Broadmarsh Shopping Centre in Nottingham to be demolished in £650m redevelopment plan, but locals want council to 'fix the roads first'

The shopping centre has stood empty since 2020, when its former operator Intu collapsed into administration, leaving one of the largest vacant city centre sites in the UK. In March 2025, government agency Homes England acquired the remaining site from Nottingham City Council after the local authority cited financial pressures.

Homes England has submitted an ambitious proposal to demolish the shopping centre and replace it with a new development featuring 1,000 homes, 20,000 square metres of retail, office, and community space, and the creation of around 2,000 full-time jobs. Nottingham City Council’s planning department is expected to make a decision on the proposal by May 13, with overall cost of £650 million.

Demolition of the remaining structure of the shopping centre is expected to begin this summer and is set to cost £30 million. It will take place in stages, starting with the removal of the centre’s steel frame, followed by breaking up the concrete foundations. Specialist contractors will also strip out hazardous materials, including asbestos, from the site.

Documents released by the council earlier this month state that the new owner will "begin active works on the project in the short-term," with major construction scheduled to begin between 2029 and 2030.

Parts of the Broadmarsh site have already been redeveloped. The council previously built a new bus station and car park, improved pedestrian paths, and installed the “Green Heart” park, but further work stalled due to financial difficulties.

While Homes England has positioned the plan as a transformative opportunity for Nottingham, many local residents have voiced frustration online, particularly about the cost.

Commenting on Facebook, one said: “Think they should knock the lot down. Then restore the street plan that existed before. Then allow small scale developments using that street pattern to be built.”

Another said: The whole place is a s** hole, mismanaged funds and now yet another 30 million. Sort the roads, local services and elderly etc. before wasting even more money.”

One wrote: “I left Nottingham in 1972 and although I still visit family, I barely recognise the place where I grew up. So much has been pulled down, nowhere to park and the one-way system has reduced me to screaming!”

The state of local infrastructure was a recurring concern. Another added: “Fix all the roads first—not potholes, that's temporary! Fix them. All of them. The place is a dump.”