£125m plan for bus depot regeneration revealed

Plans have been revealed to relocate the Nottingham City Transport’s bus depot and create a 140,000 sq ft cultural, leisure and event space.

The vision, outlined in the Nottingham Economic Recovery and Renewal Plan published earlier this week, could see £25m of public money spent on moving the depot to as-yet-unnamed location to support the “greening” of the Nottingham City Transport fleet and free up a prime development site linking the Creative Quarter with the huge Island Quarter scheme, which has just started on site.

The move, says the Council, will bring forward £100m of private sector investment, create 300 jobs and include 100 apartments and a 200-bed hotel.

The Nottingham Economic Recovery and Renewal Plan has been developed by the Nottingham Growth Board, a partnership of key city businesses, educational institutions and public sector organisations; One Nottingham, the city’s Strategic Partnership; and Nottingham City Council.

Its authors say it will “build a prosperous future” for the city’s economy post-Covid, which is “green, digital, creative and inclusive”.

Nick Ebbs, the chair of the Nottingham Growth Board, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest challenge our society has faced since the Second World War. This year has been extremely challenging with widespread economic upheaval and hardship and loss endured by many.

“Over the past few months, the Nottingham Growth Board, One Nottingham and Nottingham City Council have been working together to assess the scale of economic damage and to plan for the future.

“The economy has changed in ways that, prior to the pandemic, would have been difficult to have imagined. Some of these changes may be short term, but others will have a much more fundamental impact. With a mass vaccination programme now in prospect we have an opportunity to rebuild our economy and society – and to do so in a greener, fairer and more sustainable way. The city has significant strengths, a creative DNA and a ‘can-do’ spirit that can make this happen.

“There is much we are doing already to support the local economy, the city’s people and businesses. By harnessing the energies and resources of the whole city, public and private and with support from Central Government much more can be achieved. The Economic Recovery and Renewal plan sets out clear ambitions and proposals that can set us on the path to sustainable recovery.”