Nuneaton’s famous dandelion fountain won’t be moved as traffic plan ‘paused indefinitely’

Nuneaton’s iconic fountain will not be moved. The water feature – which has even won awards – had to be relocated due to planned works in the Corporation Street area.

The plans were first revealed in 2020 as part of a huge £21m investment in the city’s road network and would have seen work to remove the roundabout, where the fountain proudly sits for dozens year old.

But Warwickshire County Council has confirmed that not only will the Dandelion Fountain, crowned Britain’s best roundabout in 2016, remain in place, but traffic plans have been “suspended indefinitely”.

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This is due to lack of cash to pay for the works. A Shire Hall spokesman said: “The scheme at Corporation Street was amended some time ago to keep the roundabout in place, therefore negating the need to remove the Dandelion Fountain water feature.

“However, this scheme currently has no funding to continue at this time and is therefore being discontinued indefinitely.”

The Wheat Street plan will still go ahead

While the work on Corporation Street is unlikely to go ahead, the Wheat Street project will go ahead. Last year, the county council confirmed that the planned roadworks were under review.

But he confirmed the project, which is to provide a fourth arm at the existing three-arm signalised junction, would go ahead. It comes after developer funding has been secured.

Now the local authority says it is working to secure the land needed to bring the improvements forward. Councilor Jan Matecki, cabinet member for transport and planning, said: “I am delighted that the Wheat Street scheme looks set to go ahead, it is essential for taking traffic out of the city center and supporting pedestrian and cycle access. Transforming Nuneaton is about a bright and positive future for the town center and this scheme will play an important part in making that happen.”

There are wider plans for the area, including proposals for an ‘Ovalabout’ to replace the current one-way roundabout in Leicester Road. But this has yet to be funded and would include moving the Empire Gym from its current home.

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