By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
Toton could become a “hotspot for investment” if the Government accepts a £40m bid to kickstart a vast new development which would act as a ‘plan B’ to the area’s lost HS2 project.
Nottinghamshire County Council has now submitted its bid for the Government’s Levelling Up Fund for the area.
It could lead to tens of millions being funnelled from Westminster to create a development three times the size of London’s Olympic Park.
The council bid, submitted alongside the East Midlands Development Corporation (DevCo), would allow regeneration work to begin by creating a link road to serve the project.
This would potentially connect the A52 with Toton Lane, near Bardills Island, to bring forward the long-awaited Toton Masterplan.
It follows the DevCo being given £1m annually in Department for Transport (DfT) funding earlier this year to draw up wider plans for Toton.
This funding will help to find new life for the Chetwynd Barracks site, in Swiney Way, which is scheduled to close in 2024.
The army barracks could host as many as 4,500 homes, employment space and a major transport hub – which was initially planned to serve high-speed railway lines via HS2.
And it is hoped the new road would allow these projects to come forward.
However, amended plans would see high-speed rail omitted from the development after the Government opted for East Midlands Parkway over Toton in an announcement last year.
The planned high-speed Toton hub could instead be replaced by a traditional National Rail station, with promises made by ministers in last year’s Integrated Rail Plan.
Councillor Keith Girling, the council’s portfolio holder for economic development, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the road will unlock “plan B” after the HS2 blow.
He said: “We were bitterly disappointed about not getting HS2 at Toton because we felt this was the ideal place for it, but we’ve always had the plan B in place because you can’t guarantee anything.
“This is part of that plan B, it’s going to bring in about £4.8bn worth of value to this area with plenty of jobs and housing.
“It’s a good bid, it has been put together well and is very strong, we’ve got the support of MPs and local councillors and we’re hopeful it will be successful.”
He adds the road could begin construction in 2024 with completion two years later if ministers accept the bid.
And Darren Henry (Con), MP for Broxtowe, believes a successful bid would be the “start of something big” in his area.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “What we want is major investment in Broxtowe.
“It has been talked about, it’s been promised but if there are spades we can get in the ground now, this has really got to be celebrated.
“We want to make sure we have the investment, we want the Network Rail train station which the Government has committed to, and I’ll be pushing for all of it.
“It’s the start of something big and Toton will become a hotspot for investment.”
But Cllr Steve Carr (Lib Dem), deputy leader of Broxtowe Borough Council and a county councillor for the borough, believes the plans would have more weight if HS2 still stopped in the area.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “After the broken promises over HS2 at Toton, any further investment via the Levelling Up Fund is welcome.
“That said, the people of Broxtowe are still appalled at the missed opportunities and missed investment from the failure to keep promises over HS2.”
The Toton levelling-up bid is one of several submitted by Nottinghamshire authorities.
All councils except Rushcliffe have lodged plans, with Labour-led Nottingham City Council hoping to boost Bulwell town centre and transform the Broadmarsh site.
There are also plans for a public sector hub at the old Beales site in Mansfield, while other councils have plans to transform Arnold, Eastwood, Hucknall, Kimberley and Worksop.
Ministers are expected to review all bids in the coming months, with councils bidding for part of a £4.8bn pot.
