GT3 hopes proposals will be picked up by prospective developers
A Nottingham architect has set out its vision for the grade II-listed former Debenhams store in the city centre, which has been empty since the retail chain鈥檚 collapse in May 2021.
The retailer closed more than 100 stores in its final month, with major architects such as and subsequently commissioned to redevelop stores in Guildford and the centre of London.
But according to GT3 Architects, more than 90% of the chain鈥檚 former stores still lie empty, including the one in Nottingham, where the architect has a studio.
GT3 has reimagined the 159-year-old building as a mixed-use development featuring a food hall, boutique shops, a hotel, office space, a media centre, housing, hospitality and a public roof terrace.
In the architect鈥檚 plans, the smaller building next door鈥痮n Long Row would become a pub and cultural centre called The Mikado, in reference to a caf茅 building which stood adjacent some 70 years before.
Longmead Capital, a London-based investment management firm, has reportedly approached Nottingham City Council to discuss future plans for the building, though GT3鈥檚 speculative proposals are not related to those discussions.
A statement from the design team said that Nottingham needed 鈥渕ore emphatic pieces of civic architecture鈥� and that a 鈥渉igh quality architectural intervention鈥� could be achieved at the location 鈥渢hrough gentle density that softens imposing buildings and by involving local commerce鈥�.
鈥淭here is huge speculation as to what the premises should become, so our design provides鈥痑 鈥榮hopping list鈥� of options to provoke real discussion around how we reimagine this much-admired landmark,鈥� it continued.
鈥淲e have some incredible historic architecture in and around the city currently underutilised or empty.
鈥淚t鈥痠s therefore our hope that sympathetic interventions, such as this proposal, will encourage a鈥痬ore varied intergenerational community to work, live and play in the city centre, helping its鈥痳ecovery post-recession and reshaping it for decades to come.鈥�
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