Nottingham’s newest exciting commercial development, The Pod, has been given the green light.
The £25m, 100,000 sq ft scheme on the edge of the Lace Market area of the city will house two or three levels of large retail units aimed at the fashion sector and larger space users. In addition there will be several floors of hotel and leisure uses.
The Pod is close to Nottingham’s growing fashion district with Bridlesmith Gate and The Edge also near. The site is also right next to a tram stop for Nottingham NET.
Local developers Bildurn Properties are behind The Pod and brought in award winning architects Benson & Forsythe who won a £150,000 design competition to get the opportunity to create this scheme. The competition, backed by Nottingham City Council also attracted many of the country’s top architects.
Benson+Forsyth are known for award-winning designs for the Millennium Wing of National Gallery of Ireland, in Dublin, and Museum of Scotland.
The striking design brings a new genre of architecture to Nottingham and improves a run down site at the heart of the Lace Market Conservation Area.
Sean Akins, Director at Bildurn added “We’re delighted that Nottingham City Council has approved the scheme and believe that their decision sends very positive messages to the local and national development and investment community.
“We’re also excited by the nature of the interest shown by retailers in The Pod and hope to report news soon. There are good lessons to be learned from the architectural competition process which enabled us to attract the country’s top architects to design for the City.”
Ray Valenti Senior Partner at chartered surveyors Nattrass Giles who has been involved in The Pod since its inception commented, “The ‘planning ticket’ gives the marketing strategy a whole new impetus. It means the interest already received from operators can be pursued in the knowledge that the scheme can now be built.
“I’m delighted that the City has decided to endorse this landmark project. It means that our long term ambitions to develop a new retail axis from our client’s development of the Waterstone’s store on Bridlesmith Gate into the heart of the Lace Market can at last be realised.”
Sean Akins, Director at Bildurn added, “We anticipate that The Pod will attract some quality new names to Nottingham and in turn add a new dimension to the Lace Market as well as creating 100 new jobs.”
Gordon Benson of Benson+Forsyth said: “We are extremely pleased to have been chosen to design a modern, eye-catching building in part of Nottingham which has a strong industrial heritage, and has emerged as a fashionable and desirable part of this vibrant city.
“The challenge for us in doing is to create a contemporary development which will integrate into the conservation area, while adding something to the City’s architectural environment as well.”
A Technical Team of advisors have been involved since the project’s inception in 2003 including Nattrass Giles, Gleeds, BWB, Latham Architects, Freeth Cartwright and Dalgleish (London).
If all goes according to timetable work should start in later in 2005 and be completed towards the end of 2006.
References: EGi News 04/07/05
