Council and Broadmarsh's new owners Intu at loggerheads over the future
FEW would disagree that Nottingham's major shopping centres are in need of significant investment.
But those in a position to make that happen appear to have reached an impasse in their negotiations to bring about improvements to the Victoria and Broadmarsh centres.
-
The Victoria Centre clock tower
A letter from Nottingham City Council to Intu Properties – formerly Capital Shopping Centres – which has been seen by the Post, has set out the problems starkly.
Intu wants to press ahead with its plans for the extension of the Victoria Centre, for which a planning application was made more than two years ago. But the city council says it wants to be sure the Broadmarsh development will go ahead first.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Sunday, May 26 2013
In addition, the city council believes the Victoria Centre plans need revising.
The letter, written by the council's development director, David Bishop, states: "It is disappointing that after a very productive period bringing forward plans for the transformation of the Broadmarsh Centre, in partnership with us as a joint developer, and being very close to a deal, on moving that forward to implementation, you have chosen to make such progress dependent on the council taking certain actions in its role as a planning authority with regard to the Victoria Centre. We are not prepared to do this."
Mr Bishop continued by spelling out what he regarded as a "speedy and risk free" way forward for achieving "shared goals".
Mr Bishop said the city wanted to quickly finalise outstanding technical matters with a view to going public on the plans for redevelopment of Broadmarsh, which would be part of a wider vision for city centre retail and the southern approach to the city from the railway station.
The announcement would be followed by public consultation, moving quickly to work up a detailed scheme for planning determination.
Mr Bishop said the council could work with Intu to amend the plans for redevelopment of the Victoria Centre, "so that they better reflect the balance of the new realities of retailing, the council's perspective of what the city needs and Intu's expertise in running successful retail centres so that planning officers could recommend approval."
At the same time, Intu would be expected to strike a formal legal agreement with the city council that the Broadmarsh Centre redevelopment would be carried out first.
Mr Bishop wants plans for the Broadmarsh to go to the planning authority for approval in the Autumn with a view to starting work next year.
Mr Bishop suggested Intu begins the redevelopment of Victoria Centre once Broadmarsh retail occupancy was clearly secure.
Intu, in its year end results published last week, suggested Broadmarsh would be redeveloped between 2016 and 2019.
Deputy leader of the council, Coun Graham Chapman, said "Those dates aren't good enough. We need to get shifting on Broadmarsh immediately. The letter we have written to them is solid, very straight forward and is in the best interests of the city.
"We need them to give us some clarity about time-tabling and what they want precisely and putting in a planning application for what they intend to do at Broadmarsh and Victoria Centres."
"At the end of next year, we will have two new lines of the tram, the dualling of the A453 nearing completion and a new railway station.
"We are falling over backwards to help."
8 Comments
by ToryMan
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 6:19PM
“Harrison Stotle - Change the record lad.”
by FormerlyW
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 5:11PM
“Oh, what a surprise. Harrystotle thinks it's all Jon Collins' fault.”
by soraya
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 2:39PM
“Just pull it down, and have a big free open air park and shop.
People just want to go to the city, park, buy what they want and get out and not have the stress of being fleeced before they have set foot in a shop, clockwatching and dodging gutter slugs.”
by keyone
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 2:35PM
“Chapman should realise that with the councils attitude to developers that Intu should dispose of the Broadmarsh as no quality retaillers will want to locate there, so let them improve the Victoria Centre as it is the only one in Nottingham worth doing, because with the car parking policy of the council they have already driven shoppers away from the city, including myself.
Also the cost of the trams etc is being paid for by the stupid WPL and working taxpayers not the City Council as he intimates.”
by SteveBasford
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 2:21PM
“demolish it - its beyond saving and no longer required.”
by harrystotle1
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 11:28AM
“"For a long time now, most Nottingham residents have only used the Broad Marsh Centre as quick, convenient access to the bus or railway stations. It's depressing procession of empty discount stores, boutiques selling poor quality clothing, & identikit pound shops holds virtually no attraction for any of us anymore."
You're right Novemberer but you have to say that Kim Jon Collins' plans for Nottingham have come to fruition and what we have now is his very own Socialist Utopia. He has targeted this "Broadmarsh" market with every policy he & Urquhart have devised and driven away the affluent shoppers that Intu want to attract. It's a rare day when Collins isn't running yet another "attraction" in Market Square for people to eat junk food and get drunk.
And then there's the problem of developers not wanting to deal with the inept City planners and the councillors on the Development Control Committee. What developer would want to get involved with the people that gave us the carbuncle of Trinity Square and the disaster ( for taxpayers) of the £2m wasted on the non development of the Dunkirk Fire Station due to the false representations made by the city council's planning officers ?
It's no fluke that sensible developers looking to invest in the Midlands are putting Nottingham at the very bottom of the list.”
by Bingethink
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 11:10AM
“Good on the council.
The proposed Victoria Centre extension was appalling - inward-looking, ugly on the outside and focussing too much retail development in the wrong place.
Broadmarsh needs to be opened to the sky between Lister Gate and Collin Street, as demanded by a council Design Brief from 2001! The open street idea is the key to opening up the south side of the city.
Intu can't be allowed to bully to locally elected planning authority.”
by Novemberer
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 10:26AM
“For a long time now, most Nottingham residents have only used the Broad Marsh Centre as quick, convenient access to the bus or railway stations. It's depressing procession of empty discount stores, boutiques selling poor quality clothing, & identikit pound shops holds virtually no attraction for any of us anymore.
Knock it down. Turn it into more "aspirational" (i.e. unaffordable) apartments, or another ugly car park, or a nice park for the drunks & junkies to drown their sorrows in.
Since Gordon Scott - & Charlie the monkey - relocated to Lister Gate, the Broad Marsh Centre has been surplus to any rational city resident's requirements.”