News: Groundbreaking ceremony marks the start of the new City Hub construction

We hosted a groundbreaking ceremony today (22nd June) alongside Wates Construction, D2N2, and Nottingham City Council, to mark the start of construction at the College’s new City Hub project, which is due to be completed in 2020.

The new City Hub building, which was procured via Major Works - UK, part of the Scape National Construction framework, is set to be a landmark addition to Nottingham’s skyline, as viewed from the south of the city centre. It forms part of an ambitious £250m Southern Gateway regeneration scheme, spearheaded by Nottingham City Council involving the redevelopment of the intu Broadmarsh Centre, the rebuild of the Broadmarsh bus station and car park, as well as the remodelling of road and pedestrian routes in the area.

The new campus will provide high quality college and community facilities, together with a new business hub. This will encourage new business start-ups, better collaboration between the College and employers, and will provide the wider community with improved training and skills resources. In addition, the campus will house a new performing arts centre, student retail space, café and training restaurant and bar.

Chair of Governors, Carole Thorogood, said: "Today marks a significant day for the College, with the start of a £58 million state-of-the-art new build, which will provide high quality education and training that prepares students for their future careers and the contribution they can make to the prosperity of the city."

The building will occupy six storeys in total and the design, led by architects Bond Bryan, will complement the surroundings and pay homage to the area’s industry heritage.

The City Hub will be built on disused brownfield land next to the Broadmarsh Centre and tram overpass at the foot of Lace Market Cliff. It will form an important part of a Council-run scheme to regenerate this part of Nottingham in order to provide a more welcoming entrance to the southern part of the city centre.

Work on the £58m City Hub, which will house around 2000 students, is expected to start over the summer.