Condor takes flight at Becketwell
The Becketwell regeneration scheme in Derby city centre has taken another step forward after a new 259-apartment residential development reached its highest point.
GMI Construction Group has reached the topping out stage at The Condor, Derby’s first purpose-built Build to Rent scheme, which forms part of the £200m project’s first phase.
Representatives from GMI, developer St James Securities and owner/operator Grainger were joined by key stakeholders from across the city at a topping out ceremony to mark the milestone last week.
The 11-storey building, located on the site of the former Debenhams store on Victoria Street, will sit adjacent to a new public square.
Construction work on the £37m residential block is on track to complete by March 2023.
The Condor, named after the famed Rolls-Royce engine, will include 2,962 sq ft of internal ground floor amenity space, including a shared resident’s lounge and co-working space, in addition to 2,185 sq ft of rooftop space with a terrace overlooking the new square.
GMI’s divisional managing director Andy Bruce said: “Our team onsite at Becketwell have made huge strides since the start of the year and to be topping out today is a noteworthy achievement.
“You can see the development now really starting to take shape and bring the vision into reality. The regeneration of Becketwell is a land-mark project in Derby City Centre which once finished will create a brand new urban quarter and sense of place.
“GMI are proud to be playing a leading role within those plans and to further our excellent credentials in terms of city centre regeneration creating vibrant and attractive places to live and work and generating significant investment and job opportunities right across the regions in which we operate.”
Paul Morris, director of St James Securities, said: “More than five years since we first visited this much neglected site, we are delighted to see this landmark first phase of the development reach the topping out stage.
“The Becketwell regeneration scheme will be transformational – allowing hundreds of people to live in high-quality homes in the heart of the city and revitalising an area which has been challenged for many years.
“Alongside the apartments and public square that will make up phase one of the scheme, there will be wider development, including an exciting new performance venue, which will be developed by St James Securities and owned by Derby City Council and run by ASM Global, the world’s leading venue management and services company, and producer of live experiences.”
Helen Gordon, chief executive at Grainger, added: “This is a great milestone for our Condor scheme, which is Derby’s first Build to Rent development and a new city for Grainger. We look forward to seeing the works progress over the coming months as we prepare our inhouse team to launch and welcome our first residents – delivering high quality homes, a range of added value resident amenities and excellent customer service for renters in Derby.”
