Could bohemian Beeston have too many students?

TOWN IS BOOMING - BUT SOME LOCALS FEAR THERE AREN'T ENOUGH HOMES FOR FAMILIES

- By LAUREN MONAGHAN

High Road, Beeston, is bustling whereas other nearby towns have boarded-up shops and struggle with footfall.

BEESTON’S High Road is dotted with independent retailers and cafes, national chains and a greengrocer and fishmonger’s shop dating back to 1908.

A standout feature is a stone statue of a beekeeper perched on his seat. But the town has nothing to do with bees, despite its name. Historically, it has been known for its textile mills, like other parts of southwest Nottingham.

Nowadays, Beeston - with its colourful murals dotted around the town - is a bohemian hotspot, popular with students and young people.

Some champion the town’s diverse, evolving scene - but others think it is being overrun by shared student housing.

More recently, modernisation efforts and a strong independent shopping scene on the high street have made Beeston more accessible and more attractive for those seeking to live in or visit the area.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), deputy leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, Greg Marshall (Brox Alliance), says the town has “its own mini bohemian culture” with street murals, art, the “brilliant” pub scene, and independent retailers.

He has lived in Beeston for over 50 years and says he has seen “a lot of changes” in that time.

He said: “The council has helped deliver the [Arc] cinema... I remember what that place was like before - you had a dirty, greasy bus station.

“That used to be a dirty bus depot - it had a three-storey car park, an ugly eyesore, dilapidated and vacant. A derelict fire station, a Blockbuster video chain with a wall fallen over - we've redeveloped all of that.”

At the end of 2010 a Tesco Extra supermarket opened off Station Street and in 2015 NET's £570 million tram extension became operational for the first time, connecting the city centre three miles away to Beeston, Chilwell and Clifton.