New park-and-ride site to tackle congestion for Mansfield commuters cancelled as build costs increase

The Leapool Roundabout Park and Ride Site, south of Ravenshead, was intended to reduce delays on the A60.

Nottinghamshire Council planned to fund it using money the Government provided for a series of local road and infrastructure projects.

However, it now says it cannot progress, because building costs had increased since the money was allocated, although the authority plans to safeguard the land for a possible future scheme.

Nottingham Council led the bid to the Department for Transport for money from the Transforming Cities Fund, but granted the county council £7.9 million to lead the delivery of a number of proposals in the county boundary.

The authority says since the bid was submitted in 2019, there have been increased costs for the projects, meaning some cannot go ahead – including Leapool park and ride.

The county council says the cost estimates for the schemes are “significantly higher than originally budgeted, due to more detailed design work, inflationary pressures and additional utility diversion costs”.

“The DfT and Nottingham Council have confirmed no additional funding is available to meet the significant increase in costs”, council documents stated.

“It is no longer considered feasible to deliver all the original TCF proposals within Nottinghamshire, due to significantly increased costs, continued uncertainty over future costs, and the need to meet the approaching DfT funding deadline.

“As the Leapool bus-based park and ride and supporting bus priority measures package cannot be delivered within the required funding timeframe, it is proposed to safeguard land for this purpose and seek an alternative future funding source.”

Plans for the A60 bus priority improvements along the road into Nottingham are also under threat, with councillors considering “whether the full benefits of the proposed bus priority measures along the A60 corridor could be achieved without the introduction of the park-and-ride facility”.

A Nottinghamshire Transport growth, infrastructure and development team spokesman said: “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 funding.”