Mercia Marina is planning a new £3m restaurant, retail and office development to further reinforce its status as one of Derbyshire’s most important tourist and shopping attractions.
Plans for ‘The Piazza’ are currently being considered by South Derbyshire District Council and, if approved, are set to create dozens more jobs at Europe’s largest inland marina.
The Piazza will be built on the peninsula next to the marina’s award-winning Boardwalk shopping, leisure and office development, which opened to great acclaim in 2014.
The proposed three-storey building, which will border the area surrounding the marina’s unique five-sided bandstand, is likely to contain a ground-floor restaurant and up to six shops, with offices on the two upper floors.
The internal design flexibility will also allow for retailers to occupy two floors if required. Likewise, the upper floor offices can be turned into single open-plan spaces for a large business, or several smaller office spaces.
Mercia Marina’s Piazza proposal replaces a similar plan which gained planning permission at the time The Boardwalk was given the go-ahead. If approved, it is envisaged that The Piazza could be completed by December 2017.
Robert Neff, general manager of Mercia Marina, in Findern Lane, near Willington, said: “Our exciting new development proposal demonstrates just how successful we have become as a destination.
“Since the marina opened in 2008, we have become recognised as a major regional tourist attraction, not only for shopping, eating and drinking, but also boat trips, boat holidays, lodge holidays and much more.
“We’ve nevertheless always been very careful to ensure our growth complements the beautiful natural environment. It is very important to us that the location remains as attractive to those seeking tranquillity as it does for those who want to shop, dine and work here.”
Mr Neff said the popularity of The Boardwalk had helped to generate many enquiries from commercial operators interested in locating businesses at the marina, meaning that the time was now right for further expansion.
He added: “Mercia Marina is probably the closest you can get in the Midlands to being by the seaside without driving to the coast. That’s certainly one reason why people like visiting us or working here.”
The retailers already operating in The Boardwalk development, including the two storey gift and furnishings retailer Zing and the clothing retailer Bluewater, welcome the latest move as it will add more variety for shoppers, add to the overall marina experience and potentially attract new customers.
The marina operators anticipate demand from jewellers, art galleries and other specialist stores. Interest is already being expressed by chefs and restaurateurs in the new “dual-aspect” restaurant space, which will offer view of both the waterside and the bandstand piazza. Talks are already taking place with a business interested in occupying the entire office space of The Piazza, but no deal has been struck.
The Piazza will be built in a similar style and materials to The Boardwalk, which was last year named Britain’s Best Small Commercial Building at the Grand Final of the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards. It had previously been the overall winner of all categories at the East Midlands regional LABC event.
