£35m Fox House Completed at Wavensmere Homes’ Nightingale Quarter in Derby

Wavensmere Homes has completed the largest apartment building within its Nightingale Quarter scheme in Derby city centre. The £35m Fox House is the second stand-alone apartment building to complete at the £175m scheme this year, together with 35 houses. In total, the keys to 395 new Nightingale Quarter homes have been handed over to purchasers during 2023. 

90% of the 209 apartments at Fox House were sold off-plan and are now becoming occupied. The ground floor of the building contains a co-working space, which is currently being fitted out as a communal facility for the residents of all 925 homes across the 18.5-acre site.

The second of two restored iconic Derby Royal Infirmary pepper pot buildings – built in 1894 – will accommodate The Fulton Partnership’s £1m Pepperpot restaurant, opening in January 2024. Construction is also well underway for Dalton House, which will contain 67 one- and two-bedroom apartments. Situated at the front of the development, overlooking London Road, construction work on a final residential building is due to commence in May 2024.

Craig Gee, Construction Director for Wavensmere Homes, said: “Fox House is the largest of the eight apartment buildings at Nightingale Quarter, which we can proudly say is one of the UK’s most significant city centre regeneration projects. Taking 26 months to construct using a steel frame, 240,000 Ibstock bricks, and 519 windows, Fox House rises to five storeys. Located at the rear of the scheme in an elevated position, it looks onto the rest of the development and adds so much to the sense of community and grandeur.  

“Boasting a DE1 postcode, Nightingale Quarter has transformed Derby’s city living offering. Many residents walk to work in the city centre, while others commute, but all will be spending their free time and disposal income locally. This is leading to an upsurge of quality shops, restaurants, bars, and leisure amenities. What’s more, we have heard firsthand how these energy-efficient new homes are helping Derby’s major employers to attract new recruits.

“2024 will be equally exciting at Nightingale Quarter, as we look forward to the launch of the Pepperpot restaurant and the co-working space, the completion of Dalton House, and the start of construction work to the final phase.”

The high EPC-rated one- and two-bedroom apartments are priced from £185,000. Since Nightingale Quarter was launched to the market four years ago, 46% of buyers have come from Greater London and Essex. The recent rise in London outmigration is attributed to the cost of mortgages and renting, together with Derby’s commutability. Trains to London St Pancras from Derby station – situated within a five-minute walk – take only 87 minutes, while Derbion shopping centre is a one-minute walk.

Derby Royal Infirmary closed in 2009 and the site was redundant until Wavensmere Homes received planning consent from Derby City Council and commenced work in late 2019. The vast development has been sympathetically designed by Gould Singleton Architects to incorporate the restoration of the iconic Victorian ‘Pepper Pot’ buildings. While Pepper Pot North will feature the new restaurant, Pepper Pot South will be transformed into a residents’ gym and community meeting room. The gym will be available to all those living in the apartments and houses, with the low running cost split across the service charge for the 925 homes.

Florence Nightingale lived in the city for three years and was instrumental in designing the hospital, which received the Royal Stamp of Approval when it was opened by Queen Victoria in 1894. An original statue of Queen Victoria has been preserved and restored by Wavensmere Homes to ensure her legacy stands strong.

Wavensmere Homes has recently submitted plans for the 11.5-acre (4.96Ha) historic Friar Gate Goods Yard elsewhere in central Derby, which could be transformed into 276 houses and apartments, and over 110,000sq ft of commercial space. The firm has also submitted planning for 186 apartments with Wilson Bowden Developments, for one of the final plots of development land within Derby’s newly revitalised Cathedral Quarter. Wavensmere Homes’ additional major urban regeneration schemes are located across central England. The Birmingham-headquartered housebuilder has around 3,500 new homes either under construction or in planning.

Nightingale Quarter’s marketing suite and two show homes are open from 10am – 5pm Monday through to Saturday, accessed off 128 London Road, Derby DE1 2QQ. For further information, or to book an in-person, or virtual appointment, call 01332 321 255, or email info@wavensmere.co.uk