By George Palmer-Soady
Residents living on either side of the River Trent say they are pleased plans to build a new pedestrian and cycle bridge have been given the go-ahead – but they worry it may never see the light of day.
The crossing between Lady Bay and Trent Basin was first due to be finished in spring 2023, but the 85m-long bridge has been hit by several delays.
Linking Trent Basin, off Daleside Road in the city, to the south bank of the river in Lady Bay, Rushcliffe, it is hoped the bridge will become a “significant new landmark”.
Nottingham City Councillors gave the project the final go-ahead at an Executive Board meeting on Tuesday (October 22).
Cllr Ethan Radford (Lab), the deputy leader of the council, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’m quite confident now.
“We’ve just approved it at Executive Board and we expect to have it done by 2026.”
Following the council’s approval of the plans, residents of both Trent Basin and Lady Bay say the bridge will be beneficial, but some said they worry the project will end up being scrapped because of the time and costs involved.
“We were really excited when we first heard about it,” says Jan Jarvis, 85, who recently moved to flats by the Trent Basin.
“We walk every day and it would mean we could get to Trent Bridge easier – it’s good for pedestrians, but I do feel that it’s likely to be cancelled.
“We feel that would be a shame for us. I’m sure some people would quite happy if that happened.”
Costs have increased from the original budget of just over £9m, to up to £18m. Jan believes this may cause disruptions to the plans.
“The prices of course always go up in time, so it’s no longer at such a good price and things have changed.”
Stephen Perkins, 34, agrees. He lives in nearby Sneinton and says that the new bridge will make his life easier as a keen cyclist.
“I think it’ll be great. At the moment the links between here, West Bridgford and Lady Bay are really poor if you’re not in a car.
“Lady Bay Bridge is horrendous to cycle across so I’m really looking forward to have an active route to use and explore other parts of the city that have been disconnected for some time.
“I think it’ll be a good thing for both sides of the city.”
Matt Garvey, 58, lives in Rushcliffe, and is happy the plans have been given the go-ahead, however is unsure of the location.
“I think it’s quite interesting as a piece of development because it’s quite a long way from everything,” he said.
“It’s mainly industry, so I suppose it’s taking this relatively wealthy group of people and moving them into being potential customers for Central Avenue.”
“I’m not sure how good it is for Nottingham’s economy, but it’ll probably be quite good for Rushcliffe’s economy.”
The steel bridge is expected to be lifted into place in November 2025, while the surrounding public realm will be finished off by spring 2026.
Nottinghamshire County Council decided it would not be making any financial contributions to the construction costs or future maintenance of the new bridge.
All future maintenance costs for the new bridge will fall to Nottingham City Council. The project is largely being funded by central Government money and is led by the city council.
