Former 'grotspot' in Sutton town centre has new life

The building on Low Street, Sutton, has been transformed by Ashfield Council as part of its £6.27 million Future High Streets Fund and is the first of the four projects from the funding to be completed.

The renovations started in September 2022 to create two new commercial units on the ground floor, with two apartments on the first floor.

The former Yorkshire Bank building had been empty since the company announced a raft of branch closures in 2019.

The refurbishments to the ground floor included new windows, doors, and painting the exterior, as well as extensive internal work to transform the space from a bank and its vault to a blank canvas ready for the new occupants.

The ground floor units have been leased out by a local family and the business will soon open its doors. The new local entrepreneur will be announced in the coming weeks.

As part of the Towns Fund Green Ashfield initiative, the building has had photovoltaic panels installed on the roof to create clean renewable energy, reducing the carbon footprint and energy use of the building.

Coun Matthew Relf, council executive lead member for regeneration and corporate transformation, said: “We are thrilled to announce our first Future High Streets Fund projects has been completed. Since receiving the funding we have been working away in the background to ensure that the money is spent on projects that will benefit residents of Ashfield.

“This building was an eyesore and a waste of valuable retail space on one of Sutton’s main streets, so we are glad to have transformed this site. Soon other work should begin on Low Street which we hope will kickstart a transformation of this end of Sutton.

“As the year progresses, residents will be able to see even more changes and improvements taking place across the district.”