Three years to finish Broad Marsh plan, council says

The leader of Nottingham City Council has said she hopes the former Broadmarsh Centre will be fully redeveloped by 2027.

The frame of the former Broadmarsh shopping centre could be used to offer "innovative" new spaces as part of a wider plan to redevelop the Broad Marsh area of the city.

The derelict building was taken over by the council in 2020 after previous owner Intu went into administration.

Council leader Neghat Khan said news on the continued development of the site should be announced by the end of the year.

The masterplan for the wider Broad Marsh area was first unveiled in 2021.

Sir Tim Smit of the Eden Project and urban designer Thomas Heatherwick created the vision following a public consultation, which gained more than 3,000 responses.

Construction firm Willmott Dixon finished demolishing a section of the shopping centre in 2022 before work on the Green Heart city park, which opened on Wednesday, began.

Speaking at an event to mark the opening, Ms Khan said she hoped work on the former shopping centre will be completed by 2027.

"It's a really proud moment because we have been talking about developing this for a few years now, so to actually get it done is fantastic," she said.

The Green Heart park has been paid for using government funding through the Transforming Cities programme.

The project, along with the pedestrianisation of Collin Street, has cost £10.5m.

Funding for the maintenance of the park has been guaranteed by the council and lighting and CCTV cameras have been installed to alleviate safety concerns.

"We will keep an eye on the area. I am confident it will be a safe space and an open and inviting space," Ms Khan said.

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