It will be the regional gateway of The Big Wheel, the conurbation's integrated transport system - already being put in place by local councils, companies and transport operators. It will connect rail services with Line One of the Nottingham Express Transit and to two new tram lines. Better bus, coach and car facilities will follow. The Channel Tunnel link, soon to be completed at London St Pancras, will connect Nottingham direct to Europe too.

This new transport hub will bring many more people to the area, acting as a catalyst for development. With new offices, shops and homes on the Station site, the city centre will be pulled southwards, led by the £400 million redevelopment of the Broadmarsh shopping centre. The Inland Revenue, Capital One and the Nottingham Evening Post have invested in the canal corridor that runs alongside the station, whilst Experian's new 'Landmark' building is nearby. Recent developments include the Great Northern Plaza, with a hotel, apartments, restaurants and bars. Three hundred new homes have been created in the restored Hicking Pentecost building. This trend will continue.

We now need to break down the physical and economic barriers that have prevented many local residents from sharing this new prosperity. Better walking and cycling paths are intended to open routes between The Meadows and the expanding city centre, while new views and perspectives with welcoming public space will end the sense of isolation. The two new tram lines stretching south and west from the station will bring investment along their routes, too.