Nottingham City Council is delighted that the city has been recognised in the top 50 urban places to live in the UK by an independent report by The Sunday Times.
Culture, nightlife and good public transport, including the city’s tram service – are just three of the reasons why Nottingham features in the top 50 which reviewed all types of urban places within the UK including neighborhoods, cities and smaller urban hubs.
Nottingham – the only East Midlands city to feature on the list – was praised for its rich history, its growing international reputation as a thriving music scene and its bespoke areas of individual character.
Councillor Jon Collins, Leader for Nottingham City Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Regeneration, said: “I’m really pleased that the city has been recognised as one of the best places to live in the UK. The council has being working hard to drive growth, to attract inward investment into transport and infrastructure improvements and to strategically develop the city; and we’ve managed to do all of this during a national economic downturn and at a time when the Government has slashed budgets for local authorities.”
The city is benefiting from an investment of £750m in improving transport infrastructure including the transformation of Nottingham Station into a world-class transport hub, the expansion of the NET tram services to the south and south-west and improvements to the city’s road network. These projects are acting as a catalyst for a new wave of development and regeneration projects which are being delivered, or are on the cusp of being delivered.
Councillor Collins added:
“With the cost of living, working and starting a business in the South East soaring, Nottingham is a great place for businesses looking to set up or relocate and for people looking to get onto the property ladder, and this latest independent report reflects that.”
Nottingham has a rich cultural history renowned the world over, named the first UK City of Football in 2014, the city has over the years hosted many famous Ashes test matches, and has played host to National Armed Forces Day in 2013, and Wollaton Hall featured as the backdrop to the Batman film ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in 2012.
The City is looking forward to another big year ahead with top international tennis players heading to Nottingham for the Men’s ATP and Women’s WTA International tournaments in June, July will see the return of the hugely successful Splendour music festival, the Old Market Square will once again be transformed over the summer into a seaside paradise (named as one of the UK’s best urban beaches by Expedia), and October will see the return of the Robin Hood Festival at the Castle and the gaming festival, GameCity – the only video games festival in the UK – which will be celebrating its 10th anniversary that will be made all the more special by the announcement that Nottingham will be the permanent base for the Video Games Arcade –the UK’s only gaming archive.
Councillor Collins went on to say: “With a £40m transformation taking place at Nottingham’s Victoria Centre, plans coming forward to rejuvenate the Broadmarsh, and with £12.9m of funding secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund to transform the visitor experience at Nottingham Castle, these are exciting times and it’s great to the city is going from strength to strength.”