Shopping centre revamp is delayed

Planning consent for the expansion expires in September

A £700m redevelopment of a shopping centre in Nottingham will not go ahead this year, developers have said.

Plans to renovate the Broadmarsh Centre have been delayed due to the weak economy, owner Westfield confirmed.

The city council has been planning the redevelopment of the Broadmarsh Centre for almost two decades but outline plans for the site expire this year.

Matthew Slade, centre manager, has confirmed work will not start for "at least two years".

Permission expires

A spokesperson for Westfield said: "Given the current global financial market, Westfield has previously announced that it will not be starting any new projects during 2009.

"However we continue with the pre-development work so that we are in a position to commence construction when the market stabilises."

Planning permission for the Broadmarsh project was applied for in 2002 and granted two years later.

However, a spokesperson for Nottingham City Council has confirmed that permission for current outline plans will expire on 21 September.

Westfield, the company behind Europe's biggest inner-city mall in London, will have to submit more details including what the centre is going to look like, to renew the planning application.