Plans to redevelop the former Central Library building in Nottingham are expected to move forward in the New Year.
The former library on Angel Row permanently closed in March 2020, leaving Nottingham without a city centre library until its replacement opened in November 2023 as part of the wider redevelopment of the Broad Marsh site.
While a buyer was found for the old site, the sale fell through and was terminated the same year the new library opened.
A new buyer has since been found, and the leader of Nottingham City Council now says she is “confident” the developer will be able to get moving on its transformation in the New Year.
It is currently understood the site will still be used for retail and student accommodation purposes, subject to planning permission.
The buyer’s name has not been made public.
Councillor Neghat Khan said:
“We are working with the developer and we are confident that in the New Year, we’ll get the plans approved and get moving on the site,”
“This is one of a few sites that we really want to get moving. It has been going on for a couple of years and it is important to demonstrate that the council is moving the city in the right direction.
“We want to see investment, we want to see Homes England doing work in the Broad Marsh, we want to bring the city all together. At the moment, there are too many empty shops, and we need to make sure we bring these back to life.
“We are more financially stable now and we are aiming to be sustainable, so we can focus more on these sites that have been a bit of an eyesore for us in the city.
“It is just that focus on now having capacity and getting those sites moving. The market has changed as well, so [it is about] recognising that, and let’s make this happen now and show the place is open for investment.”
In September 2022, the council said it was ready to appoint architects to transform the Angel Row site into offices, exhibition and gallery space, studios, and units for the creative industries.
Funding to the tune of £3.9 million had been granted by the Government for the Angel Row project as part of its Future High Streets Fund.
A developer had been looking to purchase the site, but the plans were deemed undeliverable due to difficult market conditions.
Rather than giving the money back, the Labour-run authority managed to repurpose the funds for the new and under-construction NHS Diagnostics Centre next to the Green Heart.
The council found another prospective buyer and agreed to sell the building in June last year.
At a meeting on Tuesday (16 December), senior members agreed to revise the terms of this sale after market conditions changed again so that the sale will provide best value for the authority.
The change of terms means it will finally be sold for a “significant” – but undisclosed – amount.
Council officers told councillors that authorising the sale to continue on the new terms would allow the authority to “conclude the transaction at best consideration and with pace”, releasing it from the ongoing cost of protecting the empty property.
