraints and commercial viability.

Mr Dickens, whose firm previously redeveloped the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary site on London Road in Derby, said: "This is my baby. I will make sure this gets developed.

"I was blown away when I first saw [the building].

"I had to stop the car and have a run around this building. I drew a sketch of how it could look when I got home that evening.

"There have been a lot of false dawns with this site, but when we start we won’t stop."

New vehicular, pedestrian and cycle access will be created at various points off Uttoxeter New Road, Great Northern Way and Friar Gate.

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