Derby’s ‘crumbling’ La Gondola restaurant to be demolished after appeal granted

The La Gondola restaurant on Osmaston Road will be demolished, it appears, after an appeal by the developers against the council’s rejection of their application was granted. Derby City Council’s planning committee rejected the plans for 42 new flats to replace the “crumbling” La Gondola building in January, on the grounds that the proposed 21 parking spaces for the flats would not be enough.

That was despite planning officers recommending that the plans be approved. But developers Sam Elgie and Trisha Pegg from the Elgie Group refused to back down and lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate – a government agency.

An inspector, appointed by the secretary of state, visited the site on July 18. And on August 21, the Inspectorate made the call to overrule Derby City Council’s decision and grant permission for the development.

Trisha Pegg said: “We’re delighted. To finally get approval, we’re absolutely over the moon. It was quite difficult to take, being refused twice and forking out all the money over the past two-and-a-half years for it to just be sat there. But it kind of makes it even more rewarding now we’ve finally got it.”

READ MORE: Locals living next to crumbling La Gondola in Derby fear asbestos and fire

The Elgie Group obtained the La Gondola restaurant in 2021 and initial plans, reported on in September of that year, were for 58 flats the site. But these plans were rejected due to design concerns and new plans were submitted in May last year for 42 flats.

In January 2023, planning officers recommended that the proposals be approved. But just less than a week later, the decision was vetoed by higher council powers in a committee meeting.

The main reason was because of concerns over the allocation of just 21 parking spaces for the 42 apartments at the site. Those in charge argued that this would not be enough and highway safety would be impacted by residents parking on nearby streets.

They also said that a “detrimental impact” on the “amenities of neighbouring occupiers” could be added to this subsequent on-street parking demand. Separate concerns were also voiced about a lack of cycle storage and bin storage at the development.

Sam Elgie said at the time that he and Trisha were “deeply upset” at the final hurdle rejection after the plans had already been passed through and deemed acceptable by other consultees. He said that the company would have “no choice but to appeal” and that they did in June.

Trisha said: “After the first application was refused, we went to a new architect, got a much better scheme, reduced the number of apartments and gave the council exactly what they asked for after a meeting. There weren’t many objections to it at all. So we were devastated because we didn’t know much more we could do. That’s why going to appeal we knew we had a strong case.”

Uttoxeter planning consultants JMI Planning were brought in and an appeal was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, which has now given the go-ahead. The 42 apartments will be split between 34 two-bedroomed flats and eight one-bedroomed ones.

The inspectorate’s report, published three weeks ago, said that the apartments would likely attract individuals and couples rather than families and this, coupled with the sustainable location, would mean that a provision of 21 parking spaces would be sufficient.

It also said that due to yellow lines on Osmaston Road, the dual carriageway nature of the road in front of the site and the lack of a resident-only parking zone, it is “unlikely” that the proposal would result in an increase in on-street parking demand. The report also found that the other listed reasons for refusal, such as the concern for cycle storage, were not valid.

The inspector also referred to the narrower, terraced streets off Osmaston Road which had been said to be a place for a potential impact of on-street parking, saying: “No tangible evidence has been provided to articulate any existing parking issue in the nearby streets, or to clearly demonstrate any potential harm that could arise if the development were to go ahead.

“Although only a snapshot in time, during my site visit I did not observe any particular parking issues, and numerous spaces were available on the side streets near to the site.

He concluded: “Therefore, in the absence of substantive evidence to the contrary, the proposal would not exacerbate on-street parking to the extent that highway safety and neighbouring residential amenity would be materially harmed.”

Trisha and Sam found out via email that the Inspectorate had reversed the decision. She said: “We celebrated – popped a bottle of champagne and said: ‘finally!’ We’ve been in property development for seven years now, mostly in Derby.

“We work with the council a lot because we’re trying to raise the standards of living here, providing luxury but affordable accomodation here for the future generations. We’ve got four children ourselves. This is the most difficult project we’ve had in seven years. It’s been a thorn in our side.”

The demolition and building work is set to start on La Gondola in 2024. In its heyday, the hotel and restaurant was regarded as one of Derby’s best with the venue regularly packed out. But over the years the business declined and struggled.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay tried to turn it around as part of his famous Kitchen Nightmares TV series but the business eventually went into liquidation in 2009. The hotel has stood empty for years and been described as dangerous with warning notices advising people to stay away.

Get Derbyshire stories sent to your email inbox every day. Sign up to our newsletter here.