The continued demolition of Broadmarsh – expected to cost £30 million – has cleared one of its final hurdles.
Homes England submitted a prior approval determination application to Nottingham City Council on 11 April to confirm whether the demolition project could proceed without requiring further planning permission.
The council has now granted approval for the works, with the decision made on Thursday, 8 May.
According to documents: “The proposed demolition may be carried out at any time within five years of 5 April 2025, but after that date, a further application will be needed.”
Construction on the Broad Marsh redevelopment is expected to begin in 2029.
This follows Nottingham City Council’s approval of the land sale to Homes England, the Government’s housing and regeneration agency, in March.
Initial activity will focus on demolition and site preparation, with major construction expected to start in 2029.
The overall site includes the remains of the former shopping centre, the cleared land to the west of the Green Heart, the NCP multi-storey car park, Severns House, and the old college site on Maid Marian Way.
Project documents state:
*“The purchasers will commit significant financial, specialist, and reputational investment to deliver the Broadmarsh masterplan.
The purchaser will begin active works on the project in the short term and aims to begin construction in 2029/30.
The buyer has a strong focus on placemaking, sustainability and quality, and will require the same from private sector developers.
This work will be supported in part by the recent East Midlands Combined Authority grant provisionally awarded to the council.
The city will benefit from the jobs, homes and other advantages resulting from the delivery of Broadmarsh.”*
Once demolition is complete, around 1,000 new homes will be built alongside 20,000 square metres of employment space, creating approximately 2,000 full-time jobs.
Nottingham City Council took control of the derelict shopping centre in 2020 after previous owner Intu went into administration.
The total cost of demolition is estimated at £29.3 million.
A principal contractor has not yet been appointed, according to planning documents.
Construction firm Willmott Dixon completed demolition of a section of the shopping centre in 2022, prior to the start of work on the Green Heart city park.
The park, featuring a marsh area and sandstone rock formations inspired by the area’s history, opened in September last year. It now includes the Standing in Our Place sculpture, unveiled in January, which commemorates the contributions of thousands of unnamed and overlooked women who worked in the East Midlands’ textile and lace industries.
