Government housing agency giving council £200,000 for Nottingham’s Broad Marsh redevelopment
Government body giving council £200,000 for Broad Marsh business case
A Government housing agency is giving Nottingham City Council a £200,000 cash injection to help with the future redevelopment of the former Broad Marsh Centre.
The 1970s shopping centre site was handed back to the Labour-run council upon the collapse of its owner intu in 2020.
A year later, and following a consultation to see what the city wanted, urban designer Thomas Heatherwick was chosen to create a vision for the area.
Work on the Green Heart parkland area on the west side is already taking place, however the council has so far been unsuccessful in its bids to Government for Levelling Up money to regenerate the east side.
Government agency Homes England, which works to accelerate the building of housing across the country, has now offered the authority £200,000 to help draw up a business case for the former shopping centre site.
Business cases are typically needed to justify a development, show how costly it may be, and encourage potential investors to get involved in a project.
The council will also be putting in a further £200,000, bringing the total spend to £400,000.
‘Significant progress’
Council delegated decision documents say: “The council are currently developing the masterplan for the Broad Marsh redevelopment, a more detailed business case is necessary to identify a viable delivery and procurement strategy on completion of the final master plan.”
As well as the Green Heart, an area the size of a football pitch that will feature marshland, trees and other greenery, there are plans for around 1,000 new homes and apartments, office space and the reuse and redevelopment of the former shopping centre’s frame.
International architecture and design firm BDP was chosen in July to help make these plans a reality through the development of the master plan.
The firm’s previous projects include Wimbledon Centre Court and Google’s London-based headquarters.
The latest cash injection from Homes England will fund a series of consultants with expertise in property, finance and economic regeneration, to help build the business case.
Council leader Cllr David Mellen (Lab) previously said: “We have made significant progress on reshaping this part of the city to make the most of this once-in-a-generation opportunity.
“The new Broad Marsh car park, bus station and Central Library and the transformed streets around it have helped to create a modern, welcoming gateway to the city.”