Latest on Broadmarsh project as Nottingham MP says she’s ‘very concerned’
The government has rejected three bids to rejuvenate the derelict shopping centre site
A Nottingham MP says she is “very concerned” that the government continues to ignore the Broadmarsh shopping centre project.
Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood has criticised the Conservatives for “failing to invest” in the project after a third levelling up bid was rejected last November.
On November 21 it was confirmed that the £20 million bid for funding had been refused, leaving the project in limbo once again.
The 20-acre site has been derelict since 2020, when its owner, Intu, went into administration.
The future of Broadmarsh received a further blow last November when Nottingham City Council issued itself with a section 114 notice, meaning all spending, apart from protecting vulnerable people and providing statutory services, will be suspended.
As a result, the Broad Marsh Green Heart project, which aims to turn the site into a green space for the public to use, has been put on hold.
Ms Greenwood, who has campaigned for Broadmarsh funding in Parliament, told Nottingham World: “I am very concerned that the Conservative Government in Westminster continues to fail to invest in the Broadmarsh project and the regeneration of our city centre.
“I know that many others in Nottingham share my concerns that successive Tory Governments have overlooked investing in one of the most significant city centre development sites anywhere in the UK, which could unlock up to 1,000 new homes and more than much needed 6,000 jobs.
“This failure is against the backdrop of £15 billion which has already been cut from hard-pressed local government budgets since 2010.”
“The Labour Party and I meanwhile believe in giving our local communities the power, resources and flexibility to tackle issues in the way they think best.
“I support plans for a Take Back Control Bill, providing the basis for the biggest ever transfer of power out of Westminster and giving towns and cities the tools they need to develop credible, long-term growth plans.”
With a general election set to take place later this year, and the potential for a new government, there could be some light at the end of the tunnel for Broadmarsh.
However, it’s hard to describe the site’s short and medium-term future as anything other than bleak.