Almost £4 million in taxpayers’ money has been spent on securing and maintaining Nottingham’s empty Broadmarsh shopping centre site over the last five years.
The 20-acre site was handed to Nottingham City Council after its previous owner, intu, collapsed into administration in 2020.
While the £10 million Broad Marsh car park and bus station, the new Central Library, and the Green Heart park area have already opened, a large section of the site remains derelict.
A response to a Freedom of Information request reveals that £3.9 million has been spent by the authority on holding and security costs for the site.
The council states that the holding costs include the use of civil consulting engineers, site management, insurance, utilities, void rates, repairs, and maintenance.
Between 2020 and 2025, a total of £2.7 million was spent on these holding costs, with an additional £1.2 million spent on security over the same period.
This comes after senior city councillors agreed to put the land up for sale at an Executive Board meeting on Tuesday, 18 March.
One of the reasons cited for the sale was the holding and security costs, which the authority said “would increase substantially soon”.
Cllr Neghat Khan (Lab), leader of the council, confirmed that a public-sector buyer intends to purchase the land but stated that they would not be named publicly until the sale is complete.
“The council took back control of the wider site in July 2020 following the collapse of the intu group,” Cllr Khan said.
“The site was handed over in a partially demolished state with minimal documentation or transitional support.
“Since then, the council has implemented full site management, undertaken gradual demolition of parts of the former shopping centre, and provided 24-hour security and ongoing maintenance.
“Major infrastructure improvements have been delivered, such as the pedestrianisation of Collin Street, the creation of the Green Heart, and the development of new facilities, including the Central Library, Broad Marsh car park and bus station, and the new play area.
“Several options for the site’s future have been explored, and following thorough due diligence to meet the council’s best value duty, the recommended approach was to sell the site to a public-sector body with a strong track record of delivering complex developments.”
On 24 February, the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) agreed to allocate nearly £3.4 million towards the continued demolition of the former shopping centre.
The entire demolition project is expected to cost £29.3 million and is due to begin in July this year, with completion expected by July 2026.
Council documents indicate that building work on the shopping centre area, following its demolition, is not expected to start until 2029 – nine years after it first closed following the collapse of intu.
It is anticipated that up to 1,000 new homes will be built alongside 20,000 square feet of office space, as well as new leisure facilities.
An NHS diagnostics centre is also due to be built in Lister Gate by Nottingham University Hospitals Trust.
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