Gheorghe Ciuhandu, The Mayor of Timisoara, Romania, will visit Nottingham in October to learn more about planning and regeneration in the City.

The Mayor (the equivalent of Nottingham City Council’s Leader and Chief Executive) will be in Nottingham from Monday 6 to Thursday 9 October along with the Director for Development and senior colleagues to spend time with Derek Martin, Director for Regeneration, the Regeneration Service, Planning and Urban Design Team and the Museums Service at the City Council to share Nottingham’s experience and best practice in planning for urban and neighbourhood regeneration, as well as restoration of historic sites and buildings.

The trip follows on from a spring visit by Derek Martin and colleagues when they held a ‘Seminar on Urban Regeneration’ in Timisoara. The activity was supported by the UK Embassy in Romania, who is currently working to support Romanian cities to make links with UK cities to share best practice, particularly in areas such as urban and neighbourhood regeneration.

The delegation will also include the President of the Timis Chamber of Commerce and 8 businesses looking for trade, partnership and investment opportunities in Nottingham and the wider region. This element of the visit will be organised between the City Council, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Chamber of Commerce and UK Trade and Investment.

Nottingham City Council will be hosting a reception to officially welcome the Mayor and the President of the Timis Chamber of Commerce in the Senate Chamber at the University of Nottingham’s Trent Building on Tuesday October 7 from 5.30pm. Key speakers include Nottingham City Council’s Chief Executive, Jane Todd, the Direction for Regeneration, as well as the Mayor of Timisoara himself.

Derek Martin, Director for Regeneration at Nottingham City Council, said: “This visit from the Mayor of Timisoara and his team is a real opportunity for Nottingham to share its best practice and experience in regeneration with our new European colleagues. We are looking forward to showcasing the work that we have been doing here in Nottingham, and have put together a varied programme, covering neighbourhood regeneration, planning and urban design and restoration of historic sites and buildings - I hope to see this visit leading to a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with the city of Timisoara in the future.”

All media are welcome to attend the reception for photograph and interview opportunities.