We decided that we should produce an Area Action Plan for that part of the Stanton site that was derelict and was not being used. In 2005, when we started this Action Plan, St Gobain was still a large employer on the site. The derelict area available for regeneration was not the whole site but covered approximately 120 acres, equivalent to 66 average sized football pitches!
We were successful in obtaining funding from Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership (DDEP) to help us to produce the Stanton Area Action Plan.
In December 2005, we commissioned Taylor Young consultants to help us produce an Area Action Plan. This involved extensive research and talking to local people, businesses and organisations.
The draft plan was produced in 2006 and showed us what the problems with the site were and proposed a new vision for its development. When examining how to get to the site, the consultants looked at rail, public transport and road transport options. In terms of roads, the draft Area Action Plan put forward three out of eight initial options for further consideration.
There was no preferred access route set out in the Area Action Plan and the next step for us was to test each of the proposed access routes in much more detail, to see which route was best, if any. To do this we would have to weigh up the impacts of each route on people, buildings, business and the environment, as well as looking at how much each option would cost.
The draft plan stated that employment would not come to the site unless the issues around transport and services could be resolved. The draft plan therefore recommended that, in order to regenerate the site and make it attractive to businesses and employers, there had to be other development linked to it. This other development would effectively finance some of the solutions to the significant transport and service problems.
The draft plan recommended that a portion of the site should be considered for residential development. This was a new proposal within the draft Area Action Plan, because before this the site had only been set aside for business uses.