From Friday 17 March Bulwell will have its very own Costa Coffee as the retailer opens its latest local concession as part of the ongoing improvements to the town centre.
This new development from a big brand is the latest in a series of improvements to Bulwell in the past 18 months and is expected to make a major contribution to the vibrancy of the town, plus bringing economic and social benefits by helping to increase footfall and the time which people spend in the town centre.
The Costa Coffee will open on Main Street, next to Birds Bakery and will occupy the former HSBC Bank building which was purpose built for the Midland Bank in 1904 but which became vacant in August 2016.
Major investment has been put into transforming the property into a Costa Coffee and as well as providing an important central venue for local people and visitors to Bulwell to relax and socialise, the building will also include a number of high quality flats to encourage town centre living and a small retail unit to the rear which it is hoped will encourage smaller business occupiers.
Councillor Graham Chapman, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Resources and Neighbourhood Regeneration said; “I am very pleased that we have been able to attract a big brand like Costa to Bulwell. Their ambition to invest so significantly in the town centre economy is great news for its prosperity and the people living in and visiting Bulwell.
“Nottingham City Council is ambitious about making Bulwell a thriving asset for the local community and this news comes at a time when existing improvements to the shopping area in Bulwell are progressing well. This includes removing older street furniture, increasing the amount and quality of seating and opening up the space to new and diverse market traders which will bring more business into the town centre.”
The building project in the heart of Bulwell’s recently created conservation area raised challenges for the owner and Nottingham City Council’s planning and conservation teams, but the result is a development which has enhanced the building whilst retaining its character in keeping with the surrounding buildings.
Making the vacant building available to the local community by breathing new life into it whilst retaining its character was central to the development and a key part of the negotiations between Nottingham City Council and Costa Coffee franchise holder Ghanshyam Ramparia .
Ghanshyam says; “I recognised that the building itself was very important to the character of the town and saw that this investment would help to give life back to a vacant unit and to convert it so that it’s fully utilised. Having spoken to neighbouring retailers I know there is a lot of buzz about such a big brand coming to Bulwell and everyone is positive that it will contribute to the vibrancy of the town.
“I was also very keen to contribute to the local area by recruiting people from in and around Bulwell and I now have a mixed team of full time and part time staff which include young people starting off in work to others returning to work and those who have been seeking work.”