- Creative vision for space will be published in Summer 2021
- Independently chaired by Greg Nugent of The Nottingham Project, the panel will feature national experts including Sir Tim Smit of Eden Project, Jerome Frost of ARUP UK and urban designer Kathryn Frith who will help the city make the most of incredible opportunity –
- Panel will also include key people from the city such as Paul Seddon of
Nottingham City Council, Nick Ebbs of Nottingham Growth Board, Louise Brennan of Historic England and Mark Chivers of Boots UK –
A design and delivery advice panel for the Greater Broadmarsh site has been established to help build an ambitious vision that will transform more than 20 acres of land in the heart of Nottingham.
Independently Chaired by Greg Nugent of The Nottingham Project, a former 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 Boots 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 knowledge and experience 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 a voluntary basis and will not be paid for their time.
The panel is being asked to recommend two crucial aspects for the future of the site which totals an estimated 20 acres: a creative vision for the space as well as a recommendation on how Nottingham can deliver the project over the next decade.
Nottingham City Council Leader, Councillor David Mellen, said: “The announcement is a significant step forward in reimagining our city centre and redefining the future of Nottingham. This is one of the largest development spaces of this nature in any core city in Europe and represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Nottingham. It lies at the heart of the major regeneration taking place on the Southside of Nottingham currently, including the transformation of Nottingham Castle, the new Nottingham College City Hub, the Island Quarter, a new car park, bus station and central library building and major improvements to 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 make the most of the opportunity here we will need partners and advisors with the best interests of the City at heart. To meet that commitment, we have asked Greg Nugent of The Nottingham Project to lead a group of people which we believe will advise and work 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 newly formed and independent Greater Broadmarsh Advisory Group will now develop a plan based on these insights as well as the input from industry experts. They will also give recommendations to the Council of the best delivery method to ensure the vision becomes a reality“
Greg Nugent, the new Chair of the Design and Delivery Advisory Panel, said: “As someone who calls Nottingham home it’s an honour to be asked to lead this incredible project of huge importance to our city, and also bring together an independent panel of experts who will provide exceptional experience for the task ahead.
“Nottingham has a huge opportunity to use the Greater Broadmarsh space to create something that transforms the future of the city, this is perhaps the biggest opportunity the city has ever had. It is also an opportunity for our city to once again 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 impact on the retail sector. I very much look forward to working with the team and the city to bring forward a stunning 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 City of Literature, Vicky McClure of The Nottingham Project, Nottingham born graphic designer Neil Minott, the leading Hucknall-based gardener Arthur Parkinson and Cllr Angharad Roberts, local councillor for the city centre of Nottingham. Representatives from Nottingham’s two world renowned 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 of 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 of 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 has worked on many major regeneration projects including the London Olympic & Paralympic Park.
The group will be tasked with creating a vision for a significant space in the heart of Nottingham, incorporating the former Broadmarsh shopping centre, surrounding land and buildings and the former Nottingham College site as well as other areas that combine to cover more than 20 acres in the city centre.
Understood to be the largest development space of this nature in any core city in Europe, the area to the south of Nottingham city centre presents a significant opportunity to redefine the future of the city, whilst also using Nottingham’s incredible history of innovation in design as inspiration. It’s location within the central core of Nottingham and its surroundings, which include amazing heritage assets – Nottingham Castle, the Lace Market and the City’s civic heart just 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 will be published in Summer 2021.