9 December
Consultation has begun on proposed designs and locations for permanent gates, bollards and other features to enforce a permanent closure of Victoria Embankment and Wilford Grove to through traffic.
Following public consultation earlier this year, Nottingham City Council progressed plans to permanently close a section of the road to through traffic, with the aim of making the park a safer, more attractive environment for people to enjoy.
A trial has been in place since August 2020, when it was introduced using funding secured from the Government’s Active Travel Fund, to promote walking and cycling in this important leisure space.
The scheme has removed 4,000 vehicle journeys a day through the park, with feedback that the area is now quieter and safer.
More than 1,500 people responded to the earlier consultation in March this year, around a third of whom live in The Meadows area. Of the respondents, 53 per cent supported the proposal to make the closure permanent. Since then, the council has been developing the proposed permanent scheme in more detail.
Councillor Rosemary Healy, Portfolio Holder for Transport, said: “Creating a traffic-free environment has improved access to the riverside, parks and gardens, but the temporary barriers have been in place for many months now, and we know there are issues with some motorists driving around them, and signs being scattered in strong winds.
“We’re planning to replace these with permanent signs and barriers more in keeping with the area, and better designed to deter people from trying to drive around the closures.
“We’ve written directly to every household in The Meadows about the consultation, and I would encourage anyone who lives in the area or uses it to respond.”
The scheme is one of several implemented by the City Council using £2.5 million awarded from the Government’s Active Travel Fund, to encourage sustainable travel, and support a green recovery from Covid-19.
You can view the proposals in more detail and respond to the consultation by Wednesday 12 January 2022 here.
