Major Nottinghamshire road given £18million funding boost

£18 million worth of funds will improve the A614 at six junctions between Ollerton to Lowdham, unlocking the "untapped economic potential" of our area.

Councillor Kay Cutts, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, who was at today’s Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, has welcomed the news.

She said: “Nottinghamshire County Council has worked hard with colleagues in Midlands Connect, together with invaluable support from local MPs Ben Bradley and Mark Spencer to press the Government for this major new investment to improve access along the A614.

"We are delighted with today’s announcement as it shows what we can do as a local council, punching above our weight in partnership with government. And we are the only county in the Midlands to secure this type of funding today.

“This funding will open up fantastic new opportunities for the county, bringing new jobs, housing and infrastructure to local communities and businesses.

“The A614 corridor is the spine of the county with new housing developments planned in Bilsthorpe, Ollerton and Blidworth so this investment is crucial to help meet these increasing demands as these are areas where our residents what to live and work.

“The improvements will also give better access to key tourism sites such as the Nottinghamshire County Council-owned Rufford Abbey and Sherwood Forest County Park.”

Maria Machancoses, of Midlands Connect, said: "We're delighted that Nottinghamshire is to benefit from this first tranche of early funding for the new Major Road Network; this is a

shovel-ready scheme that will boost the local economy.

"We worked closely with the county council to make sure the government considered this proposal, and our focus now is on ensuring the rest of the Midlands benefits from a long term pipeline of funding that the Major Road Network will provide."

Mansfield's MP Ben Bradley and the MP for Sherwood Mark Spencer have both lobbied the government for this funding.