TRINITY SQUARE

Aisha Awwal ShehuMubarak Ibrahim-Audu

BACKGROUND OF TRINITY SQUARETrinity square is located in the heart of the city centre. It is named after the Holy trinity church which was opened in the early years of the English style in 1839.Since then, series of developments have taken place over time which made impact on the site and its surrounding.

Historic Map 1900

Land use

Maps source: www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/schemes...Trinity-Square/.../story.html

Maps source: www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/schemes...Trinity-Square/.../story.html

The Holy trinity church was built in 1841It was formerly a rubbish tip on Burton leys in 1837The plan of demolishing the church started in 1941The church had a 29 feet high spire that was later taken down in 1942

image source: Evening post, July 1957

Demolition of the Holy trinity church in 1958.Due to plans of building a car park on the site.

image source: Evening post, July 1975

An artist’s impression of the proposed car park at trinity square in 1953

image source: Evening post, October 1953

Existing office buildings and shops.The government considered moving these offices across the road to pave way for the proposed car park.

image source: Evening post, October 1953

BEFORE

AFTER

Projected office building construction began in 1960 and was completed in 1961

image source: Guardian Journal, July 1961

Car park was finally built in 1963 after all the controversies and protest against it. It officially opened in 1964

image source: Evening post September 2000

There was a new plan to revamp the trinity square car park in 1999.

“We need a mix of social and private housing” Coun Graham Chapman (Council leader)

“Key parts of the strategy will be to bring accommodation back to the immediate area as well as putting the car park underground.”Tim Utton and Richard Tressider of the Evening post, April 1999

image source: Evening post April1999

Proposals for new development

Final design proposal for trinity square in 2003.City planners disapproved the redevelopment plan at first but the £75m project was later approved in late 2003

image source: Nottingham Evening post June 2003

Proposed student accommodation along with other uses

“I can see some real advantages of having students in the city centre. There is no community for them to mess up” Coun Graham Chapman

TK Max and Borders agreed to run their business in the proposed project in 2004.

image source: http://lds.localdataimages.com/large/2115/21157661.jpg

Plans to make 60,000 square feet casino at Trinity square retail scheme was scrapped as a result of confusion over government gaming policy in 2005.

image source: Estates gazette January 2005

Demolition of existing car park for new development commenced in 2005

image source: Nottingham evening post December 2005

image source: www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/schemes...Trinity-Square/.../story.html

Proposal 1

Proposal 2

Proposal 3

Proposal 4

ConclusionCoun Graham Chapman’s idea of creating student accommodation and shops has made a positive impact from an economic perspective. But from a social perspective, the trinity square has not been used as it ought be, as a square.

The council head thinks it is the worst piece of urban design he’s ever seen.

What has been learntWhen doing an urban design, there should be proper analysis of the site’s surrounding from an environmental, economic, social and political context in order to produce a design that will be beneficial to the inhabitants of the city.

The relationship between the economic, social and political context should be analysed in such a way that there would be a balance between these contexts such that the implementation of one is not at the expense of the other.