All options open to deliver vision
COUNCIL FOCUSED ON VIABLE BROAD MARSH BUSINESS PLAN
THE leader of Nottingham City Council says it is considering every option in delivering a vision for the Greater Broad Marsh site.
In December last year a new vision for the former Broadmarsh Centre was unveiled, to a mix of praise and criticism.
Featured in the vision was the utilisation of the ‘skeleton’ of the old shopping centre structure, proposals for 750 new homes by Castle Rock and a new area called ‘Lister Square,’ which would feature a baby oak tree taken from the ancient Sherwood Forest.
It followed a tumultuous period for the city following the collapse of shopping centre giant intu, which entered administration at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving its regeneration plans for the site in ruin.
The new vision was thought up by urban designer Thomas Heatherwick and his London-based studio and, while it is welcome, the challenge now lies in how it will be delivered.
Andrew Rule, Conservative councillor for Clifton West, raised his concerns during a Full Council meeting.
He referenced the city council’s financial troubles and said: “Given the scale of what is proposed for Broad Marsh and given the strains on the council’s capital budget, if sufficient external funding cannot be sourced does the leader of the council agree that the council’s further approaches to (or indeed from) a private delivery should not be ruled out?”
Responding, the leader of the council and Dales ward councillor, David Mellen, said: “The redevelopment of the Broad Marsh is a complex and long-term project that will require significant investment and we as a council have always been clear that we would not be able to deliver the full extent of this project and its benefits to the city without the addition of external funding, either public sector or from the private sector.
“Following receipt of advice from the advisory group on the proposed vision, delivery strategy for the wider Broad Marsh, we are now undertaking our own due-diligence on the advised receipt to ensure we have considered all options the council has to deliver the vision.
“The primary consideration is whether the vision is viable and deliverable and extensive work is being undertaken to develop a plan for a viable business case for the entire site.
“As part of this all options of delivery will be considered, including sources of expertise and funding from the public sector and to decide how we should engage with the private sector on this project and when it would be best to do so.
“Evidence from direct conversa
tions with other local authorities such as Sheffield City Council, which has been through a very similar large-scale redevelopment plan, suggested the key lessons to learn is to ensure the council understands fully what it wants to deliver before contracting with a private-sector delivery company.”