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New Broadmarsh regeneration plan now only ‘weeks away’, council leader says

By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter

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New plans for the wider regeneration of the former Broadmarsh Centre after it is demolished are likely to be only “weeks away”, the Leader of Nottingham City Council says.

The East Midlands Combined Authority’s (EMCCA) investment committee met today (February 24) to discuss its allocation of money for six projects across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Nottingham City Council submitted a request for EMCCA for nearly £3.4 million towards demolition work, which will remove most of the remaining former Broadmarsh Centre’s structure.

The entire demolition project is expected to cost £29.3 million and is due to start in July this year, finishing in July 2026.

The committee approved the contribution from EMCCA, which will now go through its next board meeting in March.

The wider plan for the regeneration of the site aims to create a “lively urban quarter” according to documents discussed by the committee, creating just over 2,000 jobs along with new facilities, entertainment and attractions.

Speaking at the meeting, Paul Seddon, Director of Planning and Transport at the city council, called the plans a “regeneration of a catalytic site” within the city centre and said it would enable up to £400 million construction investment into Nottingham.

Close to 1,000 new homes are expected to be built on the site alongside 20,000 square metres of employment space.

The money from EMCCA will go towards the demolition works on the land to the east of the Green Heart and helps to “de-risk” the site for future investors.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service following the meeting, Leader of Nottingham City Council, Neghat Khan (Lab) said the rest of the £29.3 million removal fee will come from private investment as the council will look to sell the site.

Cllr Khan said she is “hoping” the announcement of new plans for the former Broadmarsh Centre will come by the end of March, and says investors are “ready to go”.

She said: “I think we’re weeks away from announcing that- it’s just making sure we can sign the dotted lines and then it can go public, it’s some really good news.”

Cllr Khan underlined a previous view that the new housing planned for the site should not include student accommodation.

She said: “We’ve got to look beyond that, we’ve got to keep graduates in the city so I’d prefer it to be a mixed used to keep graduates and young families – changing the landscape of it.

“This will now form the future of what the city looks like and I think we’ve really got to get this right for the city.

Speaking during the meeting, EMCCA Mayor, Claire Ward (Lab), said: “All of these [six] projects are the value of having a combined county authority and the ability to put investments in on a strategic basis that unlock these developments and will develop what people across our region will actually be able to tangibly see.

“To improve those places that we see, Broadmarsh is just one example of that- the ability for progress to be made.

“The committees recommendations and support for all of these, which will now go through board, shows within a year we are already being able to make a difference as a combined authority.”

Introducing the plans to the committee, Tom Goshawk, Head of Investment Strategy and Programmes, said: “Following the approval today and the approval at the March [2025] board, we will look to enter into grant funding agreements with each of the authorities around these projects.

“They’ll set out delivery milestones, financial milestones, that will continue to monitor the progress of these projects and release funding.”

Under a previous plan unveiled in 2021, drawn up with the help of urban designer Thomas Heatherwick, a vast part the former shopping centre’s external frame was intended to be re-purposed for “innovative” new spaces.

However in May last year the council unveiled its new masterplan for the site, which instead retained a much smaller section of the frame following concerns from potential developers and investors.

Cllr Khan (Lab) previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) potential developers were “hesitant” to invest in the frame due to construction risks because of its age, leading to a need for a new plan.