Shoppers have expressed hopes that a 'miserable' street will be made 'more attractive' by progress at Broadmarsh. Lister Gate in Nottingham city centre has been left barren after a series of shop closures, including Marks and Spencer, Pret and WHSmith.
The shutters coming down on so many businesses has been attributed to Covid and the Broadmarsh shopping centre's closure after the collapse of retail giant intu in 2020. A £20m bid was recently submitted to the Government's Levelling Up Fund by Nottingham City Council to help finance the huge transformation of the Broadmarsh site, which would include a new 'green heart' called Lister Square at the bottom of Lister Gate.
Shoppers said the street was currently "dire" and "dead", but expressed hope for the future should the Broadmarsh vision come to fruition. Dave Shaw, 57, a civil servant from The Meadows, said: "I think it will bring businesses back and make it much more attractive.
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"There will be more people down here nearby - I know people avoid going through the Broadmarsh tunnel at the moment. It is just so miserable on this street, and the tunnel itself.
"It will be good to have an open air way into the city again from the Meadows. It's a shame what has happened to this street as there are some lovely building going to waste."
Lorraine Clarke, 73, retired and from Beeston, said: "It is a bit dire down here. I do not come down here very often but when I do, I always look at Broadmarsh and think 'what are they doing'."
"I think that when its all done it will bring more people this way. It used to be incredibly busy at one time, it was like how Clumber Street is now."
Terry Pitman, 68, an embroider who has recently moved to Mansfield and was visiting Nottingham city centre for the first time, said: "It is a bit dead down here isn't it.
"By the sounds of the plans they will bring more people down here. Having something like a small park would be lovely.
"Then you'll have people walking past to get there and spending money nearby. It's a bit of a an eyesore at the minute but they've made a good effort with the art on the tunnel.
"Hopefully that would encourage shops back. Then you would have the best of both worlds."
East Midlands Chamber, which represents businesses in the region, said Lister Gate had been "unfortunate" due to its closeness to the Broadmarsh centre. But the body suggested local authorities, landlords and businesses could possibly work together to create opportunities with flexible short-term leases for small businesses "that would thrive by moving into a prime location".
East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said: “The direct impact of the pandemic on bricks-and-mortar retail is visible in many cities across the country, and in Nottingham the industry’s struggles have been exacerbated by interrupted development of the former Broadmarsh Centre. Having a half-demolished shopping centre at a key entrance to the city centre for the past couple of years, for reasons understood, has been hugely unfortunate and this will ultimately affect nearby businesses, including those in prime shopping areas such as Lister Gate.
“Nottingham City Council’s Levelling Up Fund bid includes some enticing details of what the future could bring in the form of a new ‘centrepiece’ for leisure activities, food and drink. If this vision is realised, it would have an enormous effect in breathing new life into a hugely important part of the city centre, and inevitably attract new investors and businesses.
“It’s crucial the Government backs this vision to allow the people of Nottingham to begin turning dreams into reality, shaping the Broad Marsh area in the best possible way for a modern, sustainable city. In the short term, however, more needs to be done to prevent important retail areas like Lister Gate being stripped bare.
“If local authorities, landlords and businesses can work together effectively, there may be opportunities to offer flexible short-term leases to small businesses that would thrive by moving into a prime location. This brings more customers to the area, giving other companies the confidence to return and ultimately becomes a win-win scenario for everyone involved.”
The city council is the sole trustee of a charity called the Bridge Estate, set up to maintain Trent Bridge by letting out 100 properties across Nottingham. The charity has three of its own properties on Lister Gate, which are shortly due to be fully vacant and have struggled to find tenants, leading to debt relating to the properties on the historic street sits at £2.2m as of March 2021.
City Council Leader, Councillor David Mellen, said: “The reimagining of the Broad Marsh area as a new destination will undoubtedly have a positive impact not only on the surrounding streets but the wider city. Work to fit out the new Central Library is already underway and will be complemented by the huge improvements to the surrounding streets that continue to progress well. We have submitted a bid for £20m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund to start to turn the vision for the Broad Marsh site into a reality by reimagining the Frame of the old shopping centre into a unique space. This would unlock other key elements of the vision including the ‘green heart’.
“Listergate and a new-look Collin Street will be connected via the green heart of Broad Marsh, providing much better links between the city centre and the city’s Southside and bringing lots more people to the area. We would expect Listergate to benefit from the increased footfall that will be driven by emerging aspects of the Broad Marsh redevelopment and better links to improved visitor attractions such as Nottingham Castle and the City of Caves, as well as the new college building and Nottingham Station.”
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