General – The Island Quarter

The Island Quarter’s heritage in Nottingham

Peter — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 14:31:31 +0000

From past to future: The Island Quarter, Nottingham

The Island Quarter site is one of the most important sites in Nottingham’s industrial history. Its journey is continuing as Conygar continues to progress the latest chapter of development on the site, yet it began rising to prominence two hundred years prior.

Where it all began

A stone’s throw away from Nottingham’s famous Lace Market area, The Island Quarter site also became a hub of enterprise as the home to lace-makers, cotton traders and drug companies. The most famous of all to have its home on the site was The Boots Drug, co-founded by John Boot and expanded by his son, Jesse, starting with three rooms in a lace-mill on site.

As Jesse Boot began to build the Boots name, he found that the easy access to the canal and London Road railway station allowed for the delivery and dispatching of goods to run smoothly across Nottingham, including to the flagship store on Pelham Street, and beyond, allowing the Boots empire to quickly expand By the 1900s, the site had hundreds of employees and was a hive of industry.

Developing The Island Quarter

Although a small-scale operation in comparison to modern day, The Island Quarter quickly became the home to one of England’s largest medicinal manufacturing efforts.

The Island Quarter site continued to thrive into the 20th century. 1905 saw the James Alexander warehouse built, covering 10.5 hectares with other warehouses to meet the growing manufacturing demands of Jesse Boot’s empire at the time. The James Alexander warehouse still stands today, and as one of the heritage buildings we have on site, it is a key part of the area’s regeneration.

As the industrial revolution continued to take hold of Europe, The Boots Drug Co. refused to be left behind. The company’s first ever steam-driven vehicle was purchased in 1913 for use in the city of Nottingham and supported its expansion. This was not only a modern development for the area at the time, but for the whole of Nottingham. Once again proving how the development of the site has continued to support and boost the local economy.

With the outbreak of the first World War, Boots worked to quickly establish a chemical manufacturing building at Island Street, to help fill the gap left by the halting of supplies from Germany. From here the Boots team was able to develop a new analytical product manufacturing process, becoming a vital hub for supplying medical supplies, including the “purest” aspirin on the market.

The present-day Island Quarter

As Boots consolidated its operations at the factory site in Beeston, Nottingham City Council acquired the site in 1994 before selling to developer Simons, with the land was labelled for redevelopment as part of the City Challenge outlined by Prime Minister John Major. This included overzealous proposals of a World Trade Centre of the early 1990s – with luxury boats on the Nottingham Canal – which did not come to fruition.

Many further false dawns would mean the site remained derelict for several years to come. 2011 marked another significant failure in ambitious planning applications, with Tesco’s failed attempt to build the largest supermarket in the East Midlands.

After many impasses on plans with developers, developer Conygar purchased the site in 2016 and outlined its commitment to delivering a place ‘of Nottingham for Nottingham’ that continues the city’s enduring ambition for innovation.

Recognising the potential for a mixed-use development that could blend the city’s historical charm with modern amenities, Conygar secured outline planning approval in 2019, first leading to the construction of restaurant venue 1 The Island Quarter. Opening its doors in September 2022, this ended more than a quarter of a century of dereliction.

Echoes of industry of the past remain on the site to this day. Grade II listed Great Northern Warehouse, which was badly damaged by fire in 1998, is now little more than a shell propped up by scaffolding, while the James Alexander Warehouse remains reasonably intact. Conygar has ambitions to return these to a usable state with a renewed purpose, maintaining the historical features in the process.

With restaurant and events venue 1 The Island Quarter and student accommodation Winfield Court setting the tone for further development to come, Conygar aims to recapture the spirit of The Island Quarter that has endeared it to the hearts and minds of the Nottingham people from its proud industrial past.

If you’re wanting to learn more about The Island Quarter in Nottingham then reach out to our team today.

If you’d like to learn about The Island Quarter, please get in touch with our team for further information.

2023: A year in review

Arpita Anstey — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 12:14:36 +0000

Reviewing 2023

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.”

The Island Quarter nears 1,000 book milestone with latest donation

Arpita Anstey — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 08:23:10 +0000

FOR the fourth consecutive year, the developer behind The Island Quarter has donated hundreds of books to Nottingham’s next generation of readers through its support of the Imagination Library.

The latest donation of £500 means that 16 children will have been sponsored by The Conygar Investment Company since 2019, with the delivery of a free book each month from birth to five years old.

In total, 960 books will be received by children across Nottingham thanks to the support of Conygar via the Imagination Library.

The charity, founded in 2011, provides high-quality, age-appropriate books with the ambition of instilling a love of reading in kids up and down the country – regardless of household income.

Robert Ware, chief executive of Conygar, said: “Supporting initiatives such as the Imagination Library is incredibly important to us. Inspiring creativity and a passion for reading among the city’s young people is essential during early years and the work the charity does in providing reading books for Nottingham’s kids is something we’re proud to champion.

“To date we’ve had the privilege of sponsoring 16 children on their reading journey and we hope our support has gone a long way in helping them to develop a lifelong love of books.”

Conygar is developing The Island Quarter site into a new city within a city in the heart of Nottingham. The 36-acre development will offer a range of new homes for multi-generational living, purpose-built student accommodation, the recently announced biosciences facility and green spaces – a place to live, work and socialise.

Having completed the first phase of the development – a restaurant and events venue – in 2022, work has already started on phase two – a 693-bed student scheme for the city’s universities.

Cllr David Mellen, leader of Nottingham City Council said: “I am extremely grateful to Conygar for this generous donation, which will pay for hundreds of extra books to go to children in Nottingham. This is a clear investment in the next generation. The Imagination Library improves children’s literacy levels. There are currently more than 6,000 Nottingham children registered with the scheme and a further 4,000 have already graduated, but we want to do more. Our ambition is for every child in Nottingham to get a free book every month. Donations like this are essential if we are to make this happen.”

To donate to the charity, visit https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/10077#!/DonationDetails#%2FDonationDetails

Operator named for The Island Quarter student scheme

Arpita Anstey — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 09:40:51 +0000

LEADING accommodation provider Fresh has been announced as the operator of the new purpose-built student scheme at The Island Quarter.

Fresh will run the 693-bed phase on the Manvers Street side of the 36-acre regeneration scheme, forming part of The Conygar Investment Company PLC’s plans for intergenerational living on the site in Nottingham city centre.

Work on site is currently underway, with the accommodation set to be available for students from the start of the 2024/25 academic year.

The operator currently manages more than 70 locations across the UK, including Radford Mill in the city. The new scheme – designed by DAY Architectural – will be up to 12 stories tall and feature blocks dedicated to a range of accommodation types including studios and cluster living.

Amenities for the students in this latest phase of The Island Quarter include high-level sky lounges that offer projected views across the city and a pavilion with an outlook onto a private courtyard space that will provide the opportunity for working, socialising, dining and exercising.

The designs – which were approved by Nottingham City Council in September 2021 – also feature multi-media lounges and co-working spaces, as well as gaming zones and quiet areas for study and relaxation.

With Nottingham facing an expected shortfall of 7,000 student beds in the coming years, this latest phase of The Island Quarter will free up family homes currently used by students and help return them to their intended use.

Christopher Ware, property director at Conygar, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Fresh to bring forward this vibrant student accommodation that will be an excellent addition to The Island Quarter as it continues to grow. Nottingham’s world-leading universities are one of the jewels in its crown – we want The Island Quarter to provide their students with not just high-quality living accommodation, but a variety of options for entertainment, relaxation and potential future employment.”

Craig Bryant, strategy and business development director at Fresh, said: “This is a very exciting development that we are thrilled to have been able to shape into what will be a fantastic student experience. Being part of Island Quarter expands our presence in Nottingham and gives us a role in one of the most exciting developments in the city. As this is our first scheme with Conygar, we are looking forward to building our relationship with them into the future.”

New images revealed for prospective bioscience centre at The Island Quarter

Arpita Anstey — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 10:07:14 +0000

BRAND new images released today (24 January) by the developer behind Nottingham’s The Island Quarter development showcase what the scheme’s next phase – a ground-breaking new bioscience facility – could look like.

Designed by CPMG Architects, the plans include 245,000 sq ft of high quality, flexible research and laboratory space, across two buildings that will be connected by a glazed link at upper levels and provide a mixture of laboratory, office and meeting spaces.

Proposals were submitted by The Conygar Investment Company PLC to Nottingham City Council in December and, if approved, will see the facility boost the city’s reputation as the bioscience capital of the UK, acting as an incubator for new and growing businesses within the sector.

Christopher Ware, property director at Conygar, said: “Nottingham is a centre of innovation and no more so than within the biosciences sector. This latest phase of The Island Quarter shows our commitment to supporting the city’s role as a leader in the sector by developing a brand new facility to house and nurture some of the most exciting and innovative businesses in the UK.”

The newly released images showcase the facility’s rainwater gardens and medicinal planting as part of the building’s external landscaping, with an ecology-focussed street that links the latest phase with the rest of The Island Quarter – echoing the vision for the overall site. This includes raised planters made with natural stone paving blocks in the style of those found in the heritage buildings – connecting the site’s history with its future.

David Jones, director at planning and environmental consultancy Axis, added: “The Island Quarter is a hugely important regeneration opportunity for the city and these new images will help people visualise the next phase of development at the site, for a state-of-the-art biosciences facility to complement what the city already has to offer.”

The surroundings are designed to respond to the emerging wider masterplan, which is being developed in collaboration with the planning authority and is the subject of ongoing community engagement.

These latest proposals will continue the development of the northern edge of the 36-acre development, which also features a 693-bed student accommodation block, due for completion in summer 2024.

693-bed student accommodation underway at The Island Quarter

Arpita Anstey — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 10:09:08 +0000

THE CONYGAR Investment Company PLC has announced that Midlands-based construction company, Bowmer + Kirkland is its project partner for the student accommodation phase at The Island Quarter, in Nottingham – one of the UK’s biggest regeneration sites.

The 12-storey 693-bed student living accommodation is currently underway at the £1.4 billion, 36-acre development and is set to welcome its first residents in September 2024 ahead of the academic year.

The student accommodation will offer a range of room types including studio flats and cluster living and has been designed by DAY Architectural as part of The Island Quarter’s wider masterplan to combat the continuing shortfall in student accommodation in the city.

Christopher Ware, property director at Conygar, said: “Work is well under way on the new student blocks and large cranes are in the sky. We are pleased to be partnering with such a well-regarded company as Bowmer + Kirkland to deliver our vision.

“The new space will support Nottingham’s reputation as a leading university city and will provide another choice for city centre living for students, which will benefit future generations attending the universities for decades to come.”

It is expected that Nottingham will experience a deficit of 7,000 student beds within the coming years and this purpose-built student accommodation, which includes a high-level sky lounge, private courtyard, socialising and studying space, will go some way to supporting student living in the city.

It is also part of the development’s broader masterplan promoting intergenerational living, with housing choices that work for all ages available on the site.

Christian Parnell, Bowmer + Kirkland regional director, said: “It is fantastic to see our team start work on this exciting phase of The Island Quarter, in the heart of Nottingham. It is a city with which we have a long association, and our entire team is looking forward to being a part of the project and bringing the plans to fruition.”

Christopher added: “The student accommodation marks a significant milestone in the progress of the development as we look ahead to the later phases of the 36-acre site. With our inaugural building, 1 The Island Quarter, already open and serving the public from our restaurant bar Binks Yard and our finer dining restaurant Cleaver & Wake, there’s plenty of action on site to be excited about as we transform this site in the centre of the city.

“One of the key things that attracted us to develop The Island Quarter was Nottingham’s two world-leading universities, both of which are experiencing a shortage of high-quality accommodation for their students. We’re delighted to be bringing forward this vibrant scheme that will be an excellent addition to The Island Quarter as the development continues to grow.”

Student residents will benefit from the development’s new and existing restaurants and bars, as well as the ‘green river’ of outdoor space that runs throughout The Island Quarter, which is one of the biggest regeneration sites in the UK.

Major new bioscience centre proposed for The Island Quarter

Arpita Anstey — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 06:07:51 +0000

A GROUND-BREAKING new bioscience facility has been announced as the next phase of Nottingham’s The Island Quarter development.

Plans submitted to Nottingham City Council today, 2 December 2022, feature more than 245,000 sq ft of high quality, flexible research and laboratory space, further enhancing the city’s reputation as the bioscience capital of the UK.

With more than 200 bioscience businesses in the city already, the proposed facility will act as an incubator for new and growing companies, in what is a strategically important sector within Nottingham.

The plans – designed by CPMG Architects – comprise of two buildings, a five storey east building and a seven storey west building. The two buildings will be connected by a glazed link at upper levels and provide a mixture of laboratory, office and meeting spaces.

Featuring rainwater gardens and medicinal planting, the building’s external landscaping is designed to echo the vision for the overall site, with an ecology-focussed street that links the latest phase with the rest of The Island Quarter. This includes raised planters made with natural stone paving blocks in the style of those found in the heritage buildings – connecting the site’s history with its future.

The surroundings are designed to respond to the emerging wider masterplan, which is being developed in collaboration with the planning authority and is the subject of ongoing community engagement.

These latest proposals will continue the development of the northern edge of the 36-acre development, which also features a 693-bed student accommodation block, due for completion in summer 2024.

Christopher Ware, property director at Conygar, said: “Nottingham has a world-renowned reputation as a leading city for innovation, and that is never more the case than in the field of biosciences. Bringing forward this phase of the development will create vital research space for some of the city’s most innovative businesses, and further grow its standing in the bioscience sector.”

Richard Watson of The Island Quarter project delivery team said: “This latest phase is another significant step forward for the regeneration of The Island Quarter, bringing the potential for hundreds of new jobs and increasing the footfall across the wider site. With 1 The Island Quarter now fully open for business and the student accommodation set to be ready for the 2024/25 intake, it’s a truly exciting time not just for the project, but for the city as a whole.”