Aspirations for new Waterside neighbourhood set to take a step closer

Nottingham City Council is due to take an important step towards its vision for a new neighbourhood along the banks of the River Trent next week, as the city’s Waterside Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) goes to Executive Board for adoption.

The SPD, which went to consultation in October last year, sets out the city’s vision for the area and provides additional planning guidance, alongside the Local Plan, to help shape future developments.

Located close to the city centre, the 27-hectare Waterside site and has been a long-standing ambition for the city to create a new sustainable community all the way along the waterside setting from Trent Bridge to Colwick Park, and connecting the city centre and adjoining neighbourhoods including Sneinton and the Meadows.

Once adopted, Nottingham City Council can use the SPD to support the planning process. It can help ensure any new developments in the area help to meet the overall vision for the area, and will allow the council to control the level, type and timings of the change required. The City Council will work with developers and landowners to implement any new potential development schemes in line with the planning guidance in phases.

Image: Courtesy of BDP Architects

The document sets out the council’s vision and need to provide high quality new homes and a requirement to preserve and enhance the unique habitat, riverside location and green spaces. It also identifies possible areas for opportunities and sets out plans to safeguard areas for possible future needs, such as a new school, transport links and enhanced pedestrian and cycle pathways. Comments received during the consultation have been considered by the council and some changes to the SPD have been proposed as a result.

Cllr Linda Woodings, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing at Nottingham City Council, said:

“We have long-held ambitions to develop this area, which started with the development of Trent Basin a few years ago. The prime central location of Waterside provides a unique opportunity to create a new residential community with its own identity and character.

“Our Waterside Supplementary Planning Document sets out the scale of this ambition and gives future developers guidance on how to meet our aspirations, as well as some of the specific things we would like to see developed. This includes high quality new homes, a new school, and developing new transport links, while preserving and enhancing the unique riverside habitat and green space.”

As well as high quality homes, the council wants to see new developments in this area which will provide improvements to public spaces, including a cycling and walking path and green space along the river bank connecting the Nottingham and Beeston Canal towpath with the Victoria Embankment through to Colwick Park.

Waterside is part of the wider Nottingham Southside regeneration with £2bn of developments over a 0.5 square mile area.

This includes the redevelopment of intu Broadmarsh, rebuilding the Broadmarsh car park and creating a new Central Library, transforming Nottingham Castle, the new Nottingham College City Hub and a pedestrian friendly environment for the area as well as the development Island Site, new Grade A office spaces and opportunities for further housing and residential developments.

These exciting changes represent a new era for Nottingham, bringing thousands more jobs, millions more visitors and economic growth for the benefit of the entire city.

Shared by Nottingham City Council.