International architecture and design practice BDP has been appointed by Nottingham City Council to develop a master plan to realise the city’s vision for Broad Marsh.

The Broad Marsh masterplan, is being created at the centre of the Broad Marsh site with key elements of the vision including up to 1,000 new homes, more than 6,000 new jobs, 500,000 sq ft of commercial and office space, the retention of part of old shopping centre’s structural frame to create an innovative new space and the rejuvenation of the city’s unique cave network.

David Rudlin, Urban Design Director at BDP, said: “I’m delighted we will be working with Nottingham City Council on the Broad Marsh master plan.

“Broad Marsh is perhaps the largest development site in the centre of a British city and is a huge opportunity to transform Nottingham. We will be working with the proposals developed by Thomas Heatherwick and analysing all views expressed by local people in ‘the big conversation’ to ensure that the plans become a reality.”

BDP will work with the council and Townshend Landscape Architects which has already designed the Green Heart and submitted proposals for Collin Street’s transformation. Work is due to begin shortly at Collin Street and later this year on the Green Heart. The Masterplan will tie in with work already undertaken in the Southside area, including the development of the new car park, bus station and Central Library, the new Nottingham College city hub and huge changes to surrounding streets.

The Masterplan will show how to transform the vitality and viability of the Broad Marsh and wider Southside region, creating opportunities to live and work in the area, bring investment and employment for local businesses.

City Council Leader, Cllr David Mellen, said: “We have made significant progress on reshaping this part of the city to make the most of this once-in-a-generation opportunity.

“We have demolished a large part of the former shopping centre, and will start work later this year on turning part of that space into the Green Heart that so many people have said they want to see in this area.

“I’m delighted that for the rest of the site we have appointed BDP, a renowned urban design firm which will take the vision and turn it into a deliverable plan.”

The appointment moves the proposals for the whole site towards the submission of a planning application and closer to the start of construction on a project.