The Masterplan to transform the Broad Marsh area of Nottingham has been unveiled. It progresses on from just an idea of the Broad Marsh Vision, to show exactly what the area needs and what would successfully work when developing the scheme. It shows how the area could look when creating new homes, offices, leisure and green spaces.
The Masterplan shows how to transform the area to create opportunities to live and work in the area, bring investment and employment for local businesses.
This plan will help realise the bold vision for the site created with Heatherwick Studio following the Big Conversation, an extensive public consultation which attracted more than 3,000 responses and 12,000 comments.
Key elements of the Broad Marsh vision include:
- 1,000+ new homes
- Around 2,500 new jobs
- Around 20,000 sqm office & commercial & leisure
- Excellent Public Realm
- Retention of part of old shopping centre’s structural frame to provide opportunities for innovative new spaces including NHS CDC and a Caves visitor attraction.
The Masterplan has been created by major international architecture and design practice BDP and property advisor JLL, after Nottingham City Council appointed them to develop the plan for one of the largest and most significant city centre projects anywhere in the UK.
The plan will be used to help the council continue its dialogue with Homes England and the new EMCCA to de-risk and prepare the area ready to take to the market.
Cllr Neghat Khan, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “The plan shows we are committed to finding a solution for Broad Marsh and attracting investment to support the transformation. We will continue to work with partners to find the investment and developers needed to deliver our vision.
“The surrounding area has changed dramatically, from the new Central Library, bus station and car park plus new pedestrian areas along Sussex Street and Collin Street with its new play area.
“We also have plans for the new NHS Community Diagnostic Centre in part of the old shopping centre and one of the biggest transformations is happening right now, with work on the Green Heart due to finish this summer. This is a significant improvement for the people of Nottingham.”
The Broad Marsh sits at the heart of the council’s current c£4bn regeneration programme. Currently building work is happening to create the new wildlife-rich Broad Marsh Green Heart.
A new green space will be a place to enjoy nature with 38 semi mature trees, 34 of them newly planted, plus areas of colourful planting, a new ‘marsh’ area and several footpaths and places to sit.
The Green Heart is also a key pedestrian route, so there will be a main path creating a clear and direct route from the train station to the city centre. This pedestrian route will be well lit at night and will be the route to all the other seating areas during the day and a place for people with limited mobility to stop and rest.
The Green Heart is the latest piece of the wider Broad Marsh public realm redevelopment. Most recently, a new play space was opened on Collin Street, which features specially designed swings, a play trail with timber stepping blocks, balancing walkways, a seesaw and green planting. This new play space is part of a Playable Cities Initiative and supports the city’s journey to become a UNICEF Child Friendly City.
As well as the new play space, Collin Street is now fully open for people to walk through, with a traffic-free route connecting the Green Heart and Lister Gate, with the new green public space on Sussex Street next to Nottingham College, which features a mini amphitheatre, a skateable space and a multi-use games area.
The Broad Marsh regeneration has already seen the development of a new Central Library, Car Park and Bus Station, as well as a new Nottingham College city hub, which has transformed streets and public spaces in the area by increasing footfall, particularly supporting businesses on Lister Gate.
Recently, it was revealed that a new state-of-the-art Community Diagnostic Centre will be located on the Broad Marsh regeneration site and will be run and staffed by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. The CDC will be a one-stop shop which support GPs by providing direct access to diagnostics services such as MRI, CT, x-ray, ultrasound, echocardiography, ECG, and lung function testing.
The Broad Marsh Masterplan was unveiled at a special Nottingham event at UKREiiF last night, hosted by Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s Invest in Nottingham.
Urban Design Director, David Rudlin, is overseeing the Broad Marsh Master planning process. He said: “This project represents a pivotal moment for the city of Nottingham. Building on previous work, we have created a viable scheme that will deliver a lively and creative new urban quarter breathing new life into this important city centre site.
“We are also seeking sustainable solutions on how to reuse part of the shopping centre’s existing concrete frame to support the development of a range of new spaces that will offer services that will benefit the community.”
Megan Powell Vreeswijk, CEO of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, said: “Unveiling the Broad Marsh Masterplan presents an unparalleled opportunity for investment and growth for Nottingham.
“This transformative project is set to reshape Nottingham’s landscape, creating a welcoming gateway into the city centre, with over 1,000 new homes, 20,000 sqm of office and leisure space, and around 2,500 new jobs.
“The retention of the old shopping centre’s structural frame for innovative spaces, including an NHS Community Diagnostics Centre and a Caves visitor attraction, further underscores the vision driving this redevelopment and highlights the importance of tourism and innovation in our region.
“Team Nottingham, which is headed up by Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s Invest in Nottingham, are looking forward to launching the Broad Marsh Masterplan at this week’s UKREiif investment event in Leeds alongside other exciting development sites across the region.”
Phil Farrell, JLL’s development director for the Midlands, led their input into the master plan process. He said: “JLL have been supporting Nottingham City Council for a number of years on Broad Marsh. We were delighted to work with BDP, a world class master planner, to bring this concept to life.
“Broad Marsh is one of the largest urban regeneration projects in the UK today, and certainly the most transformative. It sits at the very centre of the city connecting the retail core and office quarter to the emerging areas around the railway station and river.
“Broad Marsh will become the heart of the city; delivering a modern employment, residential and leisure experience, sensitively integrated into world famous heritage. JLL are proud to have been involved in ensuring this master plan is both aspirational and commercially viable.”
