Regeneration of River Gardens
Preparation work begins this week in the River Gardens, as the Derby City Council’s Our City, Our River project is due to start this summer.
The Our City, Our River (OCOR) project is a city wide initiative to deliver flood defences to properties, as well helping to rejuvenate and regenerate and improve areas of the city on the banks of the River Derwent.
The Boy and Ram sculpture, as well as the Pagoda, which gifted to us from our partner city, Toyota City, in Japan, will be moved into storage for the duration of flood deference installation and River Gardens redevelopment.
More information about the OCOR project is available in the Our City Our River webpage.
To prepare the River Gardens regeneration and flood defence delivery, around 40 trees, including some that are in poor condition will be removed ready for work to begin this summer.
As part of the delivery of the project the planting of new trees will be carried out. Further environmental management works are also to be carried out along the river.
The removal of the trees and the wider scheme delivery were part of the initial OCOR planning application consulted upon and subsequently agreed by the Derby City Planning Committee in October 2015.
The River Gardens works, which are delivered by Project Munio, are funded by an investment of just over £3million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Project Munio will see open space in riverside areas near Pride Park, Exeter Bridge, Full Street Magistrates Court be defended from risk of flooding, as well as protecting and future-proofing the River Gardens.
The Munio works will see the existing River Gardens redeveloped, as well as the installation of substantial flood defences along the west river bank adjacent to the Council House. The flood defences will be integrated into the landscape design of the River Gardens to minimise the impact and maximise this opportunity to revamp the garden area.
Work will commence from the week beginning Tuesday 26th February.
The £95million OCOR project has been developed to reduce flood risk through long-term, and sustainable economic development, creating a high quality riverside, linking the city centre with the river. Landscaping work, which is subject to full planning, will see the space be newly designed and include an outdoor performance space next to the river. There will also be comprehensive habitat creation and replanting scheme. Recent public safety concerns in the River Garden area have been considered and significantly influenced the proposed new layout.