Cathedral Quarter BID rings in start of five-year term

The business improvement district which covers Derby’s Cathedral Quarter will start its third five-year term tomorrow, pledging to continue improving the reputation and attractiveness of the area.

Businesses voted in November to support the organisation, which imposes a levy on companies to create a £1.5m pot over the five-year period.

BIDs, which have become increasingly popular in the UK in the last decade, provide a very local structure to deliver additional services and value than those provided by councils and other statutory bodies.

The Cathedral Quarter BID plans to focus on improving parking and public transport access, develop the events programme in the Quarter and bolster the Christmas experience.

Martin Langsdale, chair of the Cathedral Quarter BID, said: “We have achieved a great deal since the first Cathedral Quarter BID programme started ten years ago and we are looking forward to building on that success with a new programme agreed by local businesses.

“The new BID will see a wide range of activities including the continuation of the valued Ranger team, work to raise the profile of all areas of the Cathedral Quarter and targeted
work to tackle issues of street cleaning and business crime.

“We will also take a far more strategic approach to attracting new businesses and inward investment into the Cathedral Quarter to ensure that the right businesses and appropriate
developments continue to enhance the unique and diverse offer of the area.”

Businesses with a rateable value of £6,000-plus pay a levy of 2% of rateable value, while there is a fixed annual charge of £105 for businesses within the area that have a rateable value of between £2,000 and £5,999.