By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
Nottingham City Council will ask for volunteers to help it maintain the new ‘Green Heart’ park area on the former Broadmarsh site once it opens to the public.
So far the council has managed to secure funding to demolish and transform only the west side of the former Broadmarsh Shopping Centre.
Part of the area between Lister Gate and Collin Street will be turned into “wildlife-rich” parkland known as the ‘Green Heart’, featuring sandstone benches and urban wetlands.
Extra funding to start work on the eastern side of the former shopping centre has not yet been found, but the council says work on the Green Heart will commence in the autumn.
Computer generated images released in July provided an insight into what the site will look like, but they prompted questions on how it would be managed, maintained and kept safe.
The council is also hoping to achieve the vision at a time when it faces significant gaps in its budget.
City Council Leader, Cllr David Mellen (Lab), told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the authority would be seeking help from volunteers to maintain the site.
“The Green Heart will be a new public space and its management and has been factored into future budgets,” he said.
“We will also seek opportunities for contributions to its maintenance from the new developments that will happen around it.
“The management and maintenance of the Green Heart will coordinated by the council, but we will encourage opportunities for local groups and businesses to help support us look after this important new public space.”
Alongside many councils across the country, the authority faces more cuts and savings to bridge a £26m gap over the coming year, rising to £50.9m in the 2024/25 financial year and £58.7m over the next four years.
“We hope to engage with the wider community and develop a programme of green space apprentices and supported volunteers,” Cllr Mellen added.
“The Green Heart will add another exciting green space to the city and, as part of the council’s Green Guardians Volunteer programme, the site will develop many opportunities for local people to volunteer their time to help with the site’s maintenance.”
The design of the Green Heart has been developed by Townshend Landscape Architects and the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, with Heatherwick Studio providing the overall vision.
Erin McDaid, of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, said upcoming changes to legislation will mean all new developments must provide 10 per cent net gain to biodiversity in the planned area, in turn helping to ensure funds are available “to create additional areas of natural habitat and to contribute to future maintenance”.
“But there has been so much community support for the nature first approach that I’m sure there is plenty of scope for residents and volunteer groups to play an active role too,” he added.
“Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust would struggle to care for its nature reserves without volunteer support, and the city council already has the Nottingham Green Guardians programme which provides opportunities for people to support the management of local parks.
“We also work together on a Young Ranger scheme to provide opportunities for young people to help care for green spaces.
“With proper investment and support, volunteers can transform community green spaces and efforts to engage the local community can help ensure that the Green Heart becomes a vibrant, valued and ultimately well-maintained space.
“We continue to contribute through stakeholder meetings which have explored the potential for community engagement and involvement in shaping and caring for the space. We are also providing professional ecological input through our subsidiary, EMEC Ecology.”
