Derbyshire County Council has said it has “no plans” to switch back on a waterfall in Derby town centre which was turned off due to its costs and is now filthy with pigeon droppings
A city’s waterfall will remained turned off after a five-year drought.
Councillor Nadine Peatfield, leader of Derbyshire County Council, has confirmed the council has “no plans” to switch the water feature at Market Place back on again after it was switched off in 2019.
It may have trickled a bit during Storm Babet, but aside from that, the waterfall has been dry ever since. In 2016 the council initially switched off the attraction, with the then-Tory administration saying it would cost £32,000 per year to run and maintain – including costs for vandalism and fees.
A campaign to turn it back on ended with success, and water started flowing once more in July 2018 – but the dream was short-lived as shoppers were then surprised to see the waterfall not working again a year later.
A council spokesperson said it was closed as a result of the plant room under the waterfall being re-designated as a “confined space” due to restricted access. They added at the time: “As a result, this means that we are unable to quickly access the area to control and monitor the waterfall and water quality. Work is underway to resolve this issue as a matter of urgency.”
That was nearly 2,000 days ago – and the feature is now mainly used as a toilet by pigeons, reported DerbyshireLive. The waterfall was designed by William Pye and installed in 1995 as part of the pedestrianisation of the whole area. It was greeted by a mixed public response – with many people asking for a traditional fountain.
Cllr Peatfield says the waterfall will remain off, with no immediate plans to change this. She said: “We currently have no plans to switch the waterfall fountain back on.
“The Market Place is a key part of our plans to create a new cultural heart of the city and we continue to work closely with our preferred strategic development partners, Vinci Developments UK and ION developments, on their masterplan, which includes the Market Place and areas surrounding it.”
Despite initial uncertainty, the waterfall grew on Derby folk over the 20 years it was operational – and the years of intermittent joy that followed. Mary Hart, who used to take her grandchildren to the waterfall on sunny days when they were younger, said: “It’s typical, isn’t it?
“We can’t even afford to have a bit of water running in one of the busiest places in town. I just laugh nowadays, I have stopped caring. It’s the young people who will miss out, they won’t know the Derby we know, and that’s sad, but what can we do?”
One of the little ones who enjoyed childhood visits to town when they were younger was Adam Kelly, who added: “I was one of the kids who grew up using the waterfall, running around and getting a wet back. My grandparents couldn’t stand having to dry us all off before getting the bus, but my cousins and I used to enjoy it so much.
“I’m not an expert on things like this, but I suppose it isn’t too much trouble to turn it back on, but with the cost of bills nowadays, you never know. I’d love to see it reopen, but do I think it’s a priority? Not really. We’re all used to it now, and it’s too late to turn it on for Christmas, so maybe by the summer, they could have it sorted? It would put a bit of life back into the town.”
Susan Young, from Mackworth, admitted that she never really like the look of it, but says it’s even worse now it doesn’t have a purpose. “I don’t think I have use for it at my age,” the 67-year-old chuckled.
“But I have fond memories of coming here with my children all those years ago. I even remember when it opened, we actually weren’t really too keen on it. Now I walk past it most of the time when I come to town and, like many other things such as Assembly Rooms – and even St Peter’s Street as a whole – it’s awful to see it go to waste.
“It just gets dirtier and dirtier. It seems to be more run down whenever I look at it. They need to fix it soon – or at least give it a regular wash – otherwise, you may as well just knock it down. It has absolutely no purpose.”
