It is also destined to play a major role in the city’s 50:50 celebrations starting this year
04:00, 04 Jan 2026Updated 06:27, 04 Jan 2026
The area to the right of the building would be the access to the floating platform if it gets planning permission(Image: Derby Telegraph)
Plans to create a floating platform with a lifting mechanism to enable Derby’s Riverboat to operate from a site under Causey Bridge have been abandoned after the project ran into financial difficulties.
But in its place the Derby and Sandiacre Canal Trust, which has been successfully operating the boat for the past three years, is looking to instead install a floating platform on the opposite side of the river and adjacent to the path that runs alongside the Museum of Making.
The change of location will make the boat much more accessible from the city centre, and the plan already has the blessing of the Derby Museums Trust, the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site coordination team and Derby and Derwent Rowing Clubs, who also use the river.
The proposed platform, ramp, and floating 11-metre pontoon would be attached to the riverbank and path alongside the museum, extending into the river. It would allow wheelchair access as well as walking passengers.
This is how the pontoon would look alongside the riverbank adjacent to the Museum of Making(Image: WMS Ltd)
A pre-application statement from the Museum of Making said: “I believe that having the Derby Riverboat moored directly next to the Museum of Making will be mutually beneficial on multiple fronts, but especially as it will increase footfall on the west side of the River Derwent and give a further boost to Derby city centre’s visitor economy.
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“The Riverboat experience further enhances the place-making story told within the Museum of Making and the connection between the Derwent and Derby’s role in the Industrial Revolution.
“We are also delighted that the canal trust is committed to completing the platform in time for the start of the Derby 50/50 celebrations in 2026.”
The boat has been named Outram after Derbyshire-born Benjamin Outram, one of the country’s leading engineering consultants at the start of the Industrial Revolution(Image: Visit Derby / Derby and Sandiacre Canal Trust)
The 50/50 celebrations will combine the 50th anniversary of the Derby-Osnabrück twinning partnership in 2026 and the anniversary of Derby achieving its official city status in 2027.
The original plan for a floating pontoon under Causey Bridge is also now impossible because access to the bridge has been cut off due to the flood prevention works being implemented under the scheme Our City Our River (OCOR).
The planning application, which is out for consultation until January 19, concludes by saying: “This proposal is necessary to overcome the access difficulties at Phoenix Green and to provide a better location for a service that has become a significant asset to the city.
“The pre-application consultations indicate strong support for the proposal. An urgent decision is requested to enable construction to proceed and avoid delays in the operation of the boat in the forthcoming season. The urgency is also requested in order for the riverboat to be in operation in time for the city’s important 50/50 Celebrations in 2026.”