University Info Update

The University held a MS Teams meeting on Thurse evening as it has not been possible to have the usual quarterly residents’ meetings due to covid19.

There was an explanation of how the main university site had hosted NHS covid provision which will be closing on 12th August with the car park being returned to the university on 17th August. The A38 bridge walkway will be re-opening and residents will be able to access Park Farm as well as children going through to schools once term starts.

The Nuffield gym will be opening on Sept 1st. The staff there will ensure it is distanced and cleaned in line with covid rules.

Obviously, getting ready for the autumn term is a huge job as students will be on site though the major provision will continue online. Lecture theatres can be used to teach up to 40 odd students at a time with offices also being converted for smaller groups. It is estimated that an average student would be on site for 3 hours a week. So at any given time, vast majority of students will not be on site.

This means that neighbouring areas are very unlikely to experience the level of parking issues that they have had in the past. The university is running virtual induction courses for all students to explain the new normal - part of this will be on the parking provision the University has for them, asking students not to park elsewhere and to consider residents. As very few staff will be on site, the university car parks are more avaiable for students. They will be looking at the charging system at Markeaton Island car park as students will not be using it in same way as in past.

All their buses will start on normal timetables and this will be monitored. The buses will be running at reduced capacity because of covid and students may take a while to be confident using them. The university is talking to Sustrans, Cycle Derby etc as it wants to encourage students to cycle and walk between sites and between accommodation and sites.

It has been very hard to get any updates on A38 beyond Highways England saying the Secretary of State is expected to give premission so work will start in March 2021. There is a legal challenge to the whole project but no date is clear on any decision there. The university has worked with Highways England and Markeaton Island car park will not be closed during construction so any student parking there would continue. The plans for during construction will see more A38 traffic on Kedleston Road as it will be diverted from Ashbourne Road. There are concerns about rat running across that area.

After the council declared in December that the bridge on main path through Sturgess Fields (at corner of fenced off field where brooks merge) was unsafe, the university commissioned a structural engineer’s report which declared it sound. Therefore the main path has been open for some months now.

The plank bridge on the side of the field bordering Watson Street was removed back in December. There are plans to have a proper bridge there. This was always going to take a while and with all the work on converting sites to be covid compliant has not been a priority. There is no timetable for when a new bridge will be built - partly due to Environment Agency needing to be involved.

Information on Britannia Mill site was shared with an apology on how long it took to clear temporary barriers etc after Storm Dennis took so many roof tiles off. The univeristy will monitor the alarm system there as it was going off often during early weeks of lockdown. They will also be looking into minibus use on any future Open Days as they are disruptive for residents and affect air quality.