Businesses that were located on Wheeler Gate look set to return as building work is completed on the street just off Market Square. The restoration work, which started over a year ago, is almost complete with some stores being painted ready for potential new businesses.
The VPZ Vape shop and B Sweet store are set to return although some shopkeepers are still confused about what will happen to the properties. The restoration work is the result of a £700,000 funding from Historic England in association with the City Council to preserve the traditional Grade II buildings.
The building work is a year over schedule after being set to finish in August 2021 but it is now scheduled to be completed in August 2022. This is due to Glendine Properties who managed the property going into administration, covid difficulties and also the need for some additional work.
Historic England has agreed to fund the additional work which will see repairs to the sandstone carved entrance on the street which leads to the flats above. A company in Derbyshire has been instructed to take on the project. Of the seven buildings that are being restored, only one remains unfinished along with the sandstone repairs.
The shops are boarded up but the fronts have been removed to make way for new timber frames, large glazing, high-level signage and recessed entrances with decorative tiling. The Cavendish building and Premier House will be the first of this series of building work. It will breathe new life into an area of the city centre that, despite close proximity to Market Square is in need of a revamp.
The Nottingham Heritage Action Zone is a five-year grant-funded scheme that will fund repairs and improvements to historic property in Old Market Square of which Cavendish and Premier House are part of.
A spokesperson at Historic England said “This is part of the Heart of Nottingham Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) - it is a project for the reinstatement of seven shop fronts to original designs, funded by Historic England and Nottingham City Council. It will restore the character of these buildings with the insertion of a variety of modern shop fronts, and is predicted to be finished by July. The object of the scheme is to reinstate the specialness of the street at ground floor level that has so often been lost, but can be seen when one looks up.”
Steve Rayner, partner at RD architects said: "This project was a great opportunity to work in partnership with Nottingham City Council and Heritage England to enhance a large portion of our high street under the Heritage Action Zone scheme. The proposals have reinstated the designs of the original architect, John Howitt. We are sure that the high-quality design across the shop frontages, as was originally intended, will revitalise trading and help make Wheeler Gate a significant Nottingham destination again."
