Street trading could be introduced on several roads around the former Broadmarsh shopping centre in a move which some hope will bring a "new lease of life" to the area. Since the collapse of Intu in 2020, work has been taking place to redevelop the Broad Marsh area.
But with the project having twice been rejected for major Government funding, the shell of the former centre still stands. Experts have previously argued that the current appearance of the Broad Marsh has "exacerbated" the problem of shops closing down, with Nottinghamshire Live finding 93 empty units across Nottingham in January.
Now, Nottingham City Council is recommending that street trading should be allowed on several roads around the Broad Marsh to increase footfall in the area. Concerns including the effect on established shops mean that street trading is currently only allowed on 16 Nottingham roads, including Huntingdon Street, Goldsmith Street and Wheeler Gate.
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If the city council's plans are approved at a meeting on Friday (June 9), this permission could be expanded to seven more streets, all of which are situated close to the former Broad Marsh shopping centre. Laura Marsden, from Nottingham City Council, writes in a report to be presented at the meeting that there had previously been a concern that "street trading may detract from other forms of established retail already present in the city."
But the report says: "This predates the recent decline of the traditional retail based high-street and we now have an opportunity... of providing a new offer in the city centre where appropriate." The report also says that the regeneration of the Broad Marsh so far has led to "significant changes" on the surrounding streets, with narrow footways among previous issues which made them unsuitable for street traders.
Nottingham shoppers thought that the introduction of street trading on the seven new roads could increase footfall. Terry Wibberley, 68, said: "Street traders are a good idea. I don't know what else would do around here, it's just people passing. It would benefit and boost the footfall around this area."
Katie Walker, 22, said: "I think it's missing some of the original shops and food places. It's just not the same as it used to be. I think it's a lost cause at the moment, but hopefully this will help bring Nottingham and the Broad Marsh back to life."
Not all shoppers were in favour of the move though, with one adding: "Fixed shops would be much better. I don't think market traders is the best idea in the world."
If approved by councillors, street trading would be allowed on Collin Street, Sussex Street, Trent Street, Carrington Street, Albion Street and Stanford Street. It would also be allowed on Station Street from its junction with Carrington Street to its junction with Trent Street.
The move would come into effect on December 11 this year, though the report adds: "Before the location of any street trading pitches ... can be finalised, further consultation will be required and carried out with relevant stakeholders to assess the impact and suitability of those proposed pitches." Scott Knowles, the chief executive of the East Midlands Chamber, welcomed the fact that the city council was exploring the idea, saying: "The desperate state of the former Broadmarsh Centre, due to external factors, has had a domino effect on the surrounding area.
"Once-thriving shopping streets have been emptied of some of their businesses, which have been simultaneously battling against other major challenges including a cost-of-doing-business crisis and the entrenched national issue of a business rates system that is no longer fit for purpose.
"Ever since coming out of a pandemic that helped to change how people use city centres, we have been calling for bold new thinking to be used in how we design them for future use – with an acknowledgement that they must include a healthy mix of living, working and leisure spaces.
"It's therefore pleasing to see Nottingham City Council demonstrating this by investigating the potential of street trading for bringing a new lease of life to this part of the city centre, while also providing a great opportunity for small businesses locally to get their foot on the ladder without the immediate overheads of bricks and mortar."
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