Advisory panel to recommend the way forward for Broadmarsh site
A design and delivery advice panel for that Greater Broadmarsh site has been revealed to help build an ambitious vision that will transform more than 20 acres of land in the middle of Nottingham.
Independently Chaired by Greg Nugent of The Nottingham Project, an old director of London 2012, the panel will feature key people from the city including Paul Seddon of Nottingham City Council, Nick Ebbs of Nottingham Growth Board, Louise Brennan of Historic England and Mark Chivers of shoes UK.
Sir Tim Smit of the Eden Project, Jerome Frost of ARUP UK and world renowned urban designer Kathryn Frith are some of the national experts joining the group.
The names joining the independent panel have been chosen based on their expert experience and knowledge in urban redesign, architectural expertise, work on delivering major international and national projects as well as their understanding of Nottingham’s heritage and future. All members will be joining the panel on the voluntary basis and will not be paid for their time.
The panel has been asked to recommend two crucial aspects for future years of the site which totals an estimated 20 acres: a creative vision for that space as well as a recommendation how Nottingham can deliver the project over the next decade.
Nottingham City Council Leader, Councillor David Mellen, said: “The announcement is really a significant step forward in reimagining our city centre and redefining the future of Nottingham. This is one of the largest development spaces such as this in any core city in Europe to represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Nottingham.
“It lies in the centre of the major regeneration happening on the Southside of Nottingham currently, such as the transformation of Nottingham Castle, the new Nottingham College City Hub, the area Quarter, a new car park, bus station and central library building and major improvements towards the public space around Broadmarsh.
“We have said from the very beginning, since the lease for the Broadmarsh Centre was handed back to us, that to help make the most of the opportunity here we will need partners and advisors using the best interests of the City at heart.
“To meet that commitment, we have asked Greg Nugent of The Nottingham Project to guide a group of people which we believe will advise and operate in partnership with the council in creating a stunning future for the site.
“We have received more than 3,000 responses to our ‘Big Conversation’ including a range of insightful and ambitious submissions. The recently formed and independent Greater Broadmarsh Advisory Group will develop a plan based on this as well as the input from industry experts. They will also give recommendations towards the Council of the best delivery method to ensure the vision becomes a reality.”
Greg Nugent, the brand new Chair of the Design and Delivery Advisory Panel, said: “As somebody who calls Nottingham home it’s an honour to be asked to lead this incredible project of enormous importance to our city, and also bring together an independent panel of pros who will provide exceptional experience for that task ahead.
“Nottingham has a huge chance to use the Greater Broadmarsh space to create something that transforms the future of the city, this is perhaps the biggest opportunity the town has ever had.
“It is also an opportunity for our city to once more lead the way at a time when cities around the world will be thinking how they reconfigure following the impact of Covid-19 and the associated effect on the retail sector. I very much look forward to working with the team and also the city to bring forward a sensational future for Nottingham.”
Other local names joining the panel include Charlotte Throssel of Disability Support, Sean Akins of Bildurn, Avarni Bilan of FlyGirl and Wigflex Festival, Atiyya Khaliq of Freeths, Sandeep Mahal of Nottingham Town of Literature, Vicky McClure of The Nottingham Project, Nottingham born graphic artist Neil Minott, the leading Hucknall-based gardener Arthur Parkinson and Cllr Angharad Roberts, local councillor for that city centre of Nottingham. Representatives from Nottingham’s two universities will also be joining the group.
The external experts will include some of the best creative thinkers in the space of urban redesign who have significant experience in delivering ground-breaking major developments including:
- Neale Colemen, founding partner at Blackstock Partnerships Limited and former co-chair from the Olympic Delivery Group
- Kathryn Frith, architect and urban designer with over 25 years of experience working on major global projects
- Sir Tim Smit, Executive Vice Chair and Co-Founder from the award-winning Eden Project
- David Rudlin, Principal and a Director of URBED (Urbanism Environment and Design) and Chair of the Academy of Urbanism
- Jerome Frost from Arup’s Global Planning Business who leads the firm’s Sustainable Development programmes and it has worked on many major regeneration projects including the London Olympic & Paralympic Park.
The group is going to be tasked with creating a vision for any significant space in the heart of Nottingham, incorporating the previous Broadmarsh shopping centre, surrounding land and buildings and also the former Nottingham College site along with other areas that combine to cover more than 20 acres in the city centre.
Understood to be the biggest development space of this nature in any core city in Europe, the region to the south of Nottingham city centre presents a significant opportunity to redefine the future of the city.
Its location within the central core of Nottingham and its surroundings, which include a number of heritage assets – Nottingham Castle, the Lace Market and also the City’s civic heart simply to the north – make it an even greater significance.
Over the coming months the panel will develop a vision based on the insights, recommendations and proposals submitted to date as well as the knowledge and learnings from industry experts.
A creative vision for the space is going to be published in Summer 2021.
