Nottingham has reached an important milestone in the development of a new long-term Vision that will guide how the city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods grow and thrive over the next 15 years.
Over the past two months, residents, businesses, community organisations, young people, education partners and investors have been helping to shape the emerging Nottingham Vision through a city-wide public survey and a series of stakeholder workshops.
To date, almost 400 people have responded to the public survey, while over 100 people have taken part in workshops with businesses, voluntary and community organisations, developers, senior leaders, councillors, young people, disability groups, and culture, arts and education partners.
Early feedback points to a strong desire for a Nottingham that is greener, cleaner and better connected, with safer and more welcoming streets and public spaces, a stronger and more confident city centre, and improved everyday experiences in neighbourhoods across the city.
The results of the survey highlight the importance of celebrating Nottingham’s identity, including its history, culture, sport, creativity and independent businesses, alongside providing more diverse housing options, more city centre living, social and family-friendly spaces, and high-quality office and innovation space that supports good jobs and long-term economic growth.
The Nottingham Vision will act as a route map for the city’s future, helping to coordinate development, attract investment and give partners clarity about where growth should happen, and in which industries.
By setting out a clear pipeline of priority places and projects, the Vision will enable funding opportunities and private investment to align around Nottingham’s long-term ambitions, rather than being driven by short-term bidding cycles.
The Vision will also consider how transport and digital infrastructure can better connect people to opportunities and will reflect the importance of strengthening connections between the city centre, surrounding neighbourhoods and universities, and improving mobility and accessibility across the wider area.
Work will continue to develop the Vision using feedback from the survey and workshops alongside data.
The emerging Vision will be checked and challenged with key stakeholders ahead of an ambition to launch the Nottingham Vision in May.
Councillor Neghat Khan, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “Nottingham has a rich and proud history. With a thriving cultural, sporting and innovative heritage, this vision builds on those strong foundations. Nottingham’s future success depends on us having a clear and shared sense of direction. Real growth comes when civic leaders, the private sector, universities and regional partners are pulling in the same direction.
“A strong Vision gives everyone a common agenda. It helps Nottingham show investors, businesses and skilled people exactly where the city is heading and why it is a confident place to grow. Being explicit about the places we want to develop and the sectors we want to support will unlock funding, give partners certainty and allow us to focus on delivering the projects that matter most for our city.
“Just as importantly, investors judge places by their experience as much as by their strategy. A clear Vision helps Nottingham present itself better and support businesses once they arrive, creating a stronger platform for long-term success.”
Emerging thinking positions Nottingham as the economic engine of the Trent Arc, a young and creative Core City, a hub for innovation-led growth anchored around key clusters, and a host city for sport, culture and major events.
The Vision will build on Nottingham’s national reputation as a place of study, research and innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial progress.
Nicki Jenkins, Corporate Director for Growth and City Development, said: “We are still at a formative stage, but the level and quality of engagement so far has been extremely encouraging. People have been clear about what makes Nottingham special and where they want to see change.
“Our next step is to use what we’ve heard to shape a clear, visual Vision document that tells Nottingham’s story and sets out an ambitious but deliverable direction of travel. We will be testing and refining the emerging Vision with key partners over the coming weeks, and there will be further opportunities for people to get involved before a public launch later this year.”