Work began on 21st of February to install street lights on the Station road after a student led campaign put pressure on Nottinghamshire County Council in April 2014.
The campaign accumulated 1,555 signatures for the petition submitted to the Council as 92% of people surveyed in 2013 described the road as ‘dangerous’ and ‘unsafe’.
‘The students here at Sutton Bonington have campaigned on the issue for a long time and we are delighted that we have been able to work collaboratively with the community…’
Student Jess Warren (Campaigns Officer from Sutton Bonington Guild at the Students’ Union) stated: ‘The students here at Sutton Bonington have campaigned on the issue for a long time and we are delighted that we have been able to work collaboratively with the community to make this a reality. It is fantastic to see the work now happening.’
The campaign was able to bring together a variety of local stakeholders such as the Sutton Bonington and Kingston upon Soar Parish Councils and also a commitment from the University of Nottingham to provide up to £50,000 which led to the success of the campaign.
‘This is a great example of how partnership working can lead to positive change in local communities.’
Soar Valley Councillor Andrew Brown, a key champion of the campaign, stated: ‘I am very proud to see these works commence and I was very happy to present the petition to Nottinghamshire County Council. This is a great example of how partnership working can lead to positive change in local communities.’
The success came off the back of the launch of the Student Manifesto bringing together the needs of students with local politicians.
Hannah Eves
Images: Impact Images
