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
Working collaboratively with Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council is supporting the delivery of several schemes that were submitted in the TCF bid and are located on the county council’s local road network.
Since the original TCF bid was submitted in 2019 there has been a significant increase in the estimated project costs due to wider economic pressures. The county council carried out a detailed review of its TCF proposals to ensure that these remain affordable and continue to offer value for money.
Several schemes were removed from the programme as they were no longer affordable within the available budget. The council will continue to seek alternative ways of funding these schemes in future.
Find out more about the review of the TCF proposals
A revised package of TCF proposals has now been agreed to make the most of the available funding opportunity:
Completed schemes to date
A612 Colwick Loop Road
Widening works were undertaken on the existing shared-use footway between Mile End Road and Private Road Number 1 to improve the current facilities along the A612.
The scheme enhances the existing pedestrian and cycle route along the A612 and forms the first phase of long-term aspirations to improve pedestrian and cycle facilities between Nottingham and the east of the city.
Robin Hood Network
A programme of upgrades to real-time bus information displays and other bus stop infrastructure at bus stops within the county network. This included the continuation of the Robin Hood network branding at relevant stops.
Find out more about Nottinghamshire County Council’s real time bus information
Traffic light priority
Traffic signals at 64 junctions were upgraded with specialist software to detect late-running buses. Once a late-running bus has been detected, the software enables the green phase of the traffic signals to be extended, allowing the bus to clear the junction. The software installation will improve bus journey time reliability across the network.
Bridge connections in Lady Bay and West Bridgford
The new pedestrian and cycle bridge being constructed over the River Trent will improve links between West Bridgford and Nottingham City Centre and out towards Holme Pierrepont.
To manage the increased numbers of pedestrians and cyclists using these routes, improvements have been made to the Riverside Path in Lady Bay and the connecting path to Holme Road. The existing paths have been widened and resurfaced, new low level lighting is being installed which is designed to be bat friendly, improvements have also been made to the crossing point near Melbourne Road to increase visibility.
Schemes under construction/in development phase
Work is about to start at the junction of Trent Boulevard and Holme Road in Lady Bay to widen the existing pedestrian refuges to create more space for those waiting to cross, especially at peak times such as Nottingham Forest FC match days. The work is expected to begin on 13 July 2026 and will last up to six weeks. There will be a road closure and diversion in place during this period so the work can be carried out safely. Information is being sent to local residents and will be posted on social media to advise them of the diversion route.
Improvements to two existing crossings on Radcliffe Road near Mabel Grove/Rutland Road and Cyril Road are also being considered. These would see the existing crossings upgraded and the approaches to the crossings widened and resurfaced where space allows. Following consultation at the end of last year various design options are now being considered.
