City’s economy could grow by ‘£4 billion a year’

Nottingham City Council has commissioned a national strategy group to gather information from key organisations in the city about the strengths and weaknesses of the city centre and how they would like to see it improved.

The City Centre Strategy report by Metro Dynamics outlines potential projects and directions for Nottingham.

According to the draft proposals in the report, the city could see its economy grow by £4 billion a year. An estimated 20,000 more people could be living in or near the city centre and 10,000 more people could be working in the city in the coming years.

The report also suggests that Nottingham’s key shopping areas could see a monthly footfall of 1.5 million.

The Council now wants to hear what members of the public think of its strategy and what they feel could be done better.

Around £2 billion of development is currently underway or in the pipeline in the city’s Southside, and the Council says the current projects are an indication of the scale of change the city could see in the next few years if it continues to think big.

Councillor Sam Webster, portfolio holder for finance, business growth and city centre, said: “We believe that Nottingham is a city whose time has come. The economic success of the city centre is so important in driving prosperity and improving the quality of life for the residents of the city and wider conurbation.

“We can see that now, with cranes on the skyline, driven by a combination of City Council and external investment, our city centre is changing rapidly. We want to make sure that Nottingham city centre capitalises on the current developments taking place continues to adapt to the challenges faced by cities up and down the country and continues to be the thriving regional capital we all know and love.

“This consultation is about finding out whether people agree with the direction and focus of our future city centre vision for the 2020s and beyond. By taking part in this consultation, people will be helping to shape the future of our great city centre.”