Derby to Install Third Mobility Hub

Derby is set to gain a “mobility hub” that will include five electric vehicle charging points, a space for bike storage, and a digital display showing bus service information. The city council announced that work to establish the hub in Grove Street car park, situated off Normanton Road, is scheduled to commence in spring 2025 and be finished within a few months. The authority also confirmed that the car park will undergo resurfacing and refurbishment, which will include new solar lighting, with this new hub marking the third of its kind in the city. Councillor Carmel Swan stated that this forms part of a wider strategy “to develop locations across the city where there is potentially difficulty with on-road parking and electric vehicle charging”. Swan, the cabinet member for climate change, transport and sustainability, characterized the car park as currently a “very dreary, dark and unappealing place to park your vehicle”. She elaborated, “The idea behind this is not only will it be refurbished and resurfaced, but it will have the additional infrastructure to help people to make those decisions about the future of transport.” The other hubs in the city are located in Nottingham Road and the Six Streets area, specifically in Wheeldon Avenue and Statham Street. Swan added, “Creating a new mobility hub for Normanton will allow taxis and people with electric vehicles in the community to safely charge their vehicles in what should be a really good, clean, open space.” When questioned about the need for electric charging points in this area, she responded: “If we don’t have the infrastructure, the likelihood is people won’t make that leap of faith to change. “What we found with our other hub, operating in Darley, is that people have made that leap of faith.” The Department for Transport’s Future Transport Zones fund will provide the financing for the hub. Before the works commence, members of the public will have the chance to inquire about the hub with council officers at an event scheduled for the Grove Street car park from 11:00 to 15:00 on Tuesday.