Shoppers have declared Nottingham city centre as 'the best in the East Midlands', but shop owners have issued a call for more support, with one fearing it may be forced to move. While the city has a good range of shops, including the likes of John Lewis, M&S, and H&M, issues such as homelessness, litter, and the age-old Broadmarsh debate are still very much present, according to residents and visitors.
And while a lack of car parks and green spaces have also been cited as persistent issues, Nottingham city centre is still enjoyed by people, some of them even saying it’s the best city centre in the region. Julia Howell, 70, from Nottingham, comes into the city centre once a month to shop, have a meal, or meet friends.
She said: “I love the city centre because of its big Old Market Square, good shops, and public transport. It would be nice if shops such as Habitat would be back but, overall, I think we’re lucky to have shops that others don’t, like John Lewis and M&S.”
Emma Hardman, 47, also from Nottingham, would like to see the currently empty units filled. She said: “The city centre is good but it’s a shame that there are a few empty shops at the moment.
“I think more shops will open in time, but it will definitely take a while to fill all these units.” Andrew Gilzeane, 61, from Radford, said that although he thinks Nottingham has the best city centre in the East Midlands, some improvements can be made.
The man, who comes into the city centre every day, said: “I love Nottingham. It’s a nice place and I think we probably have the best city centre in the East Midlands.
“However, I think more parking and green spaces would be good. You have Forest and the Arboretum but something in town would be nice because there’s too much concrete.
“I’d also rather have shops that sell new clothes than all these second-hand ones.” People from outside of Nottingham have also expressed their admiration for the city centre.
Nicole Anderson, 20, a primary education student at the University of Derby, said: “I think it’s quite peaceful as a city centre which I like, especially compared to Derby. The Victoria Centre is a lot better than the (Derbion shopping centre) as well as it’s a lot more spacious.”
Rachel Jackson, 22, a medicine student at the University of Nottingham and originally from Hertfordshire, only comes into the city centre during the day twice a month because “there are not enough car parks”. She said: “It’s a pretty decent city centre and it’s definitely the kind of place I’d bring my friends from home to visit.
“I think it’s quite safe as well, even at night because there are always people around, especially during term time.” Valeria Hrebenyk, 28, who is a housekeeping supervisor from Mansfield, highlighted that there are a lot of homeless people in the area.
“I walk around here in the morning when I go to work and there are so many of them. Nottingham city centre is better than Mansfield though, definitely,” said the woman.
But businesses have warned they need more support. Matthew Howard, sales manager at Weavers Wines and Spirits, fears the business may have to move out of its Castle Gate shop for the first time since its opening in 1844. He said: “I think footfall in the city centre could be boosted if the council fixed Broadmarsh.
“Making driving into the city easier and reducing business rates for empty units that have been sitting for years would also help. The future for businesses here doesn’t look great if the council doesn’t do something soon.
“Our business has been slowly recovering after coronavirus >Covid but with no help from the city council. The cost of living has also really affected us.
“If the council doesn’t do something soon, it would be the first time since we opened in 1844 that we would have to move out of the city centre.”
Amelia Driver, a supervisor at the Kitchen on Pelham Street, echoed this. She said: “We’ve had a couple of times when someone was sleeping in the doorway which was an issue because people couldn’t go in and out.”
She added that, despite of the cost of living crisis, the eatery’s business hasn’t been affected much. “We haven’t necessarily seen a massive change because of the cost of living crisis, it’s impacted us a lot less than we thought it would.
“We tend to have some really busy periods and then we’ll have a random couple of days with no one visiting at all so it depends.” Another business in the city centre that has been thriving recently is Bookwise in Hockley, which has been open for 10 years.
Angela Smallwood, a voluntary part-time manager at the shop, said: “Bookwise is the ultimate recycling shop and it’s picking up on people’s green interest and difficult economic times. People usually lament the presence of charity shops in city centres, but at the moment I think they are playing a good role.
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“Business for us has been extremely good recently which I’m afraid is to do with people feeling hard up. We get new customers all the time.
“We have a big appeal for students and older people and people in their prime of life.” The woman pointed out, however, that more should be done to attract families to the city centre.
“We don’t really get many children even though we have children’s books. This is why it would be nice if the city centre would be a bit more appealing for and catering towards families and children.”
Neil Turner, a shop assistant at Forty Two, a skateboarding shop in Victoria Street, said more support is needed for independent businesses from the city council. “To increase footfall, the council could help deal with more independent businesses because all the city centres everywhere are the same.
“They all have generic coffee shops and stuff like that so the thing that makes places individual are independent shops. It’s easier for the big corporate places to exist, but a lot harder for independents because we don’t have that same support,” Neil said.
A City Council spokesperson said: “A range of external factors such as the rise of online shopping, Covid and the cost-of-living crisis have made trading difficult for some retailers. However, we also see new retailers investing in the city and vacancy rates haven’t changed over the past year.
“To support retail businesses in the city centre we work collaboratively with Nottingham Business Improvement District to increase footfall with a year-long calendar of events such as Light Night, AyUp Market for independent traders, Pride and Green Hustle Festival. The council recently provided £250,000 of grants to improve shop fronts, increase marketing and help with energy costs and also provided Government grants to support businesses during the pandemic.
“There’s a huge amount of investment and development underway in the city, helping it to thrive and continue as a popular and successful regional capital. The Broad Marsh area has already undergone a transformation including a new college, car park, bus station and pedestrian friendly streets, with more improvements to come including the Green Heart, the new central library and pop-up outlets to reinvigorate the area.
“Our great public transport network including Park & Ride options makes it easy to get into and around on foot once you’re here and frees up roads for those who want to drive.
“Homelessness is unfortunately on the rise in many towns and cities and something we take seriously. We work with a range of outreach agencies to do everything we can to provide support for anyone sleeping rough and to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place.”
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