intu Broadmarsh

intu Broadmarsh was the Intu-branded identity of the Broadmarsh shopping centre in Nottingham, England. The centre occupied land immediately south of Nottingham city centre, close to the railway station, canalside area, Nottingham Castle and the historic cave network cut into the local sandstone. Although the brand was associated with Intu Properties plc, the underlying site was owned by Nottingham City Council and operated through a leasehold arrangement. The shopping centre was created as part of the large-scale redevelopment of Broad Marsh, an area that had historically contained dense urban development, poor housing and industrial-era infrastructure. Much of the area was cleared during the twentieth century. The new precinct was originally conceived as an Arndale Centre, but Nottingham Corporation decided that the Arndale name should not be used. Designed by Turner, Lansdown, Holt and Partners, the centre cost approximately £7 million and opened on 25 March 1975. Its construction exposed numerous caves and cellars in the soft sandstone below the city. Some of these spaces were preserved and later incorporated into the City of Caves attraction, while others were affected by the construction. The centre underwent a major cosmetic refurbishment in 1988. Over time, however, the 1970s complex became increasingly difficult to modernise and was frequently criticised for its physical design and weak integration with the surrounding city centre. Nottingham City Council pursued redevelopment proposals for many years, seeking better pedestrian links between the Old Market Square, Broadmarsh, the railway station and the canalside district. Ownership and control became increasingly connected to Intu's wider Nottingham portfolio. In 2011, Capital Shopping Centres acquired Westfield's interest in Broadmarsh. The transaction prompted competition concerns because the company also owned Nottingham's Victoria Centre. Capital Shopping Centres changed its name to Intu Properties plc in 2013. Nottingham City Council subsequently pressed Intu to prioritise Broadmarsh redevelopment over further work at the Victoria Centre and offered financial support toward the scheme. A limited redevelopment plan received approval in 2015. It proposed retaining much of the existing mall while adding a cinema, leisure and restaurant space, new public-realm areas and an upgraded pedestrian route. Sir Robert McAlpine began phased demolition in October 2019. The project was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, and contractors did not return to the site. Intu entered administration in June 2020, leaving the centre partly demolished and the redevelopment incomplete. The site was subsequently returned to Nottingham City Council, which announced that the remaining centre would be demolished. The former intu Broadmarsh site is therefore no longer an operating retail destination. Its later history has been dominated by public consultation, funding applications, demolition, transport changes and attempts to establish a new mixed-use urban quarter. Concepts included a landscaped scheme known as The Frame, while related works delivered a new car park, a central library, pedestrian improvements, a skate area and other public-realm interventions. In March 2025, Homes England acquired the Broadmarsh site for redevelopment in partnership with private-sector organisations. Plans associated with the acquisition envisaged housing alongside retail, office and community facilities. The intu Broadmarsh name remains relevant primarily as a historical identity for the former shopping centre rather than as an active brand.

Broad Marsh is a historic district south of Nottingham city centre. The area was once associated with marshy ground and later contained dense housing, industrial activity, roads, a bus station and a car park. It also stood above a significant network of caves and cellars carved into the city's soft sandstone. The site included the former Franciscan Greyfriars friary, dissolved in 1539, and was later cleared during major urban redevelopment. The Broadmarsh shopping centre was developed in the early 1970s. It was initially intended to carry the Arndale name, but Nottingham Corporation's Estates Committee decided that the trade name should be removed. The centre, designed by Turner, Lansdown, Holt and Partners, opened on 25 March 1975 after construction costing about £7 million. Excavation revealed numerous underground caves. Local residents, historians and Nottingham City Council museum staff helped preserve and document some of them, and several became part of the City of Caves visitor attraction. The caves are protected as a Scheduled Monument. A major cosmetic refurbishment followed in 1988 at a reported cost of £9 million. Nevertheless, the centre's integration with the city remained controversial. Nottingham City Council had been pursuing a substantial transformation since at least the early 2000s. Development briefs called for clearer streets, urban blocks, improved flexibility and a direct pedestrian route connecting the historic city centre with the railway station and canalside area. The ownership structure became linked to the wider Intu portfolio in 2011, when Capital Shopping Centres bought Westfield's interest. The acquisition attracted scrutiny from the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission because the same owner controlled the nearby Victoria Centre. Capital Shopping Centres adopted the Intu Properties name in 2013. The council offered support for Broadmarsh redevelopment and sought to make it the priority over further investment in the Victoria Centre. A revised scheme was approved in 2015. It envisaged a partially retained mall, a new cinema, leisure and restaurant space, a redesigned south-eastern entrance and a more prominent pedestrian route. Sir Robert McAlpine was appointed for the construction work, and phased demolition began in October 2019. The pandemic interrupted the project in March 2020. Intu's financial collapse and entry into administration later that year made continuation impossible. By July 2020, the centre had closed and the partially demolished property had been handed back to the council. Subsequent work focused on clearing the site and providing related infrastructure. The former multi-storey car park and bus station were demolished in 2017–18, while a replacement car park with 1,200 spaces, motorcycle bays and electric-vehicle charging facilities was completed in 2021. A new central library opened in November 2023. A pedestrian route, bus-only traffic arrangements and a skate area were also introduced around the regeneration zone. Proposals for the residual site included the Heatherwick Studio-associated concept The Frame, which would use parts of the remaining structure as a framework for landscaping and public space. Funding applications were unsuccessful in 2021 and 2023, delaying full implementation. In March 2025, Homes England acquired the site and indicated that it would work with private partners on a mixed-use redevelopment involving approximately 1,000 homes and substantial retail, office and community space.

• 2025

  Homes England acquires the site

  [1]Broad Marshen.wikipedia.org

  Homes England acquired the former centre site for a future mixed-use redevelopment.

• 2023

  New central library opens

  [1]Broad Marshen.wikipedia.org

  Nottingham's new central library opened on 28 November 2023 within the wider Broadmarsh regeneration area.

• 2021

  Replacement car park completed

  [1]Broad Marshen.wikipedia.org

  A new multi-storey car park with 1,200 spaces and electric-vehicle charging infrastructure was completed as part of the wider regeneration works.

• 2020

  Intu enters administration

  [1]Broad Marshen.wikipedia.org

  The owner's administration halted the redevelopment and left the centre partly demolished.

• 2019

  Redevelopment demolition starts

  [1]Broad Marshen.wikipedia.org

  Sir Robert McAlpine began phased demolition of the centre.

• 2015

  Redevelopment plan approved

  [1]Broad Marshen.wikipedia.org

  Planning approval was granted for a limited redevelopment including leisure, restaurants, a cinema and public-realm improvements.

• 2013

  Owner adopts the Intu name

  [1]Broad Marshen.wikipedia.org

  Capital Shopping Centres changed its name to Intu Properties plc, after which the centre was known as intu Broadmarsh.

• 2011

  Capital Shopping Centres acquires Westfield's stake

  [1]Broad Marshen.wikipedia.org

  The transaction brought Broadmarsh into the portfolio of the company that also controlled Nottingham's Victoria Centre.

• 1988

  Major cosmetic refurbishment

  [1]Broad Marshen.wikipedia.org

  The shopping centre underwent a substantial cosmetic refurbishment.

• 1975

  Broadmarsh shopping centre opens

  [1]Broad Marshen.wikipedia.org

  The centre officially opened on 25 March 1975 after being developed as part of Nottingham's post-war Broad Marsh regeneration.

A city-centre shopping and leisure destination intended to serve Nottingham and the surrounding East Midlands, later repositioned through redevelopment proposals before its closure and partial demolition.

• Shopping centre · 1975

  Broadmarsh shopping centre

  The principal offering was a covered city-centre shopping precinct containing retail stores, services and later food, restaurant and leisure proposals. Its tenant mix and physical layout changed over time, but the centre ultimately closed after redevelopment was interrupted and the owner entered administration.

• Parking and transport infrastructure

  Broadmarsh car park

  The original multi-storey car park was associated with the shopping centre and had a bus station beneath it. The 1970s structure was demolished between 2017 and 2018. A replacement facility with 1,200 spaces, motorcycle bays and electric-vehicle charging points was completed in 2021 as part of the wider public redevelopment rather than as an operating intu product.

• 2020

  Closure and handover after Intu administrationOther

  Background

  COVID-19 restrictions halted construction, and Intu Properties entered administration during the redevelopment.

  Action taken

  Contractors withdrew, the partly demolished centre closed, and the site was handed back to Nottingham City Council.

  Aftermath

  The council pursued complete demolition and alternative public-led regeneration proposals.

  Source

• 2015

  Limited redevelopment approvedStrategy

  Background

  The approved scheme sought to modernise the centre without immediately replacing the entire 1970s structure.

  Action taken

  Plans retained much of the mall while adding a cinema, leisure and restaurant areas, a redesigned entrance and an internal pedestrian connection.

  Aftermath

  Construction began with phased demolition in 2019 but did not reach completion.

  Source

• 2013

  Broadmarsh made a redevelopment priorityStrategy

  Background

  Nottingham City Council wanted the deteriorating centre redeveloped and opposed giving priority to further Victoria Centre expansion.

  Action taken

  The council offered support for Broadmarsh redevelopment and sought to make progress at the site a condition of support for other city-centre plans.

  Aftermath

  A revised redevelopment plan was eventually approved in 2015, but the project was later interrupted by the pandemic and Intu's administration.

  Source

1. 1Broad Marshen.wikipedia.org