The large roundabout where Maid Marian Way meets Derby Road and Upper Parliament Street will be revamped in a?project beginning this spring, thanks to funding Nottingham City Council secured from the Future High Streets Fund.?

The changes will improve safety and the experience of using the area, especially for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as adding more green space on an important gateway into the city.

The council will begin works to prepare the area from Monday (12) for up to two weeks. In order for us to replace the roundabout, vegetation and eleven trees will unfortunately have to be removed before bird-nesting season begins. To give teams a safe area to work, there will also be an off-peak lane closure on the roundabout (Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 3.30pm).

A mixture of 41 large native trees ? almost four times as many as are being removed ? will be replanted in the area once the project is complete.?

Read more here?

Half-term next week is packed with fun, free and cheap events as we celebrate Chinese New Year, Valentine?s Day, the Nottingham Festival Of Science And Curiosity and more.

Activities will be held at venues across the city including at our museums, parks and leisure centres. There are also lots of free events happening with local organisations, including:

• Nottingham Central Library is celebrating Chinese New Year all week with daily shows featuring music, dance and Kung Fu! Find out more
• Green?s Mill are inviting children to bread baking sessions on Saturday 10 and oaty-bake baking sessions on Thursday 15
• Active Nottingham?has lots of fun activities on offer across our leisure centres from swimming to soft play
• Chinese New Year themed performances and activities across the city all week long. See what?s on
• Parks and Open Spaces in Nottingham?host a number of activities including walks, playgrounds, outdoor gyms, table tennis and tree trails
• Events and activities at Nottingham Castle, Wollaton Hall and Newstead Abbey.

Information on other events and activities across the city can be found here?Ask Lion | February Half-term Activities

It was great to hear that representatives from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) visited this week to share best practice on building safety with our Building Safety team.

During the visit, the delegation was taken on a tour of some of our 13 high-rises, and the two teams discussed building safety and resident engagement.

Back in 2017 following the Grenfell tragedy, we were one of the first local authorities to take action by enhancing existing fire-safety measures, delivering an ?8.4 million programme of sprinkler installations and other safety improvements in our high-rises and working with residents to make sure their concerns were addressed.?