Great British Railways: Call for new HQ to be built at Becketwell

The developer behind a new arena in Derby has urged the government to bring the headquarters of Great British Railways (GBR) to brownfield land in the city centre.

Paul Morris, from St James Securities, told the BBC he is bidding to bring the offices to the Becketwell area of the city, a once derelict six-acre site that his firm is redeveloping for the city council.

But he said central sites like Midland House or the soon-to-be-demolished Assembly Rooms would also be of greater benefit to the city than somewhere further out of town.

The Department for Transport, which oversees GBR, declined to comment.

Mr Morris said bringing GBR to Becketwell would encourage other firms to come back into the centre of Derby.

“I’m putting a strong argument forward, which we will really work hard with the government [on], that any requirement should come into the city centre,” he said.

“Bringing that number of people will regenerate the city, particularly the footfall – the amount of people who are working actually will spend money in the city.

“If GBR does come to Becketwell, we intend to build a bigger office than just their requirement which will enable other office occupiers to come back into the centre.

“I’ve had a lot of discussions with businesses, many of whom are over in Pride Park, I said they needed to come back into the centre for the benefit of the city and actually it would be really good for your employees.

“Their stock answer, which is quite right at the moment, is there isn’t any available grade A space.”

In May 2021, former transport secretary Grant Shapps announced GBR would be set up to replace what he called an “overcomplicated and fragmented” system.

After a lengthy process, Derby beat five other towns and cities to be the headquarters of the body, which will oversee rail transport in Great Britain.

The selection criteria included alignment with transport connections, railway heritage, and value for money.

GBR was due to be launched in early 2024, but the implementation date was delayed by the previous Conservative government.

Labour confirmed after winning the July 2024 election it would proceed with creating the new organisation.

Mr Morris said the scale of GBR’s presence in Derby “may well increase” after the new Labour government pledged to renationalise most rail services within five years.

Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, deputy leader of Derby City Council, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming Great British Railways to Derby and seeing the benefits that this move will bring, including more investment and jobs in our city.

“The Great British Railways Transition Team have recently conducted a comprehensive property search across the city, and we await the outcome of this.

“Creating more jobs in the city centre is a key part of our regeneration plan. The supply of grade A office space is a key challenge that we are working hard to address.”