New access road and bridge to open at last
ACCESS ROUTE TO ENTERPRISE ZONE WAS HELD UP FOR MONTHS
A NEW access road which links Lenton to Beeston via a bridge over a canal is set to open tomorrow.
The £5m bridge was finished several months ago but the opening of the road to the public suffered a “regrettable” delay.
It runs near Clifton Bridge, which is still being repaired by Highways England, and towards Beeston Rylands, linking Humber Road South to Thane Road.it will open from 10am.
Nottingham City Council was given funding from D2N2 to create the road, which includes a new bridge over the Beeston Canal and will serve new developments and businesses in the Nottingham Enterprise Zone.
The project was the result of a partnership with Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Boots, the D2N2 LEP and the Canals and Rivers Trust.
The new road had to go through a number of legal agreements before it could be opened and it will serve the enterprise zone once it has been constructed.
Mark Chivers, estates director at Boots, said: “It is an important milestone in opening up the site for the visitors and colleagues of Boots and all the partners who work on the Enterprise Zone site.
“Importantly, the road opening means our surplus development land can be accessed and new residential and commercial projects can begin.
“We are thrilled to increase the connectivity of the site for the creation of the Health, Beauty and Well Being Enterprise Zone.”
Enterprise Zones are areas with incentives to encourage the creation of new businesses, such as business incubators, start-ups and small and medium enterprises, which will contribute to the growth of local and national economies.
As well as containing existing buildings and brownfield land to create new businesses, the south of the site also has space to develop up to 675 new homes.
The site, once finished, will become a centre for innovation for life sciences, medical research, health, beauty and wellness, the city council says.
Work was recently finished on a new £23m medical technologies facility on Nottingham Trent University’s Clifton campus, which forms one part of the zone.
Councillor Rebecca Langton, portfolio holder for communities, highways and strategic transport at the city council, added: “The new link road could be the key to unlocking significant potential for the city and the surrounding areas.
“Not only does it now create an opportunity to develop new homes for local people, but the Enterprise Zone also helps us to position Nottingham as a key destination for high-growth businesses.
“The benefits this brings to local residents through, inward investment and jobs will help us build a stronger economy as we recover from Covid-19 and lockdown restrictions are eased.”