News, Politics

Nottingham City Council says it needs to find £1m to keep most of ‘vital’ Lenton Business Centre open

By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter

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Cash-strapped Nottingham City Council says it will need to find more than £1m to keep a landmark building open for dozens of businesses and community organisations.

The council, as the landlord, ordered the closure of the Grade-II listed Howitt Building – home to the Marcus Garvey centre and 80 businesses – after a fire risk assessment raised serious safety concerns.

The entire site, called the Lenton Business Centre, is also home to the Lenton Business Centre 1 building and a number of workshops, which are separate to the Howitt Building.

Lenton Business Centre 1 must also be vacated, but the workshops are unaffected, the council says.

New documents now show fire safety works are expected to cost in the region of £316,134, including £9,000 for fixes to stairs at a fire escape, and £174,000 to conduct work on 172 fire doors.

A further £341,700 is needed for heating works, £350,000 for roofing repairs, and £30,000 for energy efficiency works, bringing the total cost to at least £1.048m.

Council documents say the authority could be prosecuted for corporate manslaughter if it was found responsible for fire and safety failures that resulted in death.

A council spokesman said: “Whilst no decision regarding the long-term future of the site has been made, the assessment highlighted critical concerns regarding fire doors and compartmentalisation throughout the Howitt and LBC1 Buildings, which whilst now known, present a significant risk to life in the event of a fire.

“The emergence of these issues requires the council to take immediate action in line with its statutory and regulatory functions to prevent risk to life.

“It is clear throughout this process that there have been a number of historical issues relating to the management and maintenance of the building. In the last year, the council has put into operation a new Corporate Landlord Services Model which centralises all aspects of property management including health and safety into one consolidated function.

“It is through the operation of this new model that these historical issues have become known and which now must be acted on.

“The Lenton Business Centre is home to approximately 80 businesses, community organisations and charities, many of which serve as vital resource for Nottingham’s diverse communities.

“However, having considered the severity of the issues identified, the council has determined that immediate closure is unfortunately necessary to address these risks and ensure the safety of all occupants and tenants.

“The council is currently taking the necessary steps to conduct a comprehensive survey which will determine the full extent of works and costs required to address the outstanding issues. Once this has been completed, all viable options will be considered in consultation.”

The building was built in 1931, originally for use as the Raleigh head offices.

It was later sold to the council in the 1980s after the bicycle manufacturers’ fortunes waned.

More recently, for over 40 years, the Marcus Garvey Centre, Ballroom and Day Centre has acted as “a vital hub” for Nottingham’s Afro-Caribbean community.

There are also around 80 businesses operating out of one of the wings of the building.

According to new council documents published on Friday (February 28), a series of fire risk assessments were conducted from January 2024, both by the council and some individual organisations on the site.

In November events in the ballroom were suspended because they were considered “high risk”, and mitigation measures were put in place in December, including more staff members at busy periods.

Then, in January this year, an assessment of fire escapes was conducted and tenants were later told the building had to be closed due to the risks posed.

The council says it has already spent more than £520,000 on maintenance of the overall site since 2016.

A previous fire risk assessment was conducted in 2019, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands.

Businesses and community organisations previously said they were “taken aback” after being told they have 28 days to leave.

An online petition, set up by the Black Community Action Group and signed by more than 11,000 people, had been demanding the council take urgent action to safeguard the Marcus Garvey Centre.

In total 36 organisations have now been given until March 1 to vacate, while 64 have until March 4.

The council says 37 occupiers are unaffected.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service is also being asked to conduct further independent checks on the building, and all options will soon be considered.

The council added it has established a dedicated ‘Growth Hub’ inbox and email address for tenants so it can provide one-to-one support and advice to affected businesses, including direct support on relocation whilst immediate safety issues are addressed.

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