Work to transform Nottingham into a “forest city” will be expanded in a bid to combat the effects of extreme weather following a significant funding boost.
Nottingham City Council will be investing £1.5 million in a “grey to green” programme, creating pockets of urban nature across the city.
It builds on a manifesto created by Nottingham’s Climate Assembly, which was published in July.
Cllr Sam Lux, the council’s executive member for climate and energy, said the programme was about “place-building” and protecting residents from the impacts of climate change.
While the exact areas of the city that are due for a transformation are yet to be revealed, she said her wish list included Sneinton Market, Trinity Square and Canning Circus.
Sneinton Market has flooded in previous years during heavy rainfall, and the new programme will seek to install Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in areas prone to these problems.
“We are expanding urban nature at a pace we have never seen before,” Cllr Lux said at a council meeting on Monday (September 14).
“This is a direct response to the Nottingham Climate Assembly’s call for a vibrant, green forest city.
“It will shelter us from the worst impacts of heatwaves because urban vegetation has been shown to reduce street temperatures by up to 18C. We know this planting is going to help us reduce severe flooding in the future, which is only going to get more dangerous and more frequent.
“That will save taxpayers money in clean-up costs and damages but also potentially save lives. We know urban nature improves people’s mental health and physical health.”
The programme forms part of a larger investment package tabled by the council, with a raft of service improvements planned following a £20.4 million underspend last year.
The authority says the investment points to much-improved finances after it declared effective bankruptcy in 2023.
A further £2.5 million will also be invested in solar power and decarbonisation in the city, giving residents the opportunity to install plug-in solar panels to bring down their energy bills.
Nottingham’s Climate Assembly took place over two weekends in May, during which a group of almost 60 people representing the city’s diverse communities met to talk about the environment and climate.
There had been more than 600 applicants in total, and the assembly was utilised to create a more democratic and representative means of informing key decisions in the city.
Their manifesto will now inform future environment and climate policy in the city.
The grey to green programme is expected to get final approval at a meeting of senior councillors on Tuesday (September 22).
By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter