East Midlands Destination Derbyshire: A County on the Rise


Chris Henning is Executive Director, Place for Derbyshire County Council


Chris has worked for nearly 30 years in eco- nomic development, specialising in regeneration and commercial strategy – having spent much of his career linking local, regional and central government to the private sector.


As featured on the Inside Front Cover this issue – In the heart of the East Midlands, Derbyshire’s rich industrial past, present and future unfold in front of your eyes. From the mills that kick- started the industrial revo- lution to modern business parks that boast world-lead- ing manufacturers, and enter- prises producing the clean energy technology which will fuel tomorrow’s indus- try, the economic impact of the county is here for all to see. And I know a lot of other places say it - but we really mean it; Derbyshire is open for business.


With an area covering 2,546 sq km, over 822,00 people, almost 30,000 businesses, the UK’s first national park, a national forest, a World Heritage Site, 38 stately homes and gardens, rivers, canals, 454 km of cycleways, a university and three further education colleges, Derbyshire has a lot to offer!


There are over 1100 hectares of current development opportunity on just 12 sites alone, with a multitude of smaller sites available across the county, and three other major sites just waiting in the wings.


As a place to live, work, play and invest, it doesn’t get much better than this. But then I’m biased. It’s my job – and my privilege – to drive the County Council’s regeneration programme, which currently exceeds £0. 6bn of proposals.


This is no mean feat. A good deal of the work involves tackling the legacy of heavy industry, bringing forward complex sites and creating the conditions for good growth by corralling public sector ambition with private sector know-how.


Attracting inward investment and supporting local businesses to grow and adapt to one of the fastest-changing economic climates in decades is a particular challenge within the job, but one I relish the most.


Derbyshire has a wide and stable economic base, being the proud home of Tier 1 companies such as Rolls Royce, Toyota, Nestle, Tarmac and Alstrom. These are supported by a backbone of SMEs and micro businesses, many of whom sit in the supply chain of key sectors such as advanced manufacturing, minerals & quarrying, logistics & distribution and the visitor economy.


But, whilst ‘what we look like’ is important, it’s ‘where we are going’ that matters most.


Derbyshire is at the forefront of a new era of place-based growth; a hub for regeneration, innovation and inward investment. We are not just unlocking land and infrastructure, we are unlocking opportunity.


And at the County Council, we pride ourselves as being at the heart of this programme. Our strategy is about creating the conditions for inclusive, sustainable prosperity across every part of the county, working closely with the new Mayor and East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), our districts, boroughs and private sector partners to unlock Derbyshire’s full economic potential.


COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MONTHLY 2025


We have a passion for protecting the best of our past but have a clear direction for our future. Our ambition is to create high quality places and spaces for people and business, embracing innovation and modern technologies, and welcoming investment in new or emerging sectors – specifically future fuel technologies.


If this sounds like something you want to be part of, then read on and find out exactly what we have to offer……. .


Delivering Growth through Local Leadership.


For the last few years, the County Council has been leading a bold and ambitious programme of regeneration. Our strategic approach, outlined in the new Framework for Growth and Regeneration Pipeline, aligns local priorities with national and regional policy, including the Government’s Industrial Strategy and EMCCA’s emerging Local Growth Plan.


This means Derbyshire is well-positioned to access devolved funding streams - not least the Combined Authority’s £2bn transport infra- structure fund, £38mn annual Investment Fund, £160mn Investment Zone monies, Freeport retained business rates and a significant quantum of devolved revenue to support the skills agenda.


Derbyshire is also fortunate to offer access to delivery vehicles such as Investment Zones (two sites within the county), Enterprise Zones and the East Midlands Freeport – all of which offer financial incen- tives and tax benefits for investors.


As a council, we are committed to good growth and our ambition is high, with almost 100 capital projects - of varying sizes and at varying stages of development - currently confirmed in our pipeline.


With this level of ambition, comes the responsibility to succeed. So, we are organised to deliver, with a dedicated, experienced Regeneration Team that is able to call on wider development exper- tise both inside and outside the Council. This certainly helps get the job done. A strong inward investment team also offers support to those needing access to information, labour market intelligence, skills and funding advice.


Partnership working underpins our approach and our behaviours. As a two-tier area, delivery of major capital schemes can be more complex, but we pride ourselves on creating strong working relation- ships and a focus on problem solving. Derbyshire boasts multiple examples of joint project delivery between the County and district and borough councils, with private sector developers such as Henry Boot Developments, Harworth Group, Devonshire Group and Wilson Bowden.


Experience and expertise go hand in hand in Derbyshire. Heritage-led Regeneration


For those that don’t know, Derbyshire has an economic heritage in the wellbeing industry. And not just walking, cycling and the great outdoors, but in spas and hydrotherapy.


Building on our pedigree as a development partner in revitalising the Grade I Buxton Crescent as a new, luxury spa hotel, the Council is about to embark on another heritage-led, regeneration project.


The £100+ million (5. 8ha) landmark redevelopment of the iconic Smedley’s Hydro in Matlock is one of the country’s best heritage-based, regeneration opportunities available at the moment.


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