Council confirms paving stones will make a return as concerns raised

CONCERNED shoppers are asking what has happened to the elegant paving stones which were laid earlier this year in parts of Derby but now seem to have been ripped up and replaced with ugly patches of black tarmac.

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In a bid to enhance the city’s appearance, a lengthy overhaul of key city centre streets has been taking place and the most recent areas - Corporation Street, Victoria Street and Albert Street - were completed in June.

But now Victoria Street has been left with a large patch of tarmac, and a similar thing has happened elsewhere, including in the Market Place, which is a conservation area.

Allestree resident Mark Ormond was particularly upset to see what has happened to the area outside the former Post Office in Victoria Street.

He said that he had tried to get an answer from Derby City Council about the situation without success.

He finally turned to his ward councillor Steve Hassall to see if he could help and found he wasn’t the only voice to express concerns about what has been happening.

Cllr Hassall said: “I have been contacted by several concerned residents, most recently about works outside the former Post Office on Victoria Street, where newly laid Yorkstone paving has been ripped up and replaced with patches of black tarmac.

“The same poor practice can be seen across the city centre.