Nottingham Beach opens next week on Tuesday 25 July at Old Market Square, bringing a splash of the seaside to the city just in time for the summer holidays.

The Giant Slip ?n Slide features The Arrow, the largest inflatable urban waterslide in the UK at 55m long, and Little John, a huge waterpark with six lanes of slides.

Entry to the Giant Slip ?n Slide can be booked in advance to avoid disappointment on the day. Tickets for hourly slots are priced at ?12.50 per person, and ?10.50 for Nottingham city residents (tickets must be booked online to get the resident discount). Book here: https://www.visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk/whats-on/nottingham-beach-city-by-the-sea-p454111

Entry is free for visitors wanting to enjoy the beach and paddling area. Other rides and attractions include bungee trampolines, hook a duck, penny pusher machines, food stalls and a Beach Bar.

It was heartening to see that the hard work of our staff at Bulwell Riverside Library has supported the creation of nearly 600 new businesses and 150 jobs for the wider county.

This is through the Business and IP Centre (BIPC) network which has seen a dedicated hub set up within the building to support people either looking to start up an entrepreneurial venture or who need advice on how to protect a business idea they?ve had.

A new report by the British Library has revealed that the Bulwell BIPC, together with those in libraries at Beeston, Mansfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield, have helped create 573 new businesses and 148 jobs, while supporting more women and people from BAME communities and deprived areas to start up a commercial venture.

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Yesterday at our Executive Board meeting, we adopted a new ?blueprint for how the Eastside of Nottingham is developed in the coming years.

The Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is underpinned by sustainability and protection of green spaces and heritage sites and will provide developers with a clear idea of what is expected for the area, which includes Sneinton Market, Victoria Park, St Mary?s Rest Garden and parts of Lower Parliament Street, Glasshouse Street and Huntingdon Street.

As part of the Creative Quarter, Eastside is an important area for regeneration to attract new investment and jobs. The SPD envisages high quality housing, attractive to a wide range of households, to promote mixed and balanced communities, improved public realm and enhance connections between the Eastside, the city centre and adjoining neighbourhoods.

In line with our ambitions to become carbon neutral by 2028, we also want to encourage a range of measures that developers can employ to reduce carbon in their development proposals.

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It?s pleasing to see Nottingham ranked fourth in a national survey of top cycling cities. New research from Saga revealed Nottingham as among the best for cycling, after Norwich, Newcastle and Belfast.

Cities were ranked on availability of bike share schemes, cyclist safety, likelihood of bike theft, number of cycling routes, and the impact of local weather conditions on cycling. Our investment in cycling improvements which help to make cyclists be safe and feel safe, as well as popular bike hire schemes, helped to place us near the top.

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