Friday, December 18, 2020

New Lib Dem and Green vision for Nottingham's Broadmarsh

For 50 years or more, visitors to Nottingham have been funnelled through a bus station and a shopping centre if they wish to get from the railway station to the city centre.

The planned redevelopment of the city's Broadmarsh gives a chance to change all that, particularly now the site's developer Intu has gone into administration.

To respond to this opportunity, Nottingham's Greens and Liberal Democrats have worked with a local architect to produce a new vision for the site.

The parties say:

With many groups coming forward asking for the old Broadmarsh to be turned into a park, Nottingham Liberal Democrats and Nottingham Green Party have combined to work up an inspiring vision for the area, with considerable green space combined with facilities for local independent businesses and creative activity, which are two of our city’s strengths. 

The plans include:

A complete demolition of the West side of the Broadmarsh building and the replacement of this and the central walkway into the city with a park

Use of the shell of the old East side of the Broadmarsh to create a building which is a mix of leisure and small/start-up business units with a green roof and vertical planting.

The creation of an eco-building for co-working in the day and as a creative arts hub in the evening.

These plans are currently an aspiration – feasibility studies would need to be done before the detail could be designed.  Alexis Lane, a graduate of NTU’s School Of Architecture, has drawn a plan of the shared vision. At the centre of the plan is a ‘green gateway’ for people coming into the city to shop or work or relax, and will contribute towards the council’s plan for Nottingham to be carbon-neutral by 2028.

They say the plan has been welcomed by the national leaders of both parties and quote Ed Davey as saying:

"As someone who grew up in Nottingham, I’m delighted to see this exciting proposal for such a key site in the city. I hope the City Council listen and seize this opportunity."

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