Following recommendations approved by Nottinghamshire County Council’s cabinet in December last year, a month-long consultation is currently open on a proposal to permanently close Rufford ford to motor vehicles.
Although motor vehicles would be prohibited from crossing the ford, access will remain for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorised modes of transport.
The consultation and supporting documents can be found at consult.nottinghamshire.gov.uk – then type TRO3368 into the search bar. This stage of the consultation is open to the wider public and it closes on 4th March.
People who have responded to the initial pre-consultation do not need to send another copy of those observations as they will be carried forward.
Responses should be made in writing and can be submitted by post to the address provided or by email to tmconsultation@viaem.co.uk. Please note it is a legal requirement to lodge any response to a TRO in writing so it can be considered; those who require support with registering their thoughts on the proposal should call Customer Services on 0300 500 8080.
All responses will be considered by the council before making a final decision.
The proposed changes are a response to an escalating road safety issue at this location. In 2022, the Police advised this was creating significant danger and requested that the county council used its powers to temporarily close the road on the grounds of public safety. The road was closed to motor vehicles in December 2022.
From this point, the council carefully considered several potential options and concluded that consulting on a permanent closure is the most viable. Nottinghamshire Police is also supportive of the proposals to permanently close the ford to motor vehicles.