2023 has been another incredible year of progress for The Island Quarter, with significant steps forward being taken for current and future phases of the development. Here, we take a look back at some of the key moments from this year.

A major milestone for the site was the granting of planning consent for the Discovery Park, a 245,000 sq ft bioscience campus at the northern edge of the site. Designed by CPMG Architects, the facility builds on Nottingham’s rich heritage of innovation in the bioscience sector and was included as a key project for the Midlands Engine at the Global Investment Summit in November.

2023 also saw major progress for Winfield Court, the student accommodation on the Manvers Street side of The Island Quarter. Having topped out in May, it was announced that Fresh would be the operator of the 693-bed scheme, which will open to students for the 2024/25 academic year.

Community engagement formed a sizable part of this year’s overall strategy for The Island Quarter, with more than a dozen separate sessions culminating in an updated masterplan which took into consideration suggestions from a broad range of attendees.

At 1 The Island Quarter, it was a calendar of major events, with the likes of Pop Up Party, Pride and the Nottingham Jazz Festival welcoming thousands of attendees to the site. November saw Hira Lal Thakur take the reins at Cleaver & Wake succeeding Laurence Henry, who moved on to new ventures after being instrumental in the restaurant’s launch.

Away from the site, The Island Club launched in November, bringing special offers, insights and information about The Island Quarter together in a handy mobile app.

The site’s developer The Conygar Investment Company also continued its charitable work across Nottingham. As well as continued support of Juno Women’s Aid, the developer also donated £1,500 to Sneinton C of E Primary School for a new recreation room, as well as a further set of children’s books to the Imagination Library.

Christopher Ware, property director at The Conygar Investment Company, said: “This year has been an exciting one at The Island Quarter with our 693-bed student accommodation progressing well. We also achieved planning for our biocience building and at 1TIQ, welcomed thousands of people at our events in the Binks Yard outdoor space over the summer.

“There’s more to come in 2024. Construction on the student accommodation phase, Winfield Court, will be complete next year and alongside Fresh, we will welcome the first cohort of students in September. We will also continue to enhance our offering at 1TIQ with Cleaver & Wake and Binks Yard offering more events than ever.

“With regards to the progress of the masterplan and further phases, we’ll be working away in the background continuing to liaise closely with Nottingham City Council and engaging the local community to deliver a site that’s of Nottingham for Nottingham.”