New look for Broadmarsh Center

One of the main shopping centers in Nottingham is due to get a new look.

The owners of Broadmarsh are promising a better walkway from the train station to the city center, along with restaurants and a new cinema.  A planning application has been lodged with the Nottingham City Council for the £150m project.

According to Adam Tamsett, the general manager at Intu Broadmarsh, in excess of 2500 people had a hand in the development and work should commence during next year.  The council is pushing for the Nottingham area to regain its position in the top five retail areas outside London – it currently holds sixth position.

Jon Collins, the Council leader, said the redevelopment of Intu Broadmarsh and the areas around it will enhance the south side of the city.  It will link with the tram and station developments and other plans in hand for the Southern Gateway.  The council is looking to undertake improvements to Parliament Street, Milton Street and around the Intu Victoria Center in a bid to boost the northern section of the city and transform the retail core of the city.

Previous reports have indicated that the cinema would form part of the roof of Broadmarsh close to Drury Walk.  The chief operating officer of Intu Properties, Mike Butterworth, stated that talks are in progress which could result in the Caves of Nottingham experience becoming a strong attraction to leisure visitors.

It is expected that Arndale car park will be demolished and this will open up the view towards Nottingham Castle.  The castle has been allocated close to £13m from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a refurbishment project totaling £24m.

Broadmarsh’s redevelopment spans several decades.  During 1998, shoppers were promised the ‘most exciting redevelopment of the turn of the century’.  Four years after that, plans to demolish the car park, bus station and center were approved and plans to replace it with a £400m shopping center were put in place.

These plans never materialized, but were reconsidered during 2007 and were approved by the councilors.  However, work never got off the ground.

During 2010, the owners, Westfield, declared that they would not be developing the center, but would rather refurbish it.  These plans changed when Capital Shopping Centers declared its plans to expand the Victoria Center.
Westfield, which then owned Broadmarsh, responded to this by stating that development to the tune of £500m would be undertaken at the center.  Once again, this did not happen.
CSC purchased Westfield’s share in Broadmarsh, now owning both major shopping centers within Nottingham and the council is very keen for the development of Broadmarsh to be given priority.