Nottingham City Council's leader says a "significant step" has been taken to transform the Broad Marsh with the appointment of a company that will draw up the project's 'master plan'. Since the collapse of intu in 2020, the former Broad Marsh shopping centre has stood derelict whilst plans were developed for the site's future.
World-renowned urban designer Thomas Heatherwick was one of those appointed in 2021 to come up with proposals for how the area would be used. First unveiled in December 2021, those plans include a 'Green Heart', which will see an area the size of a football pitch being covered with trees and plants.
Other elements of the plans include 1,000 new homes, more than 500,000 square feet of commercial and office space and the retention of the former shopping centre's frame. Nottingham City Council has now appointed a company it will work with to make these plans a reality.
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BDP, a major international architecture and design company, will develop a 'master plan' to realise the vision for the Broad Marsh. The company's previous projects have included Wimbledon Centre Court and the Google headquarters in London.
BDP's Urban Design Director, David Rudlin, will oversee the masterplanning process, which will see the creation of a deliverable plan and strategy to achieve the Broad Marsh transformation. Once completed, this master plan would be used to back up any future bids the council makes for external funding on the project.
Councillor David Mellen, the Leader of Nottingham City Council, 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.
"I'm delighted that for the rest of the site we have appointed BDP, a renowned urban design firm which will take the vision and turn it into a deliverable plan. This is a significant step towards seeing this site achieve its potential of becoming a destination in its own right and a driver of investment, jobs and growth for the whole city."
Work to transform the Broad Marsh so far has mainly focused on demolishing the former shopping centre. Other elements of the phase one work have included the connection of Lister Gate and Collin Street.
The first phase of the Broad Marsh work was funded through grants including £7.99 million from the Local Enterprise Partnership and £4 million from the Government's Transforming Cities Fund. The Government has twice rejected bids for the next phase of the Broad Marsh work through the Levelling Up Fund, but the council is set to bid for it again during the fund's third round.
David Rudlin, the Urban Design Director at BDP, said: "I'm delighted we will be working with Nottingham City Council on the Broad Marsh master plan. I have a long association with Nottingham and have a great affection for the city.
"Broad Marsh is perhaps the largest development site in the centre of a British city and is a huge opportunity to transform Nottingham. We will be working with the proposals developed by Thomas Heatherwick and analysing all views expressed by local people in 'the big conversation' to ensure that the plans become a reality." Work will soon begin on transforming Collin Street, whilst the Green Heart element of the project is due to get underway later this year.
