£25m redevelopment of Broad Marsh site given go-ahead

Plans have been given the go-ahead to transform part of the derelict Broad Marsh site in Nottingham into a community diagnostic centre.

Operated and staffed by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, the facility, which will be in part of the derelict former shopping centre in the city centre, is part of the Department for Health and Social Care’s initiative to establish 13 new Community Diagnostic Centres.

NUH has collaborated with Nottingham City Council, from which the Trust will lease the building.

The two have reached an initial agreement, allowing the Trust to advance with the £25m NHS facility.

The CDC will generate 75 new employment opportunities in Nottingham, including various roles such as consultant radiologists, radiographers, imaging assistants, physiologists, and administrators.

At full capacity, the unit will employ 135 staff members.

When it opens in Spring 2025, the CDC will offer an extra 100,000 diagnostic appointments annually and offer over 140,000 appointments a year.

Initially accessible to patients through hospital consultants, the appointments will eventually also be available via GPs.

Paul Matthew, chief financial officer at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted that we can now share the news that our excellent, highly skilled and dedicated NUH staff will be running the future CDC facility in Nottingham City Centre, which will help to change the lives of so many of our patients for the better. This centre will be vital in reducing the number of people in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire waiting too long for diagnostic tests so that they can then either have the peace of mind they deserve or can begin any treatment required sooner.

“It will also enable patients to access these tests without needing to travel to a hospital. We look forward to working with our partners to further develop plans to help more patients across the city access the care they need.”

Outgoing Nottingham City Council leader, councillor David Mellen, said: “Following the opening of the new Central Library and with work underway on the new Green Heart city centre park, we’re pleased to be able to announce with Nottingham University Hospitals that this fantastic new health facility will also be located at Broad Marsh.

“The Community Diagnostic Centre is exactly the kind of facility everyone wants to see at Broad Marsh. It will provide a boost for businesses and jobs in the area by increasing footfall.”