£3.5m loan to repair depots

COUNTY COUNCIL AGREES FUNDING FOR THREE ‘LIFE EXPIRED’ HIGHWAYS FACILITIES

- By LAUREN MONAGHAN Local democracy reporter

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE County Council has agreed to give a £3.5m loan to its highway maintenance company to fix depot buildings that are in a “critical condition”.

The loan was approved in the authority’s cabinet meeting on Wednesday to help bolster the £4.68m needed to demolish and replace “life-expired” depots at three locations in the county.

It will be given to VIA, the council-owned company in charge of managing the county’s roads since 2016. VIA's contract runs until 2031.

The depots are dotted across the county, with Blyth Depot in the north in Bassetlaw serving the A1 and A614 routes, Stephenson Way in the east in Newark serving the A1, A46 and A17 routes, and Gamston Depot in Rushcliffe serving the A52 and A6011 routes.

The report read by the cabinet said buildings on the site are “past the end of life” and are in a “critical” state, with some already closed or facing “imminent closure” The deteriorated conditions of the buildings poses a “growing risk” to staff safety and welfare according to the authority.