Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has voiced its concern about the lack of ambition shown in plans by Peveril Securities and Sladen Estates to create a 330-bed student block overlooking the Green Heart.
Whilst the developers believe that the proposal will help to ‘kickstart’ regeneration across the wider Broad Marsh area, the Wildlife Trust believes that if plans for such an uninspiring building were given the go-ahead so close to the Green Heart, it would undermine the ambition to deliver a nature-first approach to the redevelopment across the Broad Marsh area and beyond.
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Speaking about the proposals, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Chief Executive Paul Wilkinson said: “Public support for a nature-first approach to transforming the Broadmarsh was unprecedented, and Nottingham City Council took a hugely ambitious and welcome step in committing to and creating the wonderful Green Heart.
“Whilst recognising the need for development, it is vital that all proposals embrace the nature-first vision embedded in the City’s transformational masterplan for the area.
“If developments immediately adjacent to the Green Heart are allowed to proceed without embracing the vision, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure a greener recovery for our city and the people who live, work, and learn here would be significantly undermined.”
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has been championing the importance of urban wildlife and access to natural greenspace for over forty years and feels that it is vital that the ambition shown by the City Council, in embracing the value of nature-first redevelopment, is shared by developers.
Mr Wilkinson added:
“The developers have said that their aim is to deliver a scheme that goes above and beyond — providing everything students need and supporting wellbeing and community life. This is a laudable ambition, but the current scheme appears to exploit the benefits of being located next to the Green Heart without making any contribution to supporting the recovery of urban wildlife or creating additional natural greenspaces for residents.”
The Wildlife Trust, which is now the only environmental charity that routinely reviews planning applications across all parts of the county, hopes that the developers will revisit the plans with a view to embracing the nature-first approach demonstrated by the Green Heart.
Mr Wilkinson continued: “Towns and cities across the UK are looking at how they can regenerate in the face of the decline of the high street and huge pressure for new housing against a backdrop of a worsening climate and ecological crisis. It is time for our towns and our city to be transformed from grey to green, and Nottingham has laid down a marker with the Green Heart. Developers and investors must now embrace the opportunity to deliver a wilder future for our city.”
