More than £17m will be invested in Nottingham’s transport network in 2026/27.
The City Council is expected to accept the funding from East Midlands Combined Council Authority ( EMCCA ) at its Executive Board meeting on Tuesday, 21 April.
EMCCA, which has now taken over the role of directing the allocation of local transport funding, is providing funding for projects in Nottingham in four streams:
Asset resilience (formerly Highways Maintenance Block funding) – £8.014m
Communities and neighbourhoods (formerly Integrated Transport Block funding) – £3.587m
Local area priority investment schemes – £5m
Feasibility and development revenue funding – £1m
Asset resilience – £8.014m
In recognition of long-term underinvestment at a national level, EMCCA’s committee members have identified the need for a strong asset maintenance programme as a priority investment. This includes using a ‘Whole Street Approach’, where maintenance work is delivered alongside other improvements such as footpaths, trees, signage, as well as roads.
Our annual programme of highway maintenance priorities is developed based on condition surveys and inspections; however, the additional funding confirmed by EMCCA for 2026/27 will also enable further major maintenance activities to be undertaken.
This investment will be used to improve the city’s main roads and local streets, including but not limited to:
the full length of Abbey Street and Abbey Bridge
Nuthall Road
Middleton Boulevard
Edwards Lane
Bramcote Lane
Western Boulevard
Communities and neighbourhoods (formerly Integrated Transport Block funding) – £3.587m
This funding will be used for:
Additional connectivity and access improvements, including to Nottingham’s new Waterside walking and cycling bridge
Improvements to the rights of way network
Increasing sustainable transport choices through the creation of more mobility hubs, and supporting the development of future transport services
Continuing our popular Workplace Travel Service, providing green travel grants to city employers
A further phase of the upgrading of ‘Parksmart’ digital signage, making it easier to find available parking spaces
Renewal of traffic signals, replacing life-expired equipment and installing new crossing facilities
Local area priority investment schemes – £5m
A – Streets for People £3m (with a further £4m committed for 2027/28 and £5m for 2028/29)
Continuation of the Streets for People programme, delivering small-scale improvements across city neighbourhoods. Funding is allocated at ward level, with schemes prioritised in consultation with ward councillors and Area Committees over the summer before work begins this autumn.
B – Safer Roads £2m (with a further £3m committed for 2027/28 and £4m for 2028/29)
A programme of road safety and traffic management improvements will be delivered across all wards of the city based on casualty risk and local concerns, supporting delivery of the Government’s recently published Road Safety Strategy and the emerging Nottingham Road Safety Strategy. This will include the implementation of new crossing facilities and road safety measures at a number of schools across the city.
Feasibility and development revenue funding – £1m
In addition to the above, the council has been awarded a further £1 million in revenue funding for feasibility and development work to develop the future programme of schemes. This includes the next phase of development work around Maid Marian Way; the Broad Marsh area connectivity, including a future tram stop; an extension of the public realm from the Green Heart along Lister Gate; the Nottingham Station Gateway improvements package; further development of the Ring Road; and other transport improvements linked to development sites.
Councillor Linda Woodings, Executive Member for Regional Development, Growth and Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “Securing this £17.6 million investment from the East Midlands Combined County Authority is a major boost for Nottingham and will play a vital role in helping us deliver our transport priorities for the city.
“This funding will allow us to improve the condition of our roads and streets, make it easier and safer for people to walk, wheel and cycle, and continue developing a modern, sustainable transport network that works for all our communities. From vital maintenance on key routes to neighbourhood improvements and safer roads around our schools, this programme will deliver real, visible benefits for residents and businesses right across Nottingham.”
Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said: “This investment is about putting people first and backing Nottingham with the funding it needs to keep moving. Through EMCCA, we are taking a more joined-up, long-term approach to transport funding, focusing not just on fixing what’s needed but improving whole streets and neighbourhoods. By supporting the council to deliver these projects, we’re investing in a transport network that is focused on what people need to get on.”
