Nottingham's 'bleak' Broadmarsh Centre 'should be green space'

A wildlife trust is calling for a city's "bleak" half-demolished shopping centre to become a public green space.

Work on Nottingham's Broadmarsh Centre stalled during lockdown due to the collapse of previous owners Intu in June.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust said the site represented a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity to "carve out a green future" for the city.

The city council said it was consulting over the site's future.

Erin McDaid, the trust's head of communications, said the plans responded to an 11,000-signature online petition set up by residents calling for a green space.

"We developed our plans to come up with a green, natural vision for the site," he said.

"The level of public interest gave us that impetus. We want this to be a welcoming green way into the city that will revive the ancient routes and the views of Nottingham Castle."

Previous suggestions for the site have included a mixed-use space of smaller retail units and housing but Mr McDaid said cities had changed during the pandemic.

"Lots of cities will be looking for investment to rebuild their economies and this is a great way to achieve that," he said.

Ewan Cameron, a Nottingham teacher who set up the online petition, said he thought the trust's plans were "really exciting".

"They've given tangible form to what many hope is something the city can be proud of," he said.

"I was definitely surprised the petition became so popular but I think it captured a prevailing mood in Nottingham to be a beautiful city that will attract investment on its own terms."

The Broadmarsh was built in the 1970s on the site of medieval streets.

The centre has been described as a "dead whale" and an "open sore" since its planned multi-million pound development was halted.

The council, which now owns the site, has been consulting over its future.

The trust said it would feed into those plans but also hoped to meet with the authority.

Council leader David Mellen said the authority aimed to, "build a new vision" that would be green, "but also leads to jobs and housing".

"We know people really value open, green spaces in Nottingham," he said.

"We'd want to see this ambition reflected in the future for Broadmarsh in some way but we're keen to hear a wide range of thoughts and ideas on what should happen next."

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