6 February
The large roundabout where Maid Marian Way meets Derby Road and Upper Parliament Street will be revamped in a project beginning this spring.
Nottingham City Council will begin works to prepare the area from 12 February for up to two weeks. Vegetation and eleven trees will be removed before bird-nesting season begins. To give teams a safe area to work, there will be an off peak (Monday – Friday 9.30am – 3.30pm) lane closure on the roundabout. A mixture of 41 large native trees – almost four times as many as are being removed – will be replanted in the area once the project is complete.
Nottingham City Council has secured external funding for this scheme that will improve pedestrian and cycling connectivity within the city centre by changing the road layout to make it safer for everyone and provide additional green space on an important gateway into the city.
This project is being delivered using grant funding secured from Central Government through the Future High Street Fund programme.
While the Section 114 report means that money Nottingham City Council can spend is currently strictly controlled, because external grant funding has been specifically allocated and approved for this scheme it can go ahead.
The work will completely overhaul the traffic-dominated roundabout, creating an area safer for cycling and walking. The existing roundabout layout is challenging for pedestrians and cyclists, acting as a barrier to movement between the city centre, Derby Road and the theatre/Castle area to the west of Maid Marian Way.
The changes mean that:
- The roundabout will be replaced with a traffic light-controlled ‘T’ junction which will incorporate pedestrian crossing points and improved cycle facilities
- The current green space in the middle of the roundabout will be removed and instead areas of planting will be introduced around the edges of the new junction creating a more attractive space to walk through. Trees will be planted to replace any which need to be removed during the works.
- The junction of Mount Street and Maid Marian Way will be altered to make it simpler for pedestrians to cross the road
- Traffic heading south from the western (Castle) side of Maid Marian Way currently has to turn left from Mount Street and ‘U’ turn at the roundabout. Once the project is complete, traffic will be able to turn right from Mount Street making the journey simpler and reducing vehicular miles and emissions
- A new left turn will be opened on Park Row to allow traffic to head north onto Maid Marian Way for routes heading north and east
- A rain garden will be added helping to manage rainwater in a sustainable way by using plants that enjoy waterlogged conditions in a low-lying area.
A public consultation carried out in winter 2022 received more than 400 responses, with many motorists, cyclists and pedestrians agreeing that the current roundabout layout didn’t work and that the proposed T-Junction layout would be preferable. More than half (54%) of pedestrians said the current roundabout was ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ for pedestrians to use.
A formal Traffic Regulation Order consultation process will be carried out to make changes to traffic movements to accommodate the new road layout. The main construction works will begin in April and the new junction is expected to be complete by spring 2025.
Nottingham City Council will work closely with groups including local businesses and residents to ensure that diversion routes and closures are communicated clearly and well in advance. The Council encourages everyone to sign up for their Transport Nottingham email, which keeps more than 30,000 subscribers updated on the latest disruption and travel information.
Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Transport and Planning, Councillor Angela Kandola, said: “This is a rare opportunity to transform a polluted, outdated roundabout so that more consideration, priority and space is given to pedestrians and cyclists, as well as improving the junction for vehicles.
“It’s clear that work needs to be done to improve this area and make it safer for everyone, so it’s great to see these Government-funded works now kicking off.”
