The village of Giltbrook has changed dramatically over the years, and the opening of IKEA at Giltbrook Retail Park in 1997 has had a big impact on the area.
Villagers have been speaking about the impact the Swedish homeware giant has had since the store opened 25 years ago. It was the sixth ever store to open in the UK and underwent a major £25m revamp in 2018.
Some spoke about the jobs it has brought to the area, while others said the traffic at the retail park, also home to other major retailers like Next Home and Marks and Spencer, was ‘horrendous’.
Ann Birkin, 77, who has lived in Giltbrook since 1962, said: “The impact of the IKEA has been horrendous traffic.
"The island isn’t big enough and it’s hard to get in and out of the village.
"At seven o’clock in the morning when I come out for a paper and everyone’s driving to work it’s so busy. The cars go so fast it’s a wonder they don’t knock down the bollards.
“But it’s good in some ways because having shops on the doorstep means we don’t have to go up to Eastwood.
"Sometimes if me and my husband want to go out for a walk we’ll pop into the IKEA at six o'clock or seven o’clock, when there’s not a lot of kids about."
She added: "And one of my granddaughters works at IKEA and she loves it.
"She started in the kitchen but now she’s moved to Click and Collect, and she really enjoys it.
"It’s good because she only lives at Hilltop so she can walk from there.”
Carly Bosworth, 35, who has lived in Giltbrook for more than 20 years, said that, although there were "a lot of issues with traffic", the arrival of the IKEA had changed the village for the better.
She said: “It definitely changed Giltbrook for the better because it used to be a wasteland – it looked quite unkempt and dirty. It’s regenerated the area and its made lots of jobs.”
Mike Goodman, 57, who has lived in Giltbrook for 25 years, echoed what Ms Bosworth said.
He said: “It’s offered lots of jobs to lots of people in the community.
"My wife’s worked on there for 30 years, which has been amazing, because she hasn’t had to commute to Nottingham to find employment.
“The only downside is the traffic, because the build-up of traffic is quite bad at times.
"There were talks that they were going to build some sort of flyover to relieve the congestion in the area but, as of yet, that’s not come to fruition at all.”
People previously spoke about the benefits of living near Giltbrook Retail Park in lockdown.
Nottinghamshire Live has contacted IKEA and Nottinghamshire County Council for comment.
In recent times, furniture giant DFS announced plans to operate from units previously occupied by Laura Ashley and Harveys and Bensons.
A huge M&S store opened at the retail park in July 2020, creating more than 100 jobs.
Local councillor Councillor Shane Easom, who represents Kimberley for the Conservatives on Broxtowe Borough Council, previously said he would prefer businesses to move onto the village high street rather than to the "out-of-to" retail park.
He made those comments when plans came to light for a new EE shop at the retail park.
