A new era has dawned at a once derelict Nottingham site as the first venture of a £1 billion regeneration project opened its doors. Homes, offices, a hotel, bars, restaurants, entertainment and green spaces are part of a ten-year masterplan to transform the 36-acre Island Quarter.
The "city within a city" at the former Boots Island, between London Road and Manvers Street, is being developed by the Conygar Investment Company, working closely with Nottingham City Council. Newly-built Binks Yard launched today (Wednesday, September 14) at the site which is being hailed a new destination with "world-class" amenities.
The new bar and grill, headed up by MasterChef: The Professionals champion Laurence Henry, has canalside views and a plaza for outdoor entertainment unlike anything else in the county. He hailed it "really exciting" for Nottingham.
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The redevelopment has been a long time coming. Previous plans decades ago at the former Boots Island were abandoned in the early 1990s.
East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said: “After many decades of the Island Quarter site laying derelict, this is a monumental day for the city of Nottingham as we finally catch a glimpse of what the new Island Quarter development is all about. As one of the biggest city centre regeneration projects in Europe, we know there is huge potential to be unleashed by opening up a new area for living, working and playing – which is exactly what the modern-day city should provide.
"There has been a great deal of anticipation as the initial development phase has progressed and it’s exciting that residents, workers and visitors will now be able to step foot on the site to see for themselves what has changed. Opening a high-quality bar and restaurant will be another shot in the arm for Nottingham’s leisure offering, which is a key part in the jigsaw for attracting people to spend their time and money in the city.”
Laurence Henry, the champion of MasterChef: The Professionals in 2018, is chef patron at Binks Yard and new fine dining restaurant Cleaver & Wake, which will open in a few weeks' time. Vowing to stay in Nottingham rather than move to London after winning the prestigious BBC1 television competition, he has remained true to his word.
He said: "I am blown away every time I walk in. It's amazing, it's been a massive labour of love for the last few years. I feel like I have poured my heart and soul into it and everyone else in the project has as well. It's great to finally be here.
"It's great to be part of the wider Island Quarter development. It's a really exciting thing for Nottingham and it's an honour to kick off the whole development with Binks Yard and Cleaver & Wake."
The historic site has an interesting past, once home to the Jesse Boot empire. It represents the progress of Boots dating back to 1887 when Jesse Boot leased three rooms in an old lace building before taking over the entire factory, allowing the company's manufacturing arm to expand rapidly. The location by Nottingham Canal and the railway network led to a significant rise in production.
A number of the Boots buildings were bombed during the Second World War. Decades later, between 1989 and 1992, plans were drawn up by Boots to redevelop the site and build a conference centre, hotel and heritage site. Those plans were abandoned and, in October 1993, Boots agreed the sale of the Island Street site to Nottingham City Council for £2m.
City council leader, Coun David Mellen, said: “It’s a really momentous occasion to have the first businesses opening on the Island Quarter, which is set to become an exciting new destination in Nottingham. This is a large site which has sadly stood derelict for many years so it is great to see ambitious plans for its redevelopment start to become reality.
“This brings vital new jobs to the city and is a significant part of huge changes that are underway to reshape Nottingham as a place where more people want to live, work and play.”
Robert Ware, chief executive of Conygar said: "We’re delighted that Binks Yard at 1 The Island Quarter is now ready to welcome guests from Nottingham and beyond. Everyone has worked incredibly hard to get us to this stage, and we can’t wait to see what Laurence and his expert team have in store."
Tourism chiefs at Visit Nottinghamshire believe it will help to put the city on the map. Kinga Kapias, marketing and communications manager, said: "We are thrilled to see the first stage of development, Binks Yard, opening its doors. With a brand new events space and a programme of activities it’s no doubt going to become one of the top city locations for visitors to Nottingham.
"Nottingham is a city with rich history and a bright future and new developments such as the Island Quarter will help put the city on the map and ensure it’s an attractive destination for both business and leisure visitors."
Binks Yard
The newly-built bar and grill has the wow factor, blending Victorian-style architecture with modern industrial features with superb food, drinks and entertainment. Visitors can enjoy canalside views in the 80-seater restaurant with teal and rust hues.
Open seven days a week, all-day dining starts with breakfast. A full English, eggs Benedict, tropical fruit salad, overnight oats, French toast, pancakes and breakfast cocktails such as a Bloody Mary and Bucks Fizz are on the menu.
The open kitchen has a charcoal grill for cooking steak, fish, chicken and burgers. Neapolitan-style pizzas with toppings including mussels, truffled bresaola and a pizza version of a Waldorf salad come from a wood-fired oven. Salads, desserts and a £15 two-course lunch-on-the hop are served.
Chef patron Laurence Henry said: "We've got the greatest hits for breakfast, all my favourite dishes, I think there is something for everyone. Throughout the building 'something for everyone' were pretty much the buzz words."
The bar and outdoor terrace has a further 100 covers and a menu of tacos and pinchos. Drinks range from Henry Binks Nottingham lager or bitter to cocktails, mocktails, spirits, wines and soft drinks.
Bifold door blend indoors and outdoors, with a plaza for entertainment boasting a 500-strong capacity. Laurence said: "The vibe is casual. It's all about that live music, a really great atmosphere. Eating and drinking, pint in one hand, and eating with the other hand."
An industrial bandstand with perforated rust-coloured metallic screens is the stage for live music, DJs, films and live sports action. Ben Hicklin, head of events, said: "Essentially what we want to try and do is create an entertainment venue seven days a week that's like a standalone venue with food and drink out here and outside toilets.
"There will be music, from solo acoustics to full bands, jazz, reggae, funk, soul, different sorts of genres on stage. There is a 7m x 3.5m video screen wall, the largest of its kind in the Midlands, that will be showing the football World Cup, rugby, Wimbledon and anything of note.
"Some events will be ticketed but most will just be come along and have some great food and something fantastic to drink, sit in the beautiful environment and enjoy some free entertainment. The regeneration scheme will create a city within a city with a hotel, affordable housing and student accommodation. It's estimated there will be about 6,500 people living and working on the site as it opens. It's really exciting for Nottingham."
Tom Seals will be the first live act with his boogie woogie show on October 9. Bagpipe band the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and Coldplay tribute Live in Technicolor have also been booked for later in the year and there are plans to organise an international jazz and cocktail festival next year.
Liam Morgan, sales and marketing manager, said: "The scale of just Binks Yard, let alone the Island Quarter, is just amazing. It's really exciting. The best thing about this is it's not a chain, there are no rules, let's try it. Ben (Hicklin) is trying to think outside the box in every way possible, not just to create a live music venue but to be all inclusive food, drinks, entertainment, everything."
The venture is named after Henry Binks, a Victorian beer retailer who was based on the site in 1895. Cleaver & Wake, the 85-seater fine dining restaurant above Binks Yard, will be unveiled shortly.
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