Nottingham has missed out on £57 million of central Government Levelling Up funding which would have helped three big regeneration schemes.
The city has been told it will not get £20 million towards the Broad Marsh scheme to transform the area around the former city centre shopping centre. Nor was it successful with a £20 million bid for Bulwell town centre which would have been used to create a new promenade with new public spaces alongside the River Leen, and improve the market place and a number of old buildings.
A third bid for £17 million for the Island Quarter, submitted on behalf of the area’s developer Conygar, was also unsuccessful. That bid focused on renovating three old warehouse buildings at the heart of the 36-acre site near to Nottingham Station.
It comes as the Government announced where £2.1 billion will be allocated from the overall £4.8 billion Levelling Up fund announced in 2020.
Some £155,600,000 will go to the West Midlands, £176,900,000 to the East Midlands and £354 million for the North West.
Nottingham East Labour MP Nadia Whittome said: “Despite the clear need, not one of our three levelling up bids was successful. Yet the Prime Minister’s own very wealthy constituency was awarded £90 million.
“So, when will the Government end this ridiculous charade of favouritism and truly level up places like Nottingham by restoring the billions in funding that Conservative governments have cut since 2010?”
Despite the knock-back. Nottingham City Council leader Councillor David Mellen said the regeneration of Nottingham would continue, working alongside partners to secure investment.
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He said: “All three Nottingham bids were very strong and clearly aligned to what the Levelling Up Fund is meant to be about.
“So it’s a big disappointment that all of them have been turned down for Levelling Up funding, which Nottingham so clearly needs.
“There has been huge support for the exciting new vision for Broad Marsh we unveiled just over a year ago which was based on feedback received from the Big Conversation, the largest public engagement exercise we had ever undertaken.
“Work on the Green Heart, which was a key element of the vision and something many people wanted to see, will still get underway this year using national funding we have already secured.
“We will continue our public realm improvements in the area, which are also funded from a different Government pot, as well as completing the fit-out of the new Central Library later this year.
“Anyone visiting the area today can see that a huge transformation has already taken place and with more to come – especially the Green Heart which I think is going to be a hugely exciting, popular and welcome addition to our city centre – there’s still a lot to be positive about.
“The Levelling Up bid was for work to retain and re-use the Frame of the old shopping centre which is just one aspect of a wider vision for the whole site. It is still an element we want to include and we will explore alternative public and private funding options so that the whole vision can be realised.
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“The Bulwell project would have helped to transform the town centre while the Island Quarter bid would have brought three derelict but landmark buildings on the site back into use. This week we started work on redeveloping Bulwell bus station which will bring some improvement to the town but clearly there was much more we wanted to do to help rejuvenate the town centre.
“Conygar still have exciting plans for the Island Quarter, with a new canalside bar and restaurant already open, work underway on new student accommodation and proposals for a hotel, private apartments, offices including a planning application for a new bioscience building and public spaces in the pipeline.”