A café and gallery space plan for Nottingham's former Central Library is set to take a step forward. Nottingham City Council is ready to appoint an architect and design team to oversee the fit-out of the former library on Angel Row, in a project which will see part of the building feature a 1,200 square metre creative hub and flexible workspace.
Above the hub, developers are due to redevelop the building, on behalf of the city council, into a "high-quality residential building" that will range from seven to 15 storeys in height. In March, developers said they would launch a consultation inviting public discussion before a planning application is submitted.
The successful architect and design team will be asked to produce the designs for the building to become a new centre for innovation and collaboration. The new venue will look to provide exhibition and gallery space, studios and flexible workspace for the city’s creative industry, as well as ground floor facilities including a café which would be open to the public.
Read more: Major 15-storey plan for former Angel Row library in Nottingham city centre
The move comes as work gets underway to create a modern Central Library in the new building that also houses the new Broad Marsh Car Park and Bus Station. This is part of the wider redevelopment of the Broad Marsh area, where a new 'green heart' will be developed at the bottom of Lister Gate in place of the shopping centre.
The Angel Row fit-out is being funded from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund, following a successful bid for £12.5m by the council announced last summer. The funding will also go towards strengthening pedestrian routes between cultural and tourist attractions in this part of the city centre.
Nottingham City Council Leader, Councillor David Mellen, said: “I’m pleased that at the same time as the fit-out of the new Central Library in the Broad Marsh area is taking place, we’re in a position to move on to the next stage of the Angel Row scheme, which will see an exciting new creative hub developed in the city centre.
“We are looking for an experienced design team to design the fit-out of the building in a way which can maximise opportunities for innovation and sustainable design into the scheme. Post-Covid, it will be important for this building to offer spaces where people in our growing creative sector can collaborate, work flexibly and engage together.”
Read next:
