Wavensmere Homes has commissioned Down to Earth Derby to create an expansive community garden within the 18.5-acre Nightingale Quarter, in Derby city centre. If the £40,000 pilot project is successful, it will be rolled out across the housebuilder’s city-wide development portfolio.
Linked with Cornwall’s eco-focused Eden Project, Down to Earth Derby is the Community Interest Company (CIC) behind the city’s widely-acclaimed Electric Daisy attraction. By connecting the urban community with nature-based activities and a diverse events programme, it has become a nationally recognised symbol of the ambitious regeneration and revitalisation of the burgeoning East Midlands city.
Once the designs for the community garden at Nightingale Quarter have been finalised, the work to transform the outdoor space into a magnet for nature, wildlife and people will commence. The interactive garden and allotment space is expected to be unveiled during late spring 2024.
James Dickens, Managing Director of Wavensmere Homes, said: “When I first visited Electric Daisy last year, I was inspired by the way local people of all ages are brought together throughout the week to enjoy and learn about the power of nature. As Derby’s most active residential developer, I could see the opportunity to create something very special and spread the infectious ethos of Down to Earth Derby to our developments.
“What we will be delivering at Nightingale Quarter in the coming months isn’t part of a planning obligation. I am very proud and excited that this pilot project will be a living test bed that could ignite a national appetite for funded community gardens.”
Nightingale Quarter has brought about the restoration and redevelopment of the Derby Royal Infirmary, including the two iconic pepper pot buildings – built in 1894. Pepper Pot South will be transformed into a residents’ gym and community meeting room, once the 925 new houses and apartments complete in 2025.
Pepper Pot North accommodates The Fulton Partnership’s £1m Pepperpot restaurant, which is opening on 14th February. Construction is also well underway for MacArthur House, which will contain 118 one- and two-bedroom apartments. Situated at the front of the development, overlooking London Road, construction work on a final residential building is due to commence later this year.
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