Nottingham City Council is submitting bids totalling £57m for a share of the government’s levelling up fund to bring about massive changes to the city. The local authority has revealed exclusively to Nottinghamshire Live that the cash would go into funding major projects across the city, including the Broad Marsh area, Bulwell town centre and the Island Quarter.
It comes after the council's initial failed bid for £20m from the Conservative Government's Levelling Up fund back in October last year, which would have given the authority the required cash to further progress the Broad Marsh redevelopment. Following the collapse of intu, owners of the former shopping centre, the City Council established the independent Greater Broad Marsh Advisory Group to oversee a bold new vision for the site, informed by an extensive public engagement through the Big Conversation and brought to life by world renowned urban designer Thomas Heatherwick.
The 20-acre Broad Marsh site is one of the most significant city centre development sites in the UK, and undoubtedly one of the most important projects Nottingham has ever faced. The neighbouring streets and buildings are already undergoing a transformation and strengthened connections to improved tram, train, bus and cycle networks.
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Lilian Greenwood, Labour MP for Nottingham South, added: "Regeneration of Broad Marsh has been long overdue and the project is a top priority for our city.
"Access to levelling up funding would ensure the completion of the project and would provide a unique opportunity for local residents and businesses to secure and create jobs and generate major investment. As supported by many Nottingham residents, the funding would also allow for new green space to be created as part of the redevelopment, supporting the city's ambition to be carbon neutral by 2028."
If successful, the £20m Broad Marsh bid would prepare the centrepiece of the vision, the Frame of the derelict shopping centre, to be retained and reimagined into a unique space to bring people together in the city for play, performance and food, providing the necessary catalyst and confidence for private sector partners to invest. This would unlock other key elements of the vision including the creation of 6,000 jobs, 750 homes and over 400,000 sq ft of commercial and business space.
Greg Nugent, Chair of the Greater Broad Marsh Advisory Group, said: “This is amazing progress on Broad Marsh, rooted in the vision we love but practical next steps needed to start the big build. This is an unmissable opportunity for Government and the whole idea of levelling up to unlock our potential as a city.”
A ‘Green Heart’ providing a wildlife rich green space in the heart of the city centre is also part of the vision. It is hoped that the rejuvenation of Nottingham’s unique cave network will boost tourism and World Heritage status, and it will become a potential cultural anchor tenant.
City Council Leader, Cllr David Mellen, said the authority is looking into increasing footfall, visitor numbers and cultural participation ahead of development getting underway through a programme of events and activities. He added: “We believe that Broad Marsh is perhaps the most significant development site in the country right now and that our ambitious proposals offer a chance for Nottingham to re-imagine the future of city centres and uplift not just the Broad Marsh, but support jobs and growth for the wider city and region, unlocking benefits for us all and future generations."
Other two significant areas of the city are also included in the bid. Cllr Mellen said: “These bids are the absolute essence of what Levelling Up should be all about, so we are hopeful of success.”
Bulwell town centre sits in the tenth most deprived constituency in England and is in need of investment which will boost pride in the area, improve key amenities and links to transport services. Nottingham’s £20m bid for Bulwell would see the creation of a new Bulwell Promenade through substantial enhancements of green space and public realm alongside the River Leen.
The cash would improve the market place and urban greening and help restoring of heritage buildings. It would also enhance access for better connectivity between Bulwell Bogs, tram stop, bus station, market place and high streets.
The town centre has seen a drop in footfall and shop closures, said Maria Joannou, Labour ward councillor for Bulwell. She added: "It is a £20 million bid so it would be a massive loss if it does not come through. It would help us deliver the jobs and opportunities to the people in Bulwell who really need them."
Alex Norris, Labour and Co-operative Party MP for Nottingham North, said: “Bulwell is a fantastic community with a thriving market, but the growth of online shopping combined with the current cost of living crisis has hit the town centre hard. This ambitious bid gives us the opportunity to really boost the area and I’m proud to give it my support.”
The 40-acre Island Quarter site is just a stone's throw from Nottingham Station, yet had been derelict and blighted for over three decades before work started on the first phase of a major redevelopment. The £17m Levelling Up Fund bid, being submitted on behalf of developers Conygar, focuses on renovating three heritage warehouse buildings at the heart of the site, bringing them back into productive use providing a community open theatre and much needed creative and digital studio space, and connecting them into the city and local neighbourhoods.
Access would be improved for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle users with an upgraded junction connecting the site to the Sneinton community. Robert Ware of developer Conygar said they are "pleased" to be the third bid submitted by Nottingham City Council for the Levelling Up Fund.
He added: “With a possible recession looming, and the cost of living crisis, it is vital that Conygar can deliver the 36-acre site quickly to create thousands of jobs as well as create new office space, leisure, student living and residential homes for everyone. Levelling Up monies would help us speed up that delivery and ensure that the benefits happen sooner.
"In short, The Island Quarter will complement the best Nottingham already has to offer. Should the city council gain funding for Broad Marsh, then Nottingham will gain so much – and will be transformed.”
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