Improvements to Arnold Town Centre Front Street

Improvements to Front Street - Phase 1

Nottinghamshire County Council began a transport study in Arnold in 2003. The study was carried out to find out which transport issues are of greatest concern to you. The study involved a public exhibition to involve residents and shoppers of Arnold as well as discussions with:

• Gedling Borough Council
• Nottinghamshire Police
• Nottingham City Transport
• Trent Barton
• Residents, shoppers and traders of Arnold.

From the discussions and responses we received, the biggest concern was the way Front Street operates. The main issues that were identified were:

• Narrow pavements cause overcrowding, especially near the bus shelters
• The existing bus waiting areas and parking layout cause congestion
• Parking on both sides makes it difficult to get across the road
• There are not enough taxi ranks.

After listening to your comments, the Council designed two potential improvement schemes aimed at addressing these issues, and to create a more pleasant environment for people to work and shop.

Other public exhibitions were held during December 2004, January 2005 and September 2006. We have used comments received from these exhibitions to finalise our proposal. Download a drawing of the proposed scheme [PDF 155KB]..

You can download artist's impressions of what the scheme will look like at various points along the street. View an artist's impression of Front Street outside the library [PDF 166KB] . View an artist's impression of Front Street outside Asda [PDF 154KB] . View an artist's impression of Front Street outside Boots [PDF 170KB]

Why is the scheme needed?

It is felt that the proposed scheme is needed to resolve the following issues that were highlighted:

• The way Front Street operates was the biggest concern raised during our public consultation event
• There is often congestion on Front Street, caused by a combination of on-street parking, bus stop arrangements and the narrowness of the road
• Narrow pavements in key locations cause overcrowding
• The road layout raises safety concerns because pedestrians are required to cross between parked cars
• The County Council wants to ensure that Front Street continues to thrive commercially and is attractive both to shoppers and new investors
• The northern part of Front Street is the edge of the main shopping area and suffers from lower numbers of shoppers
• There are a large number of households in Arnold that do not have access to a car. The County Council is committed to improving public transport facilities to make the town centre more accessible for those without a car.

Scheme objectives

The proposed scheme should provide the following benefits:

• Create a more attractive environment for shoppers by widening narrow pavements to reduce overcrowding and using high quality materials and planting
• Reduce traffic congestion by narrowing pavements where they are unnecessarily wide and providing dedicated parking bays to remove pinch points
• Reduce the risk of pedestrian accidents by improving crossing facilities
• Support town centre businesses
• Promote public transport by upgrading the bus stop facilities
• Aid regeneration of the north end of Front Street
• Help safeguard jobs.

The design features:

• Wider footways
• Raised pedestrian crossings
• More/improved seating
• Improved bus waiting areas
• Better disabled provision
• Improved taxi waiting areas.

Phase 1 of the scheme started on site June 2007 and was completed in April 2008.

Improvements to Front Street - Phase 2