Ozone launches roadshows to unveil plans for Victoria Embankment and Meadows

Proposal to win £25m of Big Lottery Funds to help work towards creating world's first zero energy community.

Exciting plans have been revealed which show how the Meadows and Embankment could be transformed with a £25m grant from the Big Lottery Living Landmarks Fund.

The Nottingham OZONE project has submitted a bid to the Big Lottery Fund to help revitalise the Victoria Embankment and surrounding park areas and bring renewable energy into an urban community. Now residents are getting a chance to say what they think of the latest plans at a series of roadshows across the city from Monday 12 February.

The multi-million pound Nottingham OZONE scheme will completely transform the Meadows and Victoria Embankment to meet the needs of local people, breathing new life into the park with improved sports and leisure facilities and helping residents move towards creating the world's first zero carbon community.

The Ozone is based around four themes - energy, community, opportunity and lifestyle. It will generate jobs and training opportunities for local people, help to increase quality of life through new leisure facilities and enable homes to be powered by renewable energy, if it is given final approval.

The scheme, which will feature a new Riverside Pavilion as its centrepiece, will look at how energy can be generated and saved to reduce residents' fuel costs. Ideas for new park facilities will include a sports hub, skateboard park and play areas, a café and a restaurant, an Energy Learning Centre.

Councillor Leon Unczur, portfolio holder for culture, community services and tourism, said: "The OZONE is an exciting, community-centred project which is geared around making the area more sustainable and a better place to live, work and play. This is hell of an exciting project. If we didn't think it was possible we wouldn't be going down this road. It would be unfair not to push this all the way on behalf of the community as it could radically change how we live and use energy in the coming years."

The project secured a development grant of £250k last August when it made it onto a shortlist of 23 ventures out of around 300 nationwide, bidding for millions of Lottery cash. The OZONE Partnership - the team behind the scheme, is in the process of preparing its final bid to the Big Lottery Fund for £25m. As part of the bid's preparation, the OZONE is taking its proposals and plans out on the road to gather people's comments and feedback.

Neil Horsley, spokesperson for the project said: "We're delighted to have got this far down the line. The assessors from the Big Lottery Fund are impressed with our ideas and the close consultation that has been undertaken with the local community. But now we need people from Nottingham to support us further by coming along to the roadshows and giving us their feedback on our designs and plans. If our bid is successful, the Ozone could really make a big difference to the quality of life in and around The Meadows and Embankment areas.

Key features:
- New facilities such as wind turbines, an Energy Learning Centre and Show Home which promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable efficiency.
- An iconic Riverside Pavilion building
- A new Sports Hub
- A Skatepark and children's play areas
- Café and restaurant facilities
- A revitalised park for the city

An exhibition of the proposal will be held daily in the following venues:
12 February (12noon - 8pm) Bridgeway Hall, Meadows
13 February (10am - 1pm) Portland Leisure Centre, Meadows
13 February (3pm - 6pm) Riverside Primary School, Meadows
14 February (12noon - 7pm) Council House, Market Square
15 February (9.30am - 5.30pm) Broadmarsh Centre, Nottingham
16 February (10am - 2pm) County Hall, West Bridgford
17 February (4pm - 8pm) Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, West Bridgford
19 February (4pm - 8pm) Muslim Centre, Meadows

Everyone* who takes part in the road show will be entered into a free prize draw with over 100 prizes to be won, from £150 A+ rated appliance voucher, gym passes, Attenborough Nature Reserve vouchers to Kangaroo tickets.

Alternatively visit nottinghamozone.com for details.

*Terms and conditions apply. Minimum age 18.