Plans for a £10m contemporary mixed-use development in the heart of the Nottingham's Lace Market have been approved.

City planners recently rubber stamped Bildurn Properties' Lace Market Square development in the centre of the Conservation Area, linking the city's fashion district with the stylish Lace Market and Hockley Village, and forming a 'retail axis' in the heart of the city centre.

The contemporary scheme, designed by architects Franklin Ellis, will be a showcase for the area, offering top quality accommodation for A1 and A3 use. The principal building at the northern end of the development will provide 640 sq m at ground floor level for retail or A3 use. There will also be five upper floors containing 46 luxury apartments.

The second building will comprise a two-storey glazed pavilion of approximately 432 sq m and which is expected to house a high quality restaurant.

At the heart of the development will be an 11,000 sq ft public square - the first open space in this heavily built up area which once contained the city's lace making industry.

The development will also include secure underground parking . Work is expected to start shortly and the scheme will be complete in summer 2006.

Architect David Franklin commented: "The development will create a much needed public space within the Lace Market. The building seeks to provide a balance between respecting the old and reflecting a modern, forward-thinking ethos."

Nottingham-based art and landscape design company Wolfgang and Heron, winners of a Lord Mayor's Award for Urban Design, will be designing the public space, which will be surfaced in high quality materials with soft landscaping features, pieces of art and quality outdoor furniture.

Bildurn director Sean Akins said: "This has been a complex project to get off the ground and we are delighted that it has now reached the stage where building work can start.

"Bildurn is a company which focuses on quality of architecture and we are confident that we will be delivering a first-class development which will truly add something to the environment of the Lace Market for all to enjoy."

Architects Franklin Ellis is well-known for their projects in the East Midlands and further afield. They were the design force behind the Paul Smith shop in Nottingham and retail and residential developments at Castle Wharf, Stoney Street and Sneinton Market, among others.

ENDS

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