Nottingham City Council’s Broad Marsh Green Heart regeneration scheme sees the 20-acre site of the old shopping zone converted into a park with trees and ponds.
A key aim is to put the ‘marsh’ back to the Broad Marsh, introducing urban wetlands on land that was once a marshland ecosystem to capture, slow and filter rainwater, potentially preventing flooding and creating pockets of biodiversity.
Hertfordshire-based Willmott Dixon has been confirmed as the main contractor, procured through a Scape framework, with Pick Everard as multi-disciplinary consultant.
Work will start this autumn with Willmott Dixon already on-site nearby, building a new public space outside the new Central Library.
Willmott Dixon director Nick Heath said: “Nottingham’s Broad Marsh Green Heart vision is a regeneration project with valuable green space at its core…. Having been responsible for the original shopping centre demolition in 2021-2022 and sharing insight on this complicated, historic site with interested parties throughout the process, we’re excited to be maintaining a role in the transformation and using our skills to deliver the next phase.”
Nottingham City Council leader David Mellen said: “More green space was by far the most popular response when we asked people what they would like to see happen around Broad Marsh as part of the huge Big Conversation engagement exercise the council ran a couple of years ago. Anyone who has visited the area recently will see how much it has changed with lots of greenery, pedestrianised areas and seating. The creation of the Green Heart will take the transformation of Broad Marsh a major step further and be a beautiful addition to the city centre which is unique to Nottingham.”
The design of the Green Heart has been developed by Townshend Landscape Architects along with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust with Ares supporting the contractor on the landscape design for the scheme.
Paul Wilkinson, chief executive of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, said: “It is so exciting that things are now really moving forward. The appointment of the team to drive forward the master plan and to physically deliver the Green Heart are key staging posts in turning our nature first vision into a reality. There has been a lot of work by a lot of people to get to this stage and we are delighted to have played a leading role. We look forward to seeing the Green Heart take shape over the next 12 months and to continuing to play a role in ensuring that nature and wildlife-rich green space remain key elements of future phases of the redevelopment.”
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