Sitting on the southern edge of Derby’s city centre, Pride Park occupies 80 hectares of land between the River Derwent and the city’s railway lines. The site was developed throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, transforming what had been a heavily contaminated stretch of former industrial ground into one of the city’s principal business and sporting destinations.
From Railway Yards to Brownfield Reclamation
Before redevelopment, Pride Park formed part of the old Derby Works railway yards – the original home of Derby’s railway manufacturing industry. Over the years, the land had also been used for gas and coke works, gravel abstraction, and landfill, leaving behind a legacy of industrial contaminants including tars, phenols, heavy metals, ammonia, and boron. Reclaiming the brownfield site took roughly a decade, and included the construction of a new access road to open up the area. Ten hectares were set aside and transformed into The Sanctuary Local Nature Reserve, created in conjunction with Derby City Council.
Sport, Business, and Education
Pride Park Stadium has been the home ground of Derby County F.C. since 1997, when the club relocated from the Baseball Ground in the Normanton district. Alongside the stadium, Derby Arena – a multi-purpose sports and events venue – opened in 2015. A Park and Ride car park next to the stadium provides access into Derby city centre. The business park also houses a Holiday Inn Express hotel and several car dealerships. Internet bank Egg plc had its headquarters here until 2011, when it was taken over by Barclaycard and closed; the building later became a call centre operated by HEROtsc. Sports goods retailer JJB Sports has offices on the park, and UTC Derby Pride Park, a university technical college formerly known as Derby Manufacturing UTC, opened in September 2015.
Expansion Proposals
Derby County Football Club has put forward plans to expand the area around the stadium. In October 2011, the club submitted proposals to Derby City Council for a £7 million development outside Pride Park Stadium, branded “The Plaza @ Pride Park”, including five cafes and restaurants, two convenience stores, and 2,000 square metres of office space. These proposals were scaled back from an earlier £20 million scheme first floated in 2007. The club’s stated aim was to generate additional revenue to help meet Financial Fair Play regulations introduced into the Football League from 2012. Derby City Council also explored plans for a multi-use sports arena on the same site.