Derby City Council’s planning committee has agreed that conditions attached to the demolition consent have now been satisfied, paving the way for site preparation and clearance work in early 2027.

The conditions required the council to have a developer under contract and approved redevelopment plans in place before demolition could begin.

Both requirements have now been met following outline planning approval in July and the signing of a master development agreement with ION Property Developments.

ION, which was acquired by Vinci Construction earlier this year and is being merged with VINCI UK Developments, is the council’s strategic development partner for the scheme.

Initial work will involve disconnecting utilities and securing the site before demolition gets underway. Bringing down the existing buildings is expected to take around 12 months.

The wider Market Place masterplan includes Derby MADE, a multi-use building on the former Assembly Rooms site containing a music venue, cultural and exhibition space, library and flexible workspace.

Plans also include a four-star hotel under the Derby HOTEL banner and new Grade A offices called Derby WORKS.

Council leader Nadine Peatfield said: “Finally, this was the milestone that needed to be in place to pave the way for us to begin transforming the Market Place and breathe new life into this vital area of the city centre.

“Now the planning conditions have been satisfied, we will continue to work with our development partners to take these plans forward, with residents being able to see tangible progress on site in early 2027.”

ION will now continue developing the business plan for Derby MADE ahead of the next stage of the scheme.