Nottingham City Council has confirmed that plans for improvements to the West End Arcade will not be moving forward after funding was allocated in 2021. The funding was marked for three separate areas of the city centre as part of the government's Future High Street Fund which was announced in 2018.
Funding was granted in 2019 so that plans for the arcade could be developed. The idea was to bring back the distinctive independent shops as the arcade was thought to have 'untapped potential' due to its prominent location on Angel Row just off Market Square.
A decision has been made not to continue with the plans as only £12 million of the original £18 million proposal was granted. West End Arcade was thought to be the most expensive part of the project to fund as it would need significant investment to improve facilities so a decision was made not to continue and focus on the other parts of the project which include the library and infrastructure improvements.
The Future High Street fund which was announced in 2018 aimed to renew and reshape town centers to drive growth, improve the experience and also ensure future sustainability. However, the arcade still has many empty units and is in bad need of repair.
The West End Arcade is Nottingham's oldest arcade and although it has some open stores, local businesses say it is very quiet. There are also many empty units and shops with reduced opening hours. The arcade has fallen into significant disrepair with many units showing signs of neglect.
Local business owners they are desperate for better facilities such as water supply and better toilets. They also wanted to see better disability access in the hope that it may bring older shoppers into the arcade or make it easier for people to get around. Some of the shop owners were also considering leaving because of the lack of footfall in the arcade.
Yeabsir Hailu is the owner of the Yeab store which sells traditional spices and coffees in the Arcade. Her husband, Adane Solomon highlighted that they are looking to relocate as the arcade is quiet.
"The place is hidden in plain sight and it's difficult to get customers so it needs investment. We sell some coffee beans and spices but the shop doesn't have any water supply so we need to go upstairs and come down. there is no sewage at all so toilet access is difficult which is an issue at the moment. It's quiet too so we are planning to leave and get somewhere outside on the high street," he said.
Lee Gao is the owner of Lee's Beauty which has just opened in the arcade on Parliament street side. He says that it's very quiet and people often don't realise that the store has a downstairs.
"We've been open about six weeks and the arcade is very quiet as not many people walk past. If there was something underneath here then people could cut through. People often walk in, see the two shops then walk back out. I would like to see something for older people like a lift to take them down the stairs as it's hard for them to walk down," he said.
Two of the stores, NG Vape and KT Hair, that are outward-facing on Angel Row have been painted and look very different from the inside of the arcade. NG Vape has been open for about five years now and manager Kwan Lam says that footfall is easier for the business as they are on the edge of the arcade.
He said: "It's been fine as we are at the front of the arcade so we get a lot of traffic. We do need investment as we are one of the oldest arcades in Nottingham. It would be great if there was funding to uplift it and bring in more customers. We do have access to toilets upstairs but we don't use them so we go to local fast food places, cafes or restaurants instead. We need more toilets and water supply to be added."
