✨ IMAGINE THIS…
@tacosfever3000
You’ve just spent hours shopping at Victoria Centre and wandering along Clumber Street. You’re tired, still buzzing from the crowds and arms full of shopping bags. All you want is a quiet spot to sit, breathe, and unwind. Just a couple of minutes away, you turn a corner and everything changes. You step into an elegant street where the city seems to breathe. The noise fades away. The air feels fresher. Instead of fumes and engine rumble, you’re met with the gentle hum of conversation, the sound of birdsong, the soft clinking of glasses and cutlery and sun-drenched terraces inviting you to rest your feet with a coffee in hand. You set your bags down, take a breath, and finally pause.
Or it’s lunchtime, and you’re on a quick break from the office. Instead of eating indoors or by the side of a busy road, you walk to King Street, where the warm, tempting scent of freshly prepared food drifts from every direction. Trees line the pavements, flowers spill from planters. The space is full of colour, life, and calm. You find a table outdoors beneath dappled sunlight and enjoy a peaceful moment in the heart of the city, a few minutes away from your workplace.
Perhaps you’re heading to the Theatre Royal. Before the curtain rises, you sit outside a cosy French or Italian bistro on a wide paved street, enjoying your meal al fresco surrounded by beautiful buildings. Or after the show, you linger over a glass of wine, with soft evening lights above and live jazz playing nearby, enjoying the magic of the night before going home.
Maybe you’re visiting Nottingham and want to soak in its historic charm over lunch. What better place than King and Queen Street ? All around you, tall historic buildings with grand architecture rise above the street; works by some of Nottingham’s most famous architects and informative signs highlighting the area’s rich history. In this peaceful setting, their beautiful facades that tell stories of the past catch your eye so you take a moment to admire the beauty that’s been hidden for too long.
Or you’re out for the evening with friends. You head to Manahatta or The Alchemist, where the terrace now extends onto a quiet, vibrant square. You sip a cocktail under the stars, fairy lights twinkling above, the stunning Prudential Building illuminated in front of you, the most photographed building in Nottingham, now seen in its best light.
Or maybe you’ve just stumbled upon something special, the streets come alive with the unexpected: a local artisan market, a pop-up art exhibition catching the eye, live music echoing between the buildings, filling the street with live sound and energy. These are no longer just streets, they’re places to be.
All of this, just a short stroll from the shopping district, the Old Market Square, and the Theatre Royal.
This is what King Street and Queen Street could become: a calm, green oasis in the heart of the city where history and modern life meet over a shared meal or a moment of rest. A place where people can reconnect with Nottingham’s rich history and beautiful heritage, now fully visible and truly appreciated. A place where people want to stop, not just pass through. The streets would feel alive, not with the stress of honking and congestion, but with movement, culture, and curiosity. A space to meet, to eat, to rest, to breathe, to simply be.
🏙️ A GAME-CHANGER FOR LOCAL BUSINESS AND THE CITY’S ECONOMY
Pedestrianising King Street and Queen Street would be transformative for local businesses. With over ten restaurants and bars already lining these streets (many of them desperate for more walk-in customers) this area has all the ingredients to become a vibrant food and cultural destination. A calm, attractive environment free from traffic would encourage people to slow down, explore, browse menus, and choose to stay for a drink or a meal.
Without the constant flow of tall buses and vehicles, the shopfronts and signage would finally be visible, and the stunning historic architecture could be properly admired. Businesses would have the opportunity to create outdoor terraces, increasing both their seating capacity and their visibility. This is especially important during the summer months, which are a lot quieter. Many residents are away on holiday, students have left for the break, and Nottingham doesn’t yet attract large numbers of summer tourists. With fewer people in town, footfall drops significantly. And when the weather is nice, those who remain naturally prefer to be outdoors to enjoy the sun. Giving businesses on King Street and Queen Street the chance to offer inviting terraces would help them attract the people who are still in the city, creating vibrant spaces where locals and visitors alike can relax, eat, and enjoy the summer atmosphere.
A more inviting, people-friendly space would also create opportunities to host local markets, pop-up exhibitions, street performances, and other cultural events, attracting more people into the city centre, encouraging them to stay longer, explore more, and support nearby businesses. It would help turn King Street and Queen Street into a destination in their own right, not just a route people pass through.
This wouldn’t just support the success of individual businesses, it would strengthen Nottingham’s economy as a whole, attracting more residents, more visitors, and more tourists to the heart of the city.
🌍 SUPPORTING NOTTINGHAM’S CARBON NEUTRAL GOALS
Pedestrianising King Street and Queen Street isn’t just about improving the atmosphere or supporting local businesses, it’s also a smart, forward-thinking step toward making Nottingham a cleaner, greener city.
Nottingham is aiming to become the first carbon neutral city in the UK by 2028. It’s an ambitious and inspiring goal and it will take bold, visible changes to make it happen. Reducing car and bus traffic in the city centre is essential. While some buses in Nottingham already run on biogas or electricity, they still contribute to noise and air pollution and most importantly, they take up space that could be used for people.
By pedestrianising these streets, we would directly support the aims of CN28 (Carbon Neutral Nottingham 2028):
- Fewer emissions in the heart of the city
- More space for walking and cycling
- A more attractive and accessible urban environment
- More space for trees, plants and flowers
- Cleaner air for residents, workers, and visitors
You can learn more about CN28 here:
🔗 https://www.cn28.co.uk/our-mission
☀️ A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER CITY
Nottingham’s Travel Well programme is another initiative designed to make active travel (walking and cycling) more accessible, safer, and enjoyable. Pedestrianising King Street and Queen Street aligns perfectly with this mission.
Right now, cyclists often ride on the pavements in these streets because there’s no safe alternative. Pedestrians struggle to navigate narrow walkways crowded with delivery drivers, buses, and queues at bus stops. It’s stressful, and sometimes even dangerous.
Transforming these streets into people-first spaces would:
- Make walking and cycling more pleasant and safer
- Encourage more active travel, reducing car dependency
- Improve air quality and reduce noise pollution
- Promote a culture of health and sustainability
Travel Well is already providing resources, support, and infrastructure for walking and cycling. Let’s give people a safe, peaceful space to actually use it.
🔗 https://www.transportnottingham.com/project/travel-well
⏳ IT’S TIME TO THINK BIGGER
This is more than a nice idea. It’s a practical solution to multiple challenges and the next step in Nottingham’s journey toward a cleaner, greener, more human city. Let’s give these iconic streets back to the people, proudly unlocking their full potential so they can thrive, not fade into neglect and be forgotten in the shadow of traffic. Let’s build a city centre that reflects Nottingham’s heritage, values, ambition, and creative spirit. Let’s take this step because it’s not just possible, it’s time !
Make King & Queen's street pedestrian 