Derby railway station: The first thing that visitors see really lets us down

We're all so used to getting off the train and walking out into Railway Terrace that we don't really see it with fresh eyes. It's tired, unfriendly and - dare I say it - a little downmarket.

Two sentences in and I'm already starting to sound like Hyacinth Bucket. Of course, every city has light and shade, good and bad, and this is exactly how it should be. But just like a shop window, we need to put our best stuff front and centre.

The saving grace of the area is its excellent pubs - but that's not what greets you immediately. Instead there's a taxi office, two convenience stores, a takeaway and a once-grand hotel that's seen better days. Oh, and Bubbles spa. It's uninspiring. The colours are drab. It makes you want to find someone responsible, grab them by the shoulders and ask: "Can't we do better?"

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That's why I am so pleased to hear that Derby City Council has unveiled a makeover masterplan for the area. This follows work already done to improve the roads and pavements around the station. The council admits that the area has "considerable unrealised development potential". You can say that again. Plans on the table include a new entrance, a new walkway, apartments and office space.

Of course, we're unlikely to see a return to the grandeur of how the station once stood. It seems almost criminal to look back at those historical pictures and realise what we have lost. But to hear that the council has a positive vision to upgrade the area and give us something to be proud of again is certainly a step in the right direction.

Interestingly, one of the authority's stated aims is to encourage "a westward shift of office occupiers from Pride Park back towards the city centre". Clearly a problem has been identified. Perhaps post-pandemic the weighting towards people working in Pride Park compared to the city centre has been laid bare.

It seems similar to the problem we've seen with retail parks drawing shoppers out of town. A thriving city needs a thriving city centre and it would appear moves are under way to redress the balance.

The other benefit of an increase in office workers and residents is that it will encourage an uplift in the sort of shops that want to trade in the area. There's a place for takeaways and taxi offices - of course there is - but there's also room for a nice cafe for a decent cup of coffee and a sandwich. Only when the area gives a better impression will such traders be attracted to take a chance.

I am a cheerleader for Derby. I believe we have a lot going for us and a great deal of untapped potential. I want friends to visit and say "wow". If you do a very carefully curated tour of the city, focusing on the nicer bits, you can draw out that response. But if their first impression of the city is stepping out of Derby Midland Station then you've got a lot of work to do to make up lost ground.

The council is never anyone's favourite chocolate in the box. But credit where credit's due, I believe this masterplan is a good thing for the city and should be applauded. A nip and tuck here, a facelift there, and before you know it you've got a city that's on the up and not going downhill. It's time for a small dose of positivity.