Plans for Nottingham's Rainbow Quarter beyond 'wildest dreams'
Sam Harvey, who co-directs trans advocacy group the Nottingham Pastel Project, is spearheading the initiative."Our organisation is keen on acknowledging Nottingham as a trans sanctuary city which celebrates the rights of LGBT people," he says."Similar cities that have that status have a dedicated area which recognises queer history."If London, Manchester and Brighton can have it, why can't we?"
Sam, who has the backing of Nottingham City Council and It's in Nottingham, the city's business improvement district, says the "hard part" has already been done."We already have so much history packed into that area," he adds."What we want to do is make sure people outside the local queer community area are aware of it."CJ, who is behind the Notts Queer History Archive - which preserves and celebrates the experiences of LGBTQ+ people living in the county - agrees.The LGBTQ+ community were, at one time, "hiding in plain sight", they say, and gravitated towards Hockley."Hockley wasn't built up at that point and this end of town was run down, but people didn't ask questions around here," CJ adds.It is now a vibrant area of Nottingham - with bars, restaurants and shops - and is home to a series of rainbow roads, first created in 2019.CJ says it is "only right" that the Rainbow Quarter be based in Hockley."We've had several decades where we've gravitated towards the Lace Market and the old train station, but from the 1980s onwards we moved towards Broad Street and we've never left," they add.
Walking through Hockley, CJ points out a number of spots linked to the LGBTQ+ community.Nottingham's first Pride event - called Pink Lace - was held outside the Broadway Cinema in Broad Street in 1997.A stone's throw away is The Health Shop, which opened more than 30 years ago and was somewhere gay men could seek sexual health advice.It still operates as an NHS service, giving advice and support around substance use and sexual health.Next door is the GAi Project, a gay and bisexual men's HIV prevention initiative launched by actor Sir Ian McKellen in 1994.The Lord Roberts pub in Broad Street has been a queer-friendly venue since the 1970s and was popular with gay men at the time.Likewise, George's Wine Bar was another popular spot, but it has since closed down.
Sam says the Nottingham Pastel Project will apply for funding and grants to support the creation of the Rainbow Quarter, which will be made official by changing the city's maps and installing plaques.He believes the move will benefit the area by bringing more people into Hockley, adding that the key to the project is that there is a mix of venues and businesses in the area."We're up there with the greats in terms of queer-friendly cities and we need to shout about it more," Sam says."'Given what we've seen from both research into similar districts and a significant increase in revenue during Notts Pride, we are confident that we'll see a return on investment for the Rainbow Quarter."Sam has been working with Carl Austin-Behan, LGBTQ+ advisor to the Mayor of Greater Manchester who helped set up the city's Gay Village.Carl says: "Actually having an area designated as a queer quarter is really important because people see it as a destination."It does draw a massive amount of money and economic return."Lucy Robinson, director of resources at East Midlands Chamber, shares a similar view and says: "It will absolutely help to boost businesses and get more footfall into shops."We do see in Manchester in the Gay Village, the amount of vacant floor space in commercial units is lower than anywhere else in the city."We are likely to see that investment does pay dividends."
Independent businesses agree it is a positive move for the area.The CEO of the Broadway Cinema, Lucy Askew, says it will be a "meaningful development for our staff and audiences"."It feels like a lovely pre-destiny about what Nottingham means," she adds.Will Chambers, director of Zeus Bars Limited, which runs three businesses in Hockley - 31K, Yolk and Skein - says it will be a good move commercially."It's good that it is finally being labelled to give people a safe space to eat drink and shop in Hockley," he says."The community here in Hockley is stronger than it's ever been and adding more like-minded people to the area can only be a good thing."Meanwhile, Amber Hodgkinson, assistant manager at Wild Clothing in Broad Street, thinks the plans are "brilliant"."We've had the rainbow roads for a while and it is such a vibrant area of Nottingham," she says."We have a lot of independents around here so any sort of tourism would be great."
An online consultation on the plans states that the Rainbow Quarter will be "more than just a location".It adds: "It would be a symbol of inclusivity, acceptance and progress for the LGBTQ+ community in Nottingham."The Rainbow Quarter would provide a dedicated space where LGBTQ+ individuals could feel safe, supported and celebrated."The Rainbow Quarter is expected to be made official in time for next year's Pride month in June.
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