Any potential Hucknall or Bulwell tram network extensions likely to be 'at least eight years away’

Tim Hesketh, the chief executive officer of Tramlink, the group of companies behind the network, including Nottingham Express Transit (NET), said the extensions, which were in Nottingham City Council’s feasibility plans before the Covid pandemic, have now ‘effectively been shelved’ after the authority effectively declared bankruptcy, at the end of November.

Instead, he says hope now lies with the new East Midlands Combined County Authority, being created this year.

But this again has led to conflicting opinions among candidates to be the first mayor of the new authority.

Coun Matthew Relf (Ash Ind), says he would support proposals to extend the tram network from Hucknall to the new Top Wighay development and then on to Sherwood Business Park in Annesley, saying it would ‘bring increased prosperity to Hucknall and the surrounding areas’.

It has been suggested that extending the nework to any of the potential areas being considered, including Top Wighay and Annesley, and areas like Eastwood and Kimberley, could bring an extra 11 million passengers to the tram each year.

But Coun Ben Bradley MP (Con), the current Nottinghamshire Council leader and rival mayoral candidate, previously said it would be ‘foolish’ to committ to anything at this stage.

Local Hucknall residents are also fearful that extending the tram will ultimately lead to more development and more houses being built in Hucknall, putting more pressure on the town’s already creaking infrastruture and threatening the loss of more green belt land.

Mr Hesketh said: “It is a complicated situation.

“But as funding of transport strategy moves to the combined county authority, they have a lot of capital funding coming from central Government and devolved authority over how they spend it.

"So if there was going to be an extension to the tram network, it would likely come through the mayoral authority.

“Having said that, these things don’t happen overnight.

“It is a minimum five, and more probably eight to ten-year process, before they even put a spade in the ground.”

A city council spokesperson said: “The East Midlands Combined County Authority is being awarded £1.5bn from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement Fund.

“In using these funds it will need to consider which schemes best meet its objectives across the combined authority area.

“NET extensions are certain to be looked at as part of that review.”

Some believe there may also be hope in the £9.6bn the East Midlands is set to get from the Department for Transport for transport investment, following the axing of HS2 last year.

Coun Bradley added: “It is absolutely fair to say the city council is in no position to invest in it at all, so the combined authority comes at a really good time not just for the tram but also wider transport connections.

“Having all of that stuff, trams buses, all organised in one place means it can be a much more integrated service, and yes we can look at the potential for tram extensions.

“The tram needs to be commercially viable, however, so we need to look at how we do that, but there is new capital investment and actually adding routes to the right places to bring additional passengers might help balance the books.”