History
The land on which the building now stands was opened as a park on 7 July 1910. It was donated to the city by Mary Shuttleworth, widow of lace magnate and Temperance Union member Henry Boden. Known as Boden's Pleasaunce, the land was asphalted after the First World War and then redeveloped in the early 1970s. The car park originally opened in 1974. The decorative wrought iron gates still stand next to the building and include the Boden's Crest and a plaque dedicated to Henry Boden.
In the 1990s, the car park became a haven for beggars and gained a reputation as a venue for various anti-social behaviours – in 1997 there were 161 reported cases of criminal activities including drug abuse and muggings. Also in 1997, Derby City Council contracted with Parksafe Systems to run the car park as a partnership, in an attempt to turn around the worsening problems. Ken Wigley, security systems inventor and proprietor of Parksafe Systems, agreed to pay for the majority of the installation costs in return for a percentage of the car park's takings.
After a period of upgrades, the facility reopened on 18 January 1998. Since that date there have been no reported criminal activities and the car park has gained the reputation of a highly secure building. In a study published by science magazine BBC Focus in February 2003, the building was listed as one of the ten "most secure places in the world", alongside Air Force One, Area 51, and Fort Knox.
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