Nottingham looks grim

[AskAwayAgain]

I live in the East Midlands a bit of a way from Nottingham. But we went into Nottingham to see a show. We had not been there since before the pandemic so I said to DH lets go in early and look around the shops beforehand and have something to eat.

I was really shocked by how awful the street from Marks and Spencers to Broadmarsh looked. Most shops closed and some that were open looked really tatty. I also had memories of the side streets being full of interesting gift shops, but most were gone.

Victoria Centre looked okay, but overall the City Centre was really poor and had little to offer, I am still shocked that a major City looks as bad as this.

@AdInfinitum12 come on we do! What on earth does derby have? It's awful

There are still some nice parts of Nottingham city, around hockey and the lace market and lots of interesting shops in small shopping areas and alley ways. It's just the problems with broardmarsh that have had a big effect on that side of town combined with losing Debenhams. There are lots of decent places to eat and places to go out at night and I don't think the crime is any worse than other cities. I've certainly never felt unsafe in the day or night there and neither have my teens.
With a bit of investment to sort out the broardmarsh issue it could be great again.

I agree about New Castle @tigerbear. DD lives there and every time I have been to Eldon Square is has been very busy. I love Newcastle.

In contrast to Sheffield Barnsley town centre has had a lot of redevelopment. A lot of it has been repurposed for going out - cinema, eating out etc. The Glassworks development is a pleasant surprise.

The new development in The Moor in Sheffield is a pleasant surprise as well.

The pedestrian journey from the train station to the city centre has always been poor. I think it’s actually improving (Carrington Street, private investment in Station Street, the walkway between Colin and Canal Street) but there is still absolutely no reason for big retailers to take space in those lower shops near the old Broadmarsh site.

If you’re a local, knowing the off-track areas makes the experience nicer (Hockley, I like Derby Rd/Canning Circus, Sneinton) but the City council is fucking OBSESSED with excluding cars from the centre. In an age of convenience, I’m surprised how many people do still make the shclep/pay outrageous parking/work out the road systems/bus lanes into the city centre to shop.

Aren't most town & city centres like this now. I find it really sad; I used to love shopping in town all day Saturday when I was younger.

Ah, this is said to read. I went to uni in Nottingham in the 90s and the city centre was great then (from what I remember!)

@Fozzleyplum Where is the amazing cheese shop please?

I live in a small town right near Derby. Trust me, Derby is a palace in comparison 😆

It used to be an amazing city but the closure of so many high street shops has really brought down the city centre. Hopefully it is rejuvenated by the new shopping centre.

I assume she means the really lovely one down Flying Horse Walk - the little arcade across from the Exchange Buildings near 200 degrees at Market Square.

This is so sad to hear. I was a student there in the late 90’s and whilst the Broadmarah area was always a bit on the scruffy side (we lived in The Meadows which was just as bad 😂) the town centre itself was fab. I worked in Debenhams for the whole of my time there and the town centre pubs were always great fun.

I now live near Hereford and it’s bloody lovely. Small city but a lovely arty, independent vibe with a good ish mix of high street shops and fab little side streets with quirky boutiques, bars and restaurants. It really is a lovely place to be.

Come to Hereford everyone! We’ll have you!

I have to go to the centre of an awful lot of towns and cities in the UK for work, and when in Leicester just before Christmas (my first time in about 15 years) I was amazed how great it's looking. Yes there were closed up shops here and there, but compared to the majority of places I go to it felt positively booming. It's clearly seen a lot of investment recently. They seem to be very forward thinking with their active travel policies too.

Nottingham in comparison does feel much rougher/more down-at-heel, but no more than most cities in the UK right now. I noticed this pre-covid but obviously that has exasperated things too. London's Oxford Street is really, really depressing these days. Even Covent Garden, although they put an almost impeccable front on it, is clearly struggling to retain tenants in their units. Nowhere is safe!

Is this the cinema that's been in planning since 1986?

Lichfield is fast becoming thousands of new builds surrounded by HS2 works & very little else.

Still prettier than Derby though I agree.

I don't think this is quite fair. The measures to exclude (some) cars in Nottingham have improved the city centre air quality which means a ULEZ isn't needed. The Broadmarsh centre and 4 lane roads around it were an absolute Berlin wall across the city and it takes time to re route traffic and redevelop the area. There are still plenty of car parks and a perfectly good tram network.
When the Broadmarsh site is further developed those shop units will open up again. It's already improved that you can walk straight up Lister Gate from the station again rather than the old grotty concrete underpass.
All cities are changed from 10/20 years ago.

All High Streets have struggled with the loss of C&A, BHS, Woolwooths, Debenhams type shops in the past 20 years. Those units have been hard to fill in a general malaise of the High St affected by inflated land prices, the rise of online shopping, and declines in disposable income and concerns about consumerism.

I last went to Nottingham last summer after a long gap. The Broadmarsh is a disaster. The area by the station is the nicest that I've known it in the past 25 years. The Broadmarsh always was a pretty solid barrier from that direction. The collapse of INTU is a bloody disaster. The Market Square had an event on which distracted from Debenhams. We went into some shops on some of the side streets, but not up to the Victoria Centre. Years back, that area was a weaker link in town. In my student days, there was a lot going on with the construction of the trams, the Cornerhouse and investment in the Lace Market.

I tend to stick with Derby for convenience. I used to go to Nottingham for bigger shopping trips, but children made that less practical and I'm not at a stage of life of much recreational shopping. Westfield shifted Derby's core just in time for the credit crunch and the exterior streets have never really recovered in the face of the standard pressures affecting every High Street. Drunken/ druggie behaviour has put me off being in town; some of the people loitering around are pretty indiscriminate about who'll they'll abuse although it seems to have been either managed better or relicated in the last couple of years. The chuggers made walking down the street a load of aggro, and fortunately they've gone. As a whole package, I like Derby as other than large theatres and concert venues it's got pretty much anything you need most of the time and is pretty easy to get around. Easier than fighting across Nottingham.

It's been a tough 15 years for any town/ city centre. There's too much vacant retail space, and land use needs rezoning and concentrating. The problem is land remains high because of being tied in with investment and pension porfolios. We can't afford the redevelopment, and we can't afford to let the value drop to its true value either.

The area by the station is the nicest that I've known it in the past 25 years

Yeah that would be because that's where the city council offices are..

And just wait until they bring in the new measures to dissuade people from driving in the city centre. It will be the death knell for Nottingham city centre

Yes. This has been the downfall of many city centres. I think it's totally stupid.

You forgot 'vile' and 'gently'.

The reasons are more complicated than simply consumers favouring online shopping or malls. Lots of retailers are struggling - online or otherwise.

There has been a drop in disposable income.
Wages have not kept up with inflation.
House prices/rents have increased far more than wages (see also rise in homelessness/temp accommodation).
There have bene multiple recessions since 2007 and growth has slowed.
Employment has become more precarious/temporary
Multiple cuts to Council budgets have left less money to keep streets clean, invest in infrastructure etc.
Inadequate funding for mental health support (a key link to the rise in homelessness)

It's not the fault of consumers. It's the fault of a government that continues to prioritise protecting the wealth of the minority at the expense of the majority.

I live in Exeter and still love going shopping there at the weekend. There are a couple of streets that are v rundown, but still lots of lovely nooks and crannies and loads to do.

Also seconding Newcastle, Eldon square genuinely nice and then the big outside shopping streets are lovely to walk around. Plus the metro so don't need to drive. I remember in autumn last year just sitting outside with my son listening to some excellent folk buskers and thinking how nice it was.

Similar to Liverpool though, the shopping centre hasn't killed off the rest of the city centre, it kind of all works together.

And yes we need to stop internet shopping so much if we want to save our shops.

I'm surprised with how many people are saying Leicester is nice in comparison. I grew up there and still visit regularly and have thought how much the city centre has gone downhill recently, Nottingham must be really grim nowadays if it's worse!

Leicester is really coming into its own with its independent food scene. I think the city has recognised it is losing retail footfall to Fosse Park (which, along with Everards Meadows is a case study on how to bring trade into the outskirts of a city whilst incorporating green space), so its investing in the market/food hall areas.

Loads of independent boutique shops and restaurants, art galleries,theatres, pop up events etc. I'm usually disappointed when I'm away because we're spoilt food wise here.

I'm originally from somewhere very near Nottingham (other end of the tram line give or take) and though I only go back once a year or so now, and only in the daytime, I do think it's gone downhill- when I think of how as a child, going to Nottingham for the afternoon was a luxury. Nice shops, a fabulous market. A steak at the then Savoy after. ❤️