Nottingham City Council and the Greater Broad Marsh Advisory Group have announced that, led by the renowned and highly acclaimed British designer Thomas Heatherwick, and Stories, a leading socially responsible development company, have been commissioned to create a new vision for Nottingham city centre site.

Both Stories and Heatherwick Studio will work with the Greater Broad Marsh Advisory Group to reimagine the 20 acre space in the heart of Nottingham’s city centre, which includes the former and now derelict Broadmarsh shopping centre.

Set up in March this year, the Advisory Group’s aim is to help Nottingham City Council create a new vision for the significant site and build on the ‘Big Conversation’ consultation, which saw the Council receive over 3,000 responses.

The Advisory Group identified specific areas of expertise were needed to help recommend a creative vision for a site of this size, scale and significance and advise how Nottingham can deliver the project over the next decade.

£7.99m in funding for the first phase of the redevelopment of the Broad Marsh site has been provided by D2N2 LEP through the Getting Building Fund. D2N2 has invested over £62million in total into Nottingham’s Southside – projects benefitting include the Central Library, Bus Station, improvements to public spaces and the road infrastructure, the Nottingham College City Hub and the redeveloped Nottingham Castle.

Ambitions for the site

Nottingham City Council’s Leader, Cllr David Mellen, said: Appointing a company of such international standing and recognition clearly demonstrates the scale of our ambition for the Broad Marsh site. The fact that Thomas Heatherwick wants to be involved in the project is testament to the once-in-a generation opportunity we have here in Nottingham. Working with the Advisory Group and listening to the feedback from thousands of local people and groups, we want to create something truly different and special in the heart of this city.

We want to deliver a vision that is ambitious and imaginative but achievable, which first and foremost enhances the quality of life for local people but which captures the imagination of people further afield and partners who want to invest in our city”.

Elizabeth Fagan CBE, Chair of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “This is an important and bold step forward that will inspire an exciting new future for the city.  The first phase of the redevelopment of the Broadmarsh Centre will capitalise on the LEP’s previous investments – including the castle, the new library and Nottingham College’s City Hub – to enable Nottingham to attract major new investment and support its future recovery and long-term sustainable growth.”