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The city centre is vital to the life of city as a place for people to live, work and enjoy. It’s been a difficult time for city centres and high streets across the country with the impact of the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis. Despite this, Nottingham city centre continues to be a key destination that local people and visitors want to come to.
As a council, we want to do all we can to support and promote the city centre and the businesses that operate within it.
Through this bi-monthly newsletter, we’ll provide information and updates on what is happening in the city, the services we provide, issues that affect city centre businesses, progress on our ongoing work with partners to regenerate the city and events to bring people into the heart of Nottingham.
Despite the recent challenges of Covid and online shopping, Nottingham’s retail offer is still a major draw but it’s vital that we give people plenty of other reasons to want to come to the city centre.
The reopening of the Castle with new ticket pricing has been a great success and along with the Beach has helped keep the city centre busy over the summer despite the weather. The Ay Up Market in June organised by It’s in Nottingham and the council highlighted the city’s fantastic independents and provided a unique trading platform.
Of course, next on the calendar is the Winter Wonderland which is always hugely popular drawing people to the city from far and wide to enjoy the city’s Christmas offer. It opens on 7 November and runs all the way through to New Year’s Eve.
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We’re targeting a portion of our UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation (central government funding to support local areas) to support our local business community, particularly those operating in the city centre.
We have established two new grant schemes to support and sustain existing businesses on the High Street, particularly retail businesses and those in the hospitality and leisure sectors.
There is also a grant scheme open to the city’s wider business community to support business and employment growth.
The new grants are:
Shop Front Improvement and Vacant Premises Grant Available to independent retail businesses and property owners in eligible areas of Nottingham to improve their shop front or bring vacant premises back into use.
Business Decarbonisation Grant Supporting retail businesses in eligible areas of Nottingham to reduce their energy related costs and carbon emissions.
Business Growth Grant Available to businesses across the whole city to help them to deliver growth and create new jobs.
All three grants will provide up to 50% of project costs, the maximum amount that can be awarded varying for each grant.
Ful details of the grants and details on how to apply can be found here
101 Vintage, a clothing retailer on Bridlesmith Gate, received support through the High Street Small Business Grant which was part of the council’s UKSPF programme between November 2022 and March 2023. The grant enabled the shop to improve its frontage, develop a new product line and enhance their marketing.
Kirsty Hole from Vintage 101 said: “The grant opportunity came at the perfect time for us and has enabled us to invest in areas that we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. In particular our shop front, where we feel we’ve been able to make a huge improvement on our ‘curb appeal’ with the addition of new shop window lighting, a wall mounted tv screen and upgraded fascia signage that’s now illuminated. We’ve had lots of compliments from customers on the improvements.”
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The continued confidence there is in Nottingham as a destination is highlighted by the £4 billion worth of recently completed developments and potential sites there are across the city centre which would bring over 7,000 new homes, 15,000 new jobs and 2 million square feet of new office and commercial floor space.
Two key sites - Broad Marsh and The Island Quarter - are among the largest and most significant city centre projects anywhere in the UK.
As a council, we’re supporting this ongoing regeneration with major sustainable improvements to the public realm and transport network to encourage people into the city centre. Broad Marsh has already been transformed with new people-friendly public space on Sussex Street next to Nottingham College. The opening of the new Central Library has now been confirmed for 28 November outside which will be a new child friendly space along Collin Street. By the end of this year, work will have started to create the wild-life rich Green Heart.
Sajeeda Rose recently spoke to the Nottingham Post about progress around Broad Marsh and the Green Heart. You can read the interview here
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 If you've come to know us as 'Nottingham BID' then it's time for a reset – we've been through changes for sure.
We're still the same member-led organisation, dedicated to promoting our vibrant city centre as a destination of choice for visitors, but take a look at our new website and you'll see we've a bold new attitude, and a fresh new look. It’s in Nottingham – our new name – is a clear statement of who we are; the place making organisation for the city centre. We are an organisation which represents our members, the people of the city and visitors to Nottingham – we collaborate with partners to generate and deliver long-term value – making Nottingham, our city, a place that thrives.
Rough sleeping is a major issue for cities right across the UK and we know it’s something regularly highlighted by many of our city centre businesses. We work closely with partners to help people off the streets and into accommodation and recently secured an extra £800,000 in national funding to support this.
By helping people who are rough sleeping we can also alleviate some of the problems it can cause for city centre businesses. We also work with partners including It’s in Nottingham to promote diverted giving to address the issue of begging.
If people are rough sleeping near your business, you can help get people the support they need by contacting Framework’s Street Outreach Team via email: streetoutreach@frameworkha.org ; phone: 0800 066 5356 or text: SOT to 80800 (followed by your message).
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The council’s Street Cleansing Services have been working with Its in Nottingham to become more transparent regards to the responsiveness of environmental services we provide and regularly engage with them to enhance the appearance of our City Centre.
To support and improve our city please report any environment concerns to Report a problem in your neighbourhood - Nottingham City Council
This will ensure the service receives your concern and enable us to conclude in a timely manner as well as help shape how we schedule work around the city centre.
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Roadworks and travel disruption latest
- Works around the London Road roundabout are progressing well, and starting to move around the corner to Hollowstone. The temporary signals are due to be upgraded to the permanent ones in November 2023 with the final aspects of resurfacing and landscaping planned to be completed in spring 2024. Please plan your journey and allow extra time, especially at peak times.
- Tree maintenance works will cause closures and diversions along Gregory Boulevard from 23 October – 3 November 9.30am – 3.30pm daily. Access to The Forest Park & Ride will be maintained with marshals to direct drivers around the road closure.
- Tram maintenance works are taking place 22-24 October with no service between Old Market Square and Nottingham Station, and again from 28 October – 3 November with no service between Cator Lane and University of Nottingham
For all the latest, subscribe to our weekly disruption email for the latest on city roadworks, changes to bus, tram and train services and more
Many city centre businesses will know Mark Armstrong, the council’s Towns and City Centre Management Specialist who regularly visits city centre business to provide support and help address any issues they have. Mark can be contacted via email mark.armstrong@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
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