A new £1 million fund is being proposed to support investment planning and potential future improvements in five Rushcliffe towns and villages.
East Leake, Keyworth, Ruddington, Bingham and Cotgrave would each have a Local Centre Investment Plan drawn up under proposals being considered by Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Cabinet on Tuesday 10 November.
The plans would identify priorities for future investment, examine potential improvement projects and assess how they could be delivered and funded.
The council is proposing to create a £1 million Towns Fund as part of its 2027/28 financial strategy to support the development of the plans and potential subsequent project expenditure.
However, the funding has not yet been approved, and the report makes clear that no individual regeneration projects have been authorised.
Cabinet members are being asked to support the creation of the fund, with a final decision on its inclusion in the council’s budget to be taken by Full Council.
The proposals follow a series of earlier investment programmes and studies across Rushcliffe, including improvements to leisure facilities, town centre regeneration schemes and assessments of the condition and performance of local shopping centres.
In East Leake, Keyworth and Ruddington, the council commissioned the Institute of Place Management in 2026 to carry out Place Quality Audits.
The studies examine 25 factors affecting the vitality and viability of local centres, providing evidence about their strengths, weaknesses and future opportunities.
Research, site visits and stakeholder engagement sessions took place in the three villages between May and August 2026.
The final audit reports are expected to be published in November and will provide the starting point for the new investment plans.
The three villages have already received some localised investment, including small-scale improvements to public spaces and renovation work at leisure centres in East Leake and Keyworth during 2025.
The new programme would build on this earlier work by identifying longer-term priorities and assessing potential projects in greater detail.
Bingham and Cotgrave would also receive new investment plans, reflecting the further growth expected in both areas.
Bingham previously benefited from the Brilliant Bingham masterplan, developed with Bingham Town Council in 2018.
That document established a 10-year vision for the town, with several of its ambitions subsequently delivered.
These included Bingham Arena and the Bingham Enterprise Centre, which the Cabinet report identifies as having opened in 2024.
In Cotgrave, a £10.5 million regeneration programme completed in 2019 transformed the town centre.
The scheme provided a new community hub containing a GP surgery, library and offices, together with refurbished retail units and improvements to public spaces.
It also included 15 industrial units on the former colliery site and complemented the development of more than 450 homes in the area.
The council says further planned growth means both Bingham and Cotgrave now require updated plans to identify their future investment needs.
Each Local Centre Investment Plan would establish a longer-term vision for its area and assess potential projects against local needs, costs and delivery considerations.
The studies would examine design options, possible sites, financial viability, estimated expenditure and potential sources of public and private funding.
Residents, businesses, ward councillors, town and parish councils, community organisations, landowners and infrastructure providers would be involved in developing the proposals.
Subject to a successful procurement exercise, the council expects stakeholder engagement to begin in early 2027.
Some expenditure on preparing the plans could be required before the start of the 2027/28 financial year.
Cabinet is therefore being asked to authorise any necessary spending during 2026/27 from existing revenue contingency funding or savings identified elsewhere in the council’s budget.
The proposed £1 million fund itself would require Full Council approval when the 2027/28 budget is agreed.
The report says the creation of the fund is likely to require money to be transferred from another council reserve, with the details to be set out in the financial strategy.
Importantly, the £1 million is not an allocation of construction funding divided between the five settlements.
It is intended to support the preparation of investment plans and potentially some subsequent project expenditure, with individual schemes still requiring business cases and further decisions.
Council officers acknowledge that developing the plans could raise expectations among residents and businesses about improvements being delivered.
The report says there will need to be clear communication that identifying a project as a priority does not mean the council or another organisation has committed to funding it.
Delivery could depend on further grants, planning or other statutory approvals, landowner agreements and support from outside organisations.
The council also intends to make provision for possible local government reorganisation when commissioning the work.
Contracts will need to take account of potential changes to local authority structures, including arrangements allowing the plans and supporting evidence to be transferred to and used by any future council.
Oversight of the programme would be delegated to the council’s Strategic Growth Board, which would receive quarterly updates.
A further report is expected to go to Cabinet in autumn 2027, setting out the outcome of the five investment plans and identifying potential projects for future consideration.
Any subsequent decisions to fund or deliver individual schemes would require separate approval.
