A housing developer has announced a new collaboration with Jigsaw Homes Group to deliver 43 much-needed affordable homes at its flagship Linby Meadows development.
This collaboration marks a significant milestone for the ambitious 763-home development in Linby. The project, supported by Nottinghamshire Country Council, will offer a vibrant mix of two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes, maisonettes, and apartments.
The scheme will also introduce new parks, sports facilities, wildlife corridors, and safe pedestrian and cycle routes, as well as a brand-new primary school.
Garnet Fazackerley, Operations Director of Development at Jigsaw Homes Group, said:“As a significant housing development providing new homes via a Section 106 agreement, this scheme demonstrates how planning policy can meaningfully deliver both quality new homes for sale and much‑needed affordable housing.
“We’re proud to join forces with Vistry to provide properties that offer comfort, security and opportunity for local people. Our partnership is about more than bricks and mortar – it’s about supporting communities and creating green, welcoming spaces for everyone.”
Gedling councillors are appealing for urgent road repairs after a busy main Nottinghamshire road was left littered with ‘crater’ potholes.
The dire condition of the A612 Colwick Loop Road has been showcased in a video made and shared by Conservative Nottinghamshire County and Gedling Borough Councillor Mike Adams on Facebook on Monday (February 16) calling on the County Council to repair the road in his area.
At the time of writing, the video had 34,000 views.
The junction next to the Marks and Spencer’s at Victoria Retail Park, in Netherfield, has been in a deteriorated, crumbling state for around eight, weeks according to Cllr Adams.
In January 2025 the section had temporary repairs where potholes were filled in but speaking on these quick-fixes, Cllr Adams says “you might as well pour Weetabix in it”.
He said: “It’s just deteriorated massively in eight weeks, you can’t drive over it at more than five miles per hour.
“It’s in a braking zone, making it potential dangerous because your vehicle’s out of control.”
The councillor says he has contacted highway officials at the County Council in recent days highlighting the issues and is ‘awaiting updates’.
Councillor Sam Smith (Con), who also sits on the County Council and represents the Trent Valley ward on the Borough Council alongside Cllr Adams, described the potholes as ‘craters’.
He said: “I drive that road every single day, twice a day to and from County Hall – I feel like I’ve fell through the road to Australia and back. It’s atrocious.
“People drive into different lanes to avoid them. They’re definitely category one defects where the County Council has a responsibility to fill them in within 24 hours – that’s not been adhered to.
“It’s causing damage to cars, it’s frustrating to drivers and it’s dangerous. It’s both sides – you get rattled about on the way into Nottingham and rattled about on the way out.”
Cllr Smith said policy under the previous Conservative administration at the County Council was to temporary repair roads within 24 hours but then to return within 90 days to complete a resurfacing section.
One woman, who works at Noble Electrical Contractors in Great Northern Way, said she purposely avoids the potholes in her car.
She said: “I’m going into the right lane which you shouldn’t do. It’s that bad I’d rather go round. If you have to go through it you have to go through at your slowest – even then you can hear it.
“Every time I come to this road I think ‘they’ve definitely got to have fixed it by now’… I don’t understand how this one is not [fixed].
“The weather’s not getting better any time soon, the cold makes it worse and they’re not keeping on top of it. How bad does it need to get?”
Cllr Mick Barton, whose Reform group took control of the council last year, was responding to his party’s leader, Nigel Farage, who said he wanted an “attitudinal change to the idea of working from home” at a rally in Birmingham.
Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) currently has a hybrid working policy, meaning the work week for many staff is often split between office and home-based.
The authority is still advertising hybrid working roles on its website.
Cllr Barton said: “Here at Nottinghamshire County Council we have a working from home policy that works very well.
“We are encouraging working from the office. I totally agree with Nigel that staff are more productive working from the office. We are changing the culture.
“But the reality at NCC is that we literally do not have the desk space for everyone to be in five days a week.”
Recently, Mr Farage said: “You can’t go on the sick because you’ve got mild anxiety. But it is an attitudinal change that Britain needs.
“An attitudinal change to hard work, rather than work-life balance. An attitudinal change to the idea of working from home.
“People aren’t more productive working at home, it’s a load of nonsense. They’re more productive being with other fellow human beings, and working as part of a team.”
Cllr Sam Smith had been the leader of the council for the Conservatives before Reform took control.
Now speaking as leader of the opposition, he said his group would have encouraged more people to return to the office, arguing “no Teams message beats in-person office talking between colleagues.”
“Being in the office prevents silo working and duplication and increases productivity with better outcomes,” he said.
“Staffing working together in the office is more efficient than working from home.”
However he questioned Reform’s support for the current council policy based on a lack of office space.
“A large proportion of the council’s workforce are not deal workers and are instead out in the community supporting residents, including social care staff and youth workers,” he added.
“Both County Hall and Oak House have huge amounts of desk space and the county council has access to office space dotted around the county that can accommodate more office working than currently exists.”
Take a look at the roadworks and closures scheduled for Gedling borough’s roads for the week beginning February 2.
Make sure to plan your journey and check before your travel as these planned works could affect you.
Burton Road, Gedling 17 February – 18 February Roadworks, Delays likely Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water
Carlton Hill, Carlton 20 February – 21 February Roadworks, Delays likely Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water
Gedling Road, Woodthorpe 18 February – 20 February Roadworks, Delays likely Responsibility for works: Openreach Ltd
Gedling Road, Arnold 19 February Roadworks, Delays likely Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water
High Street, Arnold 18 February – 20 February Roadworks, Delays likely Responsibility for works: Vodafone
Lime Lane, Redhill 22 February Roadworks, Delays likely Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water
Mansfield Road North, Ravenshead 18 February – 20 February Roadworks, Delays likely from B6020 Kirkby Road/B6020 Main Road junction heading 800-metres in a Northerly direction. Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Station Road, Carlton 18 February – 19 February Roadworks, Delays likely Responsibility for works: Openreach Ltd
Westdale Lane West, Mapperley 21 February – 22 February Roadworks, Delays likely due to lane closure Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water
Woodborough Road, Mapperley 22 February Roadworks, Delays likely due to lane closure Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water
Adbolton Avenue, Gedling 18 February – 19 February Roadworks, Delays possible for carriageway pothole repairs between the junction with Westdale Lane to Newcastle Avenue junction Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Bank Hill, Woodborough 18 February – 20 February Roadworks, Delays possible Works location: C16 Bank Hill, Woodborough. From the 30-MPH speed limit change to the C39 Foxwood Lane/C16 Main Street junction. Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Church Lane, Linby 17 February – 18 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Churchmoor Lane, Redhill 18 February – 19 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Church Street, Carlton 17 February – 18 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water
Foxwood Lane, Woodborough 18 February – 20 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Frederick Avenue, Carlton 18 February – 19 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Virgin Media Ltd
Furlong Street, Arnold 17 February – 19 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Virgin Media Ltd
Furlong Street, Arnold 20 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Hanworth Gardens, Arnold 20 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Howbeck Road, Arnold 17 February – 13 March Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Lambley Avenue, Mapperley 17 February – 18 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Lambley Lane, Gedling 18 February Roadworks, Delays possible
Longue Drive, Calverton 19 February – 20 February Roadworks, Delays possible from the junction with Jumelles Drive to the junction of Rowan Close
Main Street, Woodborough 18 February – 20 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Oakdale Road, Carlton 18 February – 19 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Shelford Road, Gedling 17 February – 18 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
Southdale Road, Carlton 17 February – 18 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Severn Trent Water
Spring Lane, Lambley 19 February – 26 February Roadworks, Delays possible Responsibility for works: Nottinghamshire County Council
A last-ditch petition has been set up in an attempt to save an indoor bowls club heading for closure after the council confirmed its exclusion in new leisure centre plans.
The fate of Gedling Indoor Bowls Club has been in limbo since September 2025 after Gedling Borough Council decided to no longer include it in plans to replace Carlton Forum Leisure Centre and the Richard Herrod Centre with a new building.
The project would involve a new ‘Carlton Active’ leisure and community facility being built on the Richard Herrod site and could include an eight-lane swimming pool and teaching pool, a 100-station gym, community rooms and a café.
Members of the bowls club have been protesting for months to safeguard the club’s future but now council documents, released ahead of a meeting on Thursday (19), re-confirm the authority does not plan to retain indoor bowls in plans.
PICTURED: Ian Summerscales, director of the bowls club, and Kath Smith, chairman of the board of directors of the club.
This, the authority says, is due to “significant affordability, design and deliverability risks”.
Councillor Darren Maltby (Con) branded the decision a “complete and utter travesty”.
In response to the council’s re-confirmed stance, Cllr Maltby started a petition on February 14 to include a bowls facility at the new centre. At the time of writing the petition had 197 signatures.
He said: “I come from a welfare background for over 20 years and I’ve seen the impact closing facilities have on vulnerable people – not just the elderly, but also disabled people.
“It’s an inclusive sport – one of the few in Gedling, if not the only one.
“We’ve come out of lockdown where it was big on social isolation – here we’re taking a backward step. It might be their only communication with another human being and it’s taking that lifeline away.”
The bowls club has around 320 members aged between 25 and 92 and runs 2,200 sessions each month, including sessions for disabled bowlers. Its lease expires at their existing site at the end of April 2026.
At the council’s September meeting the authority offered “non-financial support” to the bowls club to look at relocation options.
Following this, a petition signed by more than 1,000 people was presented to councillors in a November meeting calling on the authority to “reinstate, retain and protect” indoor bowling in plans – the authority’s response was later confirmed for Thursday’s cabinet meeting.
Cllr Maltby added he was worried about members’ mental wellbeing if the club closed for good and added: “It’s been such an integral part of that centre, they’ve been providing revenue, it’s not like they just sit there.
“They buy food and drinks there… these are people who have paid into the system all their lives – we live in a modern age now where we can have multi-purpose rooms.”
The authority says it has assessed a potential smaller-rink bowls option instead of a six-rink facility but that “the addition of a 3-rink, 4-rink or 6-rink facility would result in a level of cost that would render the scheme unaffordable” due to the building needed clear spans, high ceilings and environmental controls if included.
Documents continue that including the bowls would require a “significantly larger” footprint which could likely result in key “highest-demand” facilities such as the swimming pool or gym being removed or reduced.
Ian Summerscales, director of the bowls club, told us an application has been submitted to have the bowls hall regarded as an asset for community value.
He said: “The council keeps saying they’ve consulted on a four-rink option, we pressed them on that. All there are is some handwritten notes.
“We wrote to the council’s leadership over a month ago specifically about a feasibility study and them being obliged to find us alternative venues. We haven’t even had an acknowledgement, haven’t had a reply – we feel like we’re being stonewalled at the moment.
“We’re devastated. It isn’t a small club, it isn’t a private club. We’ve had people in tears, I’ve been in tears myself, but we’re getting lots of support and the staff in the centre are absolutely brilliant considering they’re at risk as well.”
Mr Summerscales previously said the council had identified 18 potential sites for relocation and were “not worth the paper it’s written on” and raising the money to move into such sites was a “pipe dream”.
Earlier council documents said both existing leisure centres faced more than £2 million in backlog works and require a yearly subsidy of around £545,000, making them “unsustainable in their current form”.
Thursday’s cabinet is set to agree the closure of the Richard Herrod Centre from May 1, 2026.
The wider project is currently estimated to cost just under £30 million.
A number of plaques are being unveiled across Gedling borough next week to recognise areas that were once part of the historic Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire.
One of the plaques is to be unveiled on Friday (February 20) in Gedling Country Park by Mayor Kyle Robinson-Payne at 10.15am near Cafe1899. It recognises that Gedling Country Park was once one of the most eastern points of the legendary forest. Members of the public are welcome to attend the ceremony.
These are the times other plaques will be unveiled across the borough on Friday:
9.30am – Jubillee Park pavillion, Burton Road, Gedling 11am – Mapperley – Westdale Lane Community Centre, Mapperley 12pm – Arnold – The AMP
Burton Joyce unveil also reveal their plaque for Sherwood Forest at 12noon.
During the 13th Century, at the peak of the Robin Hood legend, Sherwood Forest covered about a fifth of Nottinghamshire including what is now Gedling Country Park.
Sherwood Forest was a “Royal Forest,” meaning it was a legally defined area for hunting protected by strict Forest Law, and covered approximately 100,000 acres (roughly 156 square miles), featuring a mix of woodland, heathland and villages rather than a solid, dense forest.
It was historically defined by the River Trent to the south, the Meden to the north, the Leen to the southwest, and the Doverbeck to the southeast. It shrank significantly over the centuries, particularly due to the demand for timber.
A Gedling borough councillor has called for the formation of a cross-party working group to tackle the pothole problem across Notts.
Conservative councillor Darren Maltby represents Bestwood St Albans on Gedling Borough Council and so far says he has received backing from Reform and Conservative councillors in Notts
He now wants to get a first meeting in the diary to discuss the problems and how they can be solved to improve the borough’s roads.
Cllr Maltby said: “I would encourage our MPs and councillors to get on board with this so that all our residents get some grown up decisions made outside of party politics about how we can tackle this problem.”
Letters
In a seperate move, residents bombarded key figures in Notts about the state of the borough’s roads over the weekend as part of an organised campaign promoted on the Gedling Borough Potholes Facebook group.
An email template was prepared and shared with group members by user Peter Brooks who asked them to use it and include details about the state of roads in their area. Residents were then encouraged to send it to Nottinghamshire County Council leader Cllr Mick Barton and David Langford, the director of highways, transport and waste management at Nottinghamshire County Council over the weekend.
The template read: “The state of the roads in Nottinghamshire has gone beyond deplorable. Many of them are in such a state as to be a serious danger to both road users and pedestrians. This is not a “sensational” opinion – this is hard fact. What plans do the council have to remedy the situation?”
These are the latest applications to have been submitted to and validated by Gedling Borough Council last week.
These applications will now be decided by Gedling borough planners.
Application to discharge conditions 9, 10, 11, 13 (relating to Biodiversity Net Gain) of application 2025/0703 (Proposed renovation and extension of existing cottage, to form two dwellings including access driveway, parking and associated gardens) 34 Main Street Calverton Nottinghamshire NG14 6FQ Ref. No: 2026/0069DOC
Proposed replacement of existing conservatory roof with solid roof, replacement of windows in a conservation area. 4 Willow Lane, Gedling Ref. No: 2026/0064
Erection of a single-storey ancillary residential annexe within the rear garden of the existing dwelling 7 Pool Meadow, Colwick Ref. No: 2026/0060
Discharge of conditions 5 (Construction Emissions Management Plan), 6 (Local Labour Agreement) and 7 (Bin and Cycle Store) of planning permission 2025/0567. Midlands Academy Of Dance & Drama 428 Carlton Hill Carlton Nottinghamshire NG4 1JA Ref. No: 2026/0055
A Silver birch (A) and an Ash tree (B). We’d like to prune the top of the trees down to a level which they’ve been pruned to previously. This involves taking approximately 2metres from the tops. 110 Main Road Gedling Ref. No: 2026/0043TCA
Discharge of Conditions 16 (Air Quality Assessment) and 18 (Local Labour Agreement) of planning permission 2021/0072 Excel sheet Employment and Skills -Redhill – Land To The West Mansfield Road, Redhill Ref. No: 2026/0041DOC
Demolition of existing garage, and proposed single-storey side extension with alterations to landscaping and boundary treatment 93 Walsingham Road, Woodthorpe Ref. No: 2026/0022
The winners of Michelle Welsh MP’s Sherwood Forest Small Business Awards 2025/26 have been announced
The awards were set up to recognise the hard work, creativity and resilience of small businesses across Sherwood Forest, shining a light on those going above and beyond in their sectors.
Congratulating the winners and finalists, the local MP said: “Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy. These awards are about recognising the dedication, innovation and community spirit that so many local businesses show every day. I’m delighted to celebrate their achievements and the positive impact they have across Sherwood Forest.”
The 2025/26 award winners are:
Retail Business of the Year: Flooring-2-u (Calverton)
Sustainable Business of the Year: The Social Action Hub (Rainworth)
New Business of the Year: Blossom Boutique of Edwinstowe (Edwinstowe)
Hair & Beauty Business of the Year: Toni’s for Guys & Dolls (Calverton)
Spotlight Business of the Year: The Curious Monkey (Ollerton)
Creative Business of the Year: The Frog in the Craft – Sandrine (Hucknall)
Local Food & Drink Business of the Year: Beer Shack Hucknall (Hucknall)
The MP added: “Thanks to everyone who took part, nominated businesses and those that supported the awards to help make them a success.”
The leader of Reform-controlled Nottinghamshire County Council has promised to go into detail on a planned £44 million efficiency programme after it was criticised as being “built on sand”.
Shortly after winning the 2025 election to take control of the authority, leader Cllr Mick Barton, his cabinet, and the council’s officers began their own efficiency review to find cost savings amid continued budget pressures.
Reform’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – which looks at reducing government spending – was originally going to be tasked with helping the council and its staff identify savings.
It was planned that the US and Elon Musk-inspired savings department would be used in newly controlled Reform councils across the country, but so far, the department has only visited a select few authorities.
In the council’s budget for the upcoming financial year, which begins in April, and its broader financial plan for the next three years, Reform says £44.2 million in “efficiencies” have been identified to reduce pressures.
However, Cllr Barton has so far provided no further details on where these efficiencies will be made, except for the reduction of agency staff, resulting in savings of £1.6 million.
He promised more details would be provided soon, following criticism from the Conservative opposition group.
Cllr Sam Smith, opposition leader, said: “Reform were elected on a lot of empty promises. The first one was vote for us at Nottinghamshire County Council and we will stop the boats. There is no Home Office department here.
“Then they were elected to cut the costs of chief officers, because the chief executive here gets paid more than the Prime Minister, and they’ve done nothing at all about that. They were elected to cut and freeze council tax. They’ve increased it by 3.99 per cent.
“Then they were elected to save the council money, so they have come up with this £45m savings plan, which is completely built on sand.
“At the same time they have then put flags up on lampposts across Nottinghamshire that has cost taxpayers £75,000 – which should be going into repairing the roads that the flags are lining that are full of potholes.
“They cannot answer any questions. I have asked the leader over and over again can you bring forward a report that shows where you’ve saved money, but there is no report because they can’t do it.”
The authority recently announced it would raise council tax by 3.99 per cent, below the maximum allowed of 4.99 per cent, from April.
While it will increase, Cllr Barton said the planned efficiencies had allowed the authority to put it up by a lesser amount.
Cllr Smith said he has further concerns over just how feasible the efficiencies will be to deliver.
According to council budget documents, a 20 per cent contingency fund has been provided to manage risk across the next three years in relation to non-achievement of efficiencies.
“Should non-achievement be greater than 20 per cent, this contingency may be insufficient and future year budgets would be adversely impacted,” documents say.
Cllr Smith added: “That’s how much faith the legal financial officer of this council has in Reform’s savings plan.”
Cllr Barton said he could not reveal details on the efficiency review until they have been presented to his cabinet.
“A lot of councils have been given a lot of extra money from Government for the funding settlement, so we are just going to see where we are going to put that,” he said.
“We are going to publish more finer details next week, that we are still working on at the minute.”
