Master planner revealed for Broad Marsh redevelopment
International architecture and design practice BDP has been appointed by Nottingham City Council to develop a master plan to for the Broad Marsh project
The council says appointment moves the proposals for the whole site towards the submission of a planning application.
BDP has worked on high-profile projects including Wimbledon Centre Court, Ascot Racecourse, Liverpool One, the Google HQ at Kings Cross and the Houses of Parliament.
Its urban design director, David Rudlin, will oversee the Broad Marsh Masterplanning process. He produced the Government’s National Model Design Code and has managed major masterplans, such as Brighton New England Quarter.
The move follows a vision for the site created with Heatherwick Studio following the Big Conversation, an extensive public consultation which attracted more than 3,000 responses and 12,000 comments.
The council says it is committed to a new “Green Heart” public space the size of a football pitch at the centre of the Broad Marsh site.
Other key elements include up to 1,000 new homes, 500,000 sq ft of commercial and office space, retention of part of old shopping centre’s structural frame to create a new space and the rejuvenation of the city’s cave network.
BDP will work with the council and Townshend Landscape Architects which has already designed the Green Heart and submitted proposals for Collin Street’s transformation.
Work is due to begin shortly at Collin Street and later this year on the Green Heart.
BDP will also consider how the existing concrete frame could be retained. The Masterplan would be used to underpin any bids for external funding, including the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
City Council leader, councillor David Mellen, said: “We have made significant progress on reshaping this part of the city to make the most of this once-in-a-generation opportunity. The new Broad Marsh car park, bus station and Central Library and the transformed streets around it have helped to create a modern, welcoming gateway to the city.
“We have demolished a large part of the former shopping centre, and will start work later this year on turning part of that space into the Green Heart that so many people have said they want to see in this area.
“I’m delighted that for the rest of the site we have appointed BDP, a renowned urban design firm which will take the vision and turn it into a deliverable plan. This is a significant step towards seeing this site achieve its potential of becoming a destination in its own right and a driver of investment, jobs and growth for the whole city.”
Rudlin said: “I’m delighted we will be working with Nottingham City Council on the Broad Marsh master plan. I have a long association with Nottingham and have a great affection for the city.
“Broad Marsh is perhaps the largest development site in the centre of a British city and is a huge opportunity to transform Nottingham. We will be working with the proposals developed by Thomas Heatherwick and analysing all views expressed by local people in ‘the big conversation’ to ensure that the plans become a reality.”
Greg Nugent, who chaired the Greater Broad Marsh Advisory Group, said: “This project has the power to transform Nottingham. The progress Nottingham City Council has made over the last 18 months has been nothing short of transformative. This appointment is mission critical to turning the vision into a reality and I’m really excited David will lead the master planning.”
