People of Sneinton have had their say on the area - and spoken about its future. Some say that in “years to come”, with new developments in the suburb, Sneinton could really thrive.
Others, however, want to see further investment in the area. Currently next to Sneinton Market is a large student accommodation building still under construction, Nelson Court.
Nelson Court will be run by iQ Student Accommodation. Once finished, the building will host 215 student rooms.
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But despite that development, Martha Taylor thinks the further you go into Sneinton, the “worse it gets”. The 48-year-old, who has lived in Sneinton for 18 years, told Nottinghamshire Live: “The market’s all good and well - I see a lot of students and people working in Blend or sometimes sitting outside on the benches. There’s a new place, Bustler, too.
“I’d say that the market looks appealing but you can’t say that about other parts of Sneinton. You go to Port Arthur Road, Lyndhurst Road and the other roads around there, deep into Sneinton and you’ll see how different it is compared to here [Sneinton Market]. The further away you get from town, the worse it gets.”
The teaching assistant added: “I’d like to see Sneinton become more modernised and have people live here not buying houses just to rent, and see investment being put into the area - then maybe it could thrive a bit more. This isn't an area you see people queuing up to live in."
Daniel March, 26, currently lives in Sneinton. Daniel feels that students will be the reason for the area developing because they bring money into the city.
Daniel said: “I do think that Sneinton has potential. I think that in the next 20 years, given the right resources, the area could be better than it's ever been in terms of housing and business.”
The marketing assistant added: “The thing is those resources would have to be given by the Government. I live in Sneinton, nowhere near any student accommodation buildings so that doesn’t affect me.
“Students will Uber Eats something that’s less than a 10-minute walk away so they are good for business. Whether people like it or not, with two universities in Nottingham and the linked university in China, the reason anywhere will become gentrified here will be because of students.”
Sneinton is home to more than 12,000 people. In Nottingham East, Government data shows that Sneinton is deprived.
Jasper Garrett is a designer. Jasper has lived in Sneinton for the past 13 years.
He said: “There’s two sides to it. With gentrification comes high prices. I don’t think it [Sneinton] will ever be somewhere like West Bridgford.
“We could do with more footfall on the market. Back in the day, the market was bustling - now there’s a lot of food places and student accommodation. I like the cultural diversity here."
Jasper, who makes and designs pet accessories for Wiff Waff Designs at Sneinton Market, added: “Students spend money in town. They don’t, however, pay council tax. Sneinton does need tidying up a bit but I don’t ever want it to lose its character.”
Char Henry, 27, is self-employed and from Sneinton. She said: “I don’t think I’ll see Sneinton gentrified in my lifetime. No matter what your views are on student accommodation, it will bring more people to the area - but most of the student accommodation is only just in Sneinton as it's minutes away from town."
Leader of Nottingham City Council, David Mellen, said: “Sneinton Market is an important part of the city with people coming down from Hockley and further developments in housing and retail that doesn’t take away from Sneinton which has had a new library, community centre and new businesses on Sneinton Dale. I love it [Sneinton].
"It has a great community and lots of life. There are big artists and people concerned about the environment. It’s a lively and stimulating community and I wouldn’t want to change much."
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