Even Costa has left St Peter’s Street. It is a ‘flashing red warning sign’

One of the UK’s biggest high street brands has made the decision to leave one of Derby’s busiest shopping streets – something which a councillor says should serve as a “flashing red warning light”. Costa Coffee confirmed it would be leaving its unit on the corner of East Street and St Peter’s Street last month after more than 13 years in the building.

St Peter’s Street has suffered a very difficult year so far. On May 6, Derby business owner Gurvinder Singh Johal died after a stabbing inside Lloyds Bank and, on July 14, three masked men carried out a brazen robbery at Ramsdens Pawnbrokers, as crowds gathered and watched on helplessly.

Costa lies just a few yards from where the dramatic incidents unfolded. It has now left the street for good. A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that our St Peter’s Street, Derby, Costa Coffee store has closed for trade.

“All team members have relocated to nearby stores. Customers can continue to enjoy their favourite Costa coffee at nearby stores at the Derbion shopping centre.”

It also comes after a recent survey in which eight out of ten Derbyshire Live readers said they felt unsafe in the city centre – with 39 per cent blaming the police and 27 per cent the council. We asked Costa Coffee if the recent trouble and incidents in St Peter’s Street played any part in the closure – and if not, a reason why – but it refused to answer the question directly.

Derby Conservatives leader Steve Hassall says the closure of such a huge brand on such a busy street “should serve as a flashing red warning light to the council and police”. He said: “When a national brand like Costa pulls out of what is supposed to be Derby’s main shopping street, it’s not just about footfall, it’s about fear, frustration and a complete lack of confidence in the authorities to get a grip.

“This closure reflects what many of us already know: people no longer feel safe in the city centre. Businesses are suffering. Residents are anxious. And the response from those in charge has been weak, inconsistent and laced with mixed messages.

“From claiming our city centre is safe one week, to writing to the Home Secretary in a panic the next, it’s clear this council is out of its depth. We don’t need knife amnesty bins in civic buildings (a position I presume that has been quietly dropped), we need a zero-tolerance approach, robust enforcement and a serious plan to restore public confidence.”

Labour city council leader Nadine Peatfield sent a letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper earlier this month in response to the recent incidents, after telling a full council meeting that she was going to request more police officers to serve the city. Ms Cooper made a special visit to Derby where she said funding is in place to give Derbyshire Constabulary an extra 35 officers to combat anti-social behaviour.

But in her her letter, Cllr Peatfield wrote: “Recently you announced Derbyshire would receive 35 new police officers, for which we are very grateful. However, once they are spread across the county, I am concerned that Derby city centre won’t see the impact of this increase.

“Too often our small but highly dedicated SNT (Safer Neighbourhood Team) city centre officers are pulled away from patrols to deal with emergency calls because we don’t have enough officers to cover the entire city, let alone the high street. PCSOs are scarce because so many have been recruited to step up to policing.”

A lack of footfall and, in turn, money not hitting the pockets of local businesses are the immediate repercussions of such violence and anti-social behaviour – but businesses themselves are also being forced to make changes for their own safety. Hannah Lancashire, who works at Jon Paul Menswear in Babington Lane, said business owners are frightened for the safety of staff in the city – adding that measures must be taken to increase security.

Speaking on the closure of Costa, which opened in the city back in 2012, Hannah said: “It doesn’t surprise me at all. It’s absolutely awful around there. The council has made it impossible for businesses to stay open, they’ve upped the rates, and it’s just a terrible time to own a business in the city.

“The homeless situation is dangerous. Staff are often here by themselves and we need to make sure the doors are locked whenever that is the case. Every day we see homeless people gathering on the street, and the drug problem is just awful.

“We see drug deals across the road all the time. In fact, I’ve had police sitting in my shop watching and waiting for drug deals. It’s that much of a problem. All the council seem to do is make it impossible for people to park and they’ve carried out unnecessary roadworks that have disrupted business.

“I know people who live between Derby and Burton, and I know for a fact that they would rather shop in Burton most of the time, mostly because it’s so easy to park. But the crime is the main issue that needs fixing.”

Satnan Shanan owns The Sandwich Shop in St Peter’s Churchyard, just a stone’s throw from the troubled part of the city. He says he “doesn’t blame Costa” for getting rid of the store, adding that, from a business’s perspective, the “area is dead”.

“There are so many problems faced by businesses in the city centre, whether it be footfall or violence, or just an environment that’s hard to navigate around,” said Satnan. “For example, we unload goods often on the street, and almost every time we have a ticket from traffic wardens.

“There are so many problems. Crime is also bad, particularly the area next to Costa, which is just full of drunks and the homeless. We’ve been at the same spot since 1994, and we sell confectionery, cigarettes and sandwiches.

“But the problem is that, in those 30 years, we’ve had dozens of new shops that sell the same – mini markets – open up all over the city centre. Our business is now struggling as a result, and the whole town centre is just dead.”

Following the closure of the St Peter’s Street Costa, the closest branches can now be found inside Derbion and at Derby railway station. It comes after another Derby Costa site, at the Meteor Centre in Mansfield Road, recently applied to stay open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in a notice published in the Derby Telegraph.

A Derby City Council spokesman said: “Of course we are disappointed to see any business close, but while Costa have taken the decision to stop trading from the St Peter’s Street site, this does not mean they have left the city altogether.

“The easy thing to do would be to attribute such closures to a single issue like crime, but that ignores the complex reality of the retail and hospitality sector, which is seeing trends such as rising costs and increased competition.

“Despite these challenges, Derby’s coffee scene remains vibrant and competitive, with a strong mix of thriving independent establishments and large chains. Our city continues to be a bustling hub, attracting visitors daily for events, shopping, and social gatherings.

“We are committed to working in collaboration with our partners to manage the city centre and keep it safe for all.”