Nottingham Castle reopening plan confirmed by city council

Nottingham Castle will reopen this summer, councillors have confirmed.

The gates at the attraction were shut in November when the Nottingham Castle Trust went into liquidation, less than 18 months after a £30m renovation.

Nottingham City Council's executive board met on Tuesday, where plans to fully reopen in June were agreed.

The authority will take over running the castle at a cost of up to £2.1m over three years, which could add £12m to £14m annually to the local economy.

An event will be held at the grounds for the coronation of King Charles III on 6 and 7 May, with grant funding having been secured to provide a screening of the event in the castle grounds.

Free open days will also be held later that month before the full reopening.

Councillors rejected options to mothball the site, and for a partial reopening of the grounds only.

A report presented to the board said both options would risk "claw back" of some of the grants provided by other organisations.

It also said it would cost about £500,000 a year to keep the site and its collections secure if it remained closed.

The council said all features of the redeveloped castle would be available when it reopens, but no details have yet been provided about the entry fee.

It will be operated as part of its museums and galleries service, which runs heritage sites like Newstead Abbey and Wollaton Hall, but a "delivery model assessment" will also be carried out to determine its long-term future.

Council documents say this will assess a range of options including keeping the service in-house, seeking an external provider, or a hybrid model.

A "lessons-learned exercise" will also take place to examine what went wrong under the Nottingham Castle Trust, which the council says will "inform any considerations for the longer-term operating model".

The council said the open days in May would feature cave tours, medieval re-enactments and storytelling.

On the weekend of the coronation, a screening will be held for people to watch the event at Windsor Castle, with a picnic and celebration concert also taking place over the weekend.

Pavlos Kotsonis, the city council's portfolio holder for leisure, culture and planning, said the events would be "a great chance for people to reconnect with the site".

"I'm really excited to see it once again play an important part in the life of the city and be a focal point for celebrations," he said.

Peter Knott, Midlands area director for Arts Council England, added: "We're pleased to hear that Nottingham Castle will soon be reopening its doors to visitors - it's a great asset to the city and a place for people to celebrate the rich history and creativity of Nottingham."

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