---
title: "Procurement of a master developer partner for the delivery of the Smedley's Hydro Project."
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-065fd9"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-065fd9"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065fd9.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065fd9.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "DERBYSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2026-05-20"
---

# Procurement of a master developer partner for the delivery of the Smedley's Hydro Project.

Buyer: DERBYSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-065fd9

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## Summary

Derbyshire County Council is seeking to appoint a master developer partner for the Smedley's Hydro Project, involving the redevelopment of County Hall and the associated grounds in Matlock, UK. The procurement process, currently in the tender update stage, involves a substantial project with an estimated gross value of £160 million. The ambitious development plans include transforming a historical building into a hotel, establishing a new civic office, and creating residential and co-working spaces. The competitive procedure aims to select a single Development Partner, with the deadline for expressing interest set for 29th May 2026. The procurement approach invites three bidders to tender after initial evaluations, with the project scheduled to commence on 18th February 2027.

This opportunity presents significant growth potential for businesses in the construction, real estate, and architectural engineering sectors. Companies capable of handling large-scale projects with requirements for creative and functional redevelopment strategies are ideally positioned to compete. Businesses with experience in heritage asset restoration and the provision of leisure and tourism facilities can leverage this project to expand their portfolio and achieve significant regional impact. The project not only aims to secure the ongoing presence of the council but also promises to catalyse local economic development, making it a lucrative venture for firms seeking to establish or expand their footprint in the UK real estate and construction markets.

## Notice

The Council is seeking to procure a Development Partner for the redevelopment of County Hall and the associated grounds, prior to the Council's occupation known as Smedley's Hydropathic Establishment. The project proposes the conversion of the c.16,750sqm listed South Block of the current Matlock County Hall into a flagship hotel, with events, and potential conference and leisure facilities. The project also includes delivery of a new cost effective, flexible office building, along with a refurbished space in the Co-op Building on Smedley Street for the Council to occupy in order to retain a presence on site. The project will be further supported by delivery of new build enabling residential development and the provision of co-working space for local businesses, alongside other supporting and complementary uses. Applications for outline planning and listed building consents envisage delivery of up to 100 hotel beds, up to 5,000sqm new civic office building, up to 95 new homes, plus workspace and events/leisure space. The project aims to deliver major economic impact on the town of Matlock and beyond, secure the ongoing presence for the Council, restoration and maximising the value of heritage assets, and a significant boost to the local tourism and visitor economy. The Council is seeking to appoint a single Development Partner with responsibility for the delivery of the whole project. That partner may deliver all aspects of the project directly or introduce sub-developers and sub-contractors to deliver some parts, though retaining overall strategic oversight of the whole. It should be noted that the 'total value (estimated)' stated below in this notice is the estimated construction value of the site including the development of the co-working space which will be retained by the Council.

### Planning Information

Between August 2025 and January 2026, the Council's advisers, Montagu Evans, undertook a market engagement exercise.
The advisers engaged with suppliers to understand the level of interest in the development of the current Council site, alongside identifying suppliers able to meet the requirements of the contracting authority. The engagement exercise also sought suppliers' views on appropriate approaches to structuring the project contractually, commercially and in terms of procurement.
A report setting out the approach to and outputs of the preliminary market engagement is available, please email Stuart.Etchells@derbyshire.gov.uk
The Council's advisors took steps to ensure that suppliers involved in the exercise are not put at an unfair advantage in any competition in relation to a contract award to be carried out. Steps will continue to be taken in this regard.
This PME notice is not a call for competition. It is the Council's intention to publish a tender notice on or about March 2026.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/046058-2026 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Works |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning, Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 20 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 18 Feb 2027 - 17 Feb 2037 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £138,400,000 |
| Lots value | £138,400,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Active |
| Lots status | Active |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DERBYSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | MATLOCK |
| Post town | Derby |
| Postcode | DE4 3AG |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire |
| ITL 3 | TLF13 South and West Derbyshire |
| Local authority | Derbyshire Dales |
| Electoral ward | Matlock West |
| Westminster constituency | Derbyshire Dales |
| Delivery location | TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 45 - Construction work
- 70 - Real estate services
- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 45000000 - Construction work
- 70000000 - Real estate services
- 71000000 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

## Release History

- 20 May 2026 at 08:23 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/046058-2026
- 30 Apr 2026 at 14:58 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040084-2026
- 4 Mar 2026 at 15:19 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019588-2026
- 2 Mar 2026 at 14:46 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018534-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/046058-2026
  20th May 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040084-2026
  30th April 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019588-2026
  4th March 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018534-2026
  2nd March 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=bd693332-9f44-f111-813c-005056b64545

## Notice URLs

- https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/home.aspx
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-065fd9. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065fd9.json.