SHOPPERS have welcomed plans for a £35 million makeover of the Victoria Centre.
Owner Intu Shopping has unveiled the plans which include re-cladding the main entrance between Boots, in Lower Parliament Street, and the entrance to John Lewis in Milton Street.
A planning application is to be made later this month with a view to starting the project after next January's sales.
Shopper Ann Walker was pleased to hear the rejuvenation of the Victoria Centre had moved a step closer. The 56-year-old from Stapleford said: "It will be great. It should be more like the Westfield Centre in Derby – especially with the Broadmarsh being so poor.
"The Victoria Centre needs to be more open with more light and I'd love to see more seating areas and maybe a food court.
"We could do with bringing some more individual shops in too. The shops are very much the same.
"It can feel quite claustrophobic, like you are underground. More people will come as well after its is refurbished, especially to start off with."
The refurbishment works are expected to take around 15 months.
The plans also include removing staircases and creating "break out" areas around the lifts for uses such as coffee bars.
Fellow shopper David Cross, of Hyson Green, thought the news was really good for Nottingham.
The 49-year-old said: "The city deserves better, it needs to be done.
"I come nearly every day and I think it's all right, but it needs a bit of work doing. It will be good for the city.
"The plans look really, really good. It's going to make Nottingham more modern."
Erminea Johnson uses the shopping centre regularly and lives in Mapperley Top.
The 75-year-old said: "The shopping centre in Derby is clean and shiny – this is a bit embarrassing in comparison.
"Overall it seems like a good idea. It should be much brighter, so that would be nice.
"Redoing the outside would be really good – it looks dated at the moment."
However, Rebecca Hurd, who lives in Kegworth and occasionally visits the Victoria Centre disagreed.
She said: "It looks just as good as in the plans now. If the place was empty I would understand. It looks good anyway.
"I only come occasionally to meet people for coffee. I think it's adequate – the facilities have always been good enough.
Another shopper, who did not want to be named said the refurbishment was a good idea. The 74-year-old from Lambley added: "It is something we need. It's got a decent reputation as a shopping centre we just need to tart it up a bit."
The centre was last refurbished in the 1990s.
