Transforming Cities Fund
In June 2020, Nottingham and Derby City Councils received over £160m from the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) to build a package of transport schemes aimed at strengthening connections between major employment sites, upgrading public transport, and improving facilities for people on foot or bike – an increasingly important investment following the declaration of a climate crisis in 2021.
All proposals meet two key TCF objectives:
- Supporting commuting, employment, development and economic growth
- Reducing carbon
Transforming Cities Fund proposals
Cycling Corridors
Working collaboratively with Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council will be supporting the delivery of a number of schemes that were submitted in the TCF bid and are located on the County Council’s road network.
The following cycling schemes were included in the bid:
A shared use cycle and footway is proposed in collaboration with Leicestershire County Council to establish a continuous high-quality route between Nottingham and East Midlands Airport via the old A453 and East Midlands Gateway employment zone. This scheme will focus on the existing cycle route improvements.
Widening works will be undertaken to the existing shared use cycle and footway between Mile End Road and Private Road Number 1 to improve the current facilities along the A612.
The proposed scheme enhances the existing cycle route along the A612 and forms the first phase of long-term aspirations to improve cycle facilities between Nottingham and the east of the city.
A mixture of signed routes using quiet residential roads, shared use footways and high-quality segregated cycle tracks will be delivered, linking the route to Sustrans’ National Cycle Network Route 6. These proposals aim to help connect local communities by bike, in areas such as Beeston, Chilwell, Long Eaton, Draycott and Borrowash.
Specifically, the route will create and improve local connections:
- Between Beeston and the University of Nottingham
- Between Beeston and the railway station
- To Chilwell School
- Towards the proposed development at Chilwell Barracks
- To Attenborough railway station
- To Chilwell Retail Park
- To Attenborough Nature Reserve
The proposed scheme forms the first phase of long-term aspirations to extend commutable distances by bike, from both Derby and Nottingham’s employment growth sites to housing growth locations.
What’s next?
At the 9 February 2022 Transport and Environment Committee, it was determined that consultation will be undertaken on the A6005 Cycle Corridor scheme for possible inclusion in the Transforming Cities Fund programme.
Nottinghamshire County Council is now undertaking consultation on the A6005 Cycle Corridor scheme. The consultation will go live on 3 May 2022 and will run for four weeks, please ensure all comments are submitted by 31 May 2022.
Consultation on the A453 cycle route will be undertaken in due course, after the A6005 consultation has been concluded.
As the A612 cycle scheme is less than one kilometre in length, there is no public consultation proposed for this scheme. Stakeholders and adjacent properties will be notified in due course.
