By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
Costs for a Park and Ride in Nottinghamshire almost quadrupled before they were cancelled by the County Council.
The Leapool Roundabout Park and Ride Site near Arnold was hailed as the solution to congestion problems on the A60.
But Nottinghamshire County Council said the original £2.4m budget was estimated at £9.3m by 2023.
The park and ride project, which would have used money from the Department for Transport (DfT), has now been cancelled.
The authority says it will safeguard the land for a possible future scheme.
The leader of Gedling Borough Council, Cllr John Clarke (Lab) said he was “very disappointed” the plans will not go ahead.
The council said the budgets from cancelled schemes have been moved to other existing projects.
The Transforming Cities Fund is given out by the government for local road and infrastructure projects.
The authority says since the bid was submitted in 2019, there have been increased costs for the projects meaning some of them cannot go ahead.
Nottingham City Council led the bid to the Department for Transport (DfT) for money from the Transforming Cities Fund, but it granted Nottinghamshire County Council £7.9m to lead the delivery of a number of proposals in the county boundary.
But since 2019 the costs for all the projects have more than doubled to £15.9m meaning that they cannot all go ahead.
Cllr Clarke said: “It’s a shame they’ve cancelled it because it was a good idea.
“The plans have been milled around for a number of years.
“We’re trying our best to get carbon down and this would’ve been one way of doing that.
“Especially because Daybrook Square is one of the areas most populated by cars in the country.
“I’m really disappointed but we will keep lobbying for it.”
County council documents stated: “A number of options have been explored to assess whether or not the scheme can be delivered within the original budget and provide the same level of public transport benefits.
“While there are cheaper options, unfortunately none of these options achieve the required cost saving nor provide the level of public transport benefits envisaged.
“There are also additional risks to this project that includes; the need for planning, land acquisition and other statutory procedures.
“The County Council will continue to safeguard the land for a Park & Ride at this location and, the feasibility and design work done to date can be used to assist future funding opportunities.”
They said no additional funding is available from the Government.
A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Transport’s Growth, Infrastructure and Development team said: “We are not unique in experiencing these cost pressures which have been seen nationally over the last few years and caused problems with all fixed budget grant funded programmes.
“These cost escalations have not only limited what can be delivered with the available resources but also the justification and value for money of the individual elements under consideration.
“The council has had to review what can be best achieved within the conditions of the funding agreement.”
