What’s next for Broadmarsh?
CITY COUNCIL ‘NEEDS TO HEAR THE VIEWS OF THE PUBLIC’ TO HELP SHAPE SITE’S FUTURE
ALL options will be considered for what happens to the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre, the city council has said, as it launches a ‘Big Conversation’ about what should happen next.
A park, new homes, retail and entertainment have all been suggested by members of the public, and will now be looked at, with a mix of several different options remaining a possibility.
Launching the consultation today, the leader of the council said ‘nobody’ was suggesting the scheme be built as had been planned before COVID.
The plot - estimated to be a million square feet - sits in a hugely significant place for the city - between the new college building at one end, the soon-to-be-refurbished Nottingham Castle at the other, immediately next to the new bus station library and car park, and linking the city centre to the Southside development.
Councillor David Mellen today (Tuesday, October 20) launched the ‘Broadmarsh Big Conversation’ while standing on the roof of a part of the centre which has not been demolished. He said: “The scale of the challenge is enormous, but so is the opportunity.
“I think it’s quite rare to have a site like this, it feels like standing here you can almost reach out and touch the council house, and yet it’s in the middle of a big area of development, so there’s a tremendous opportunity for people to come in and help us develop it.
“We need to hear the views of the public, so we can shape this into something that will be enjoyed and used by the people of Nottingham.
“Things have changed. Although we would not have wanted to be here, it’s an opportunity to take in terms of different times, different needs, and looking at it with new eyes.”
Nelson Blackley is an independent retail analyst based in Nottingham, and said: “Given the huge local interest (and controversy) over the long-running Broadmarsh Shopping Centre ‘saga,’ it’s good that the city council is now looking to engage with all those interested parties about the future of the site.
“The web page launched today includes some interesting insights from the City Council about the realities of any future plans - in particular, the financial pressures they clearly face will mean any development of the huge Broadmarsh site must involve new investment and private sector expertise and finance, as well as external grant funding.