Residents and shoppers react to plans to demolish Mansfield's 'eyesore' Rosemary Centre

Alongside the supermarket, a fast food takeaway unit will also be housed at the site.

The Rosemary Centre has stood in its current form for about 70 years and applicant Peveril Securities said it had reached the “end of its natural life”.

Iceland, the centre’s remaining tenant, has plans to relocate to St Peter’s Retail Park.

Residents largely agreed that change and reinvention was needed.

Kath Sitwell, a Mansfield resident, said: “It is a real eyesore. It is a good idea that it is being demolished and rebuilt.

“The Lidl is a good idea. I did like it when Argos was here. It was close to town and you could pop in when you were shopping.”

Mick Smith, another Mansfield resident, said: “They’ll just do what they want anyway. It seems like it is just deteriorating here.”

Mr Smith pointed out recent big changes to the town including the council’s plans to turn the former Beales site into a civic hub and the former Mansfield bus station £12M development on Stockwell Gate.

He said he felt like the future of the Rosemary Centre was still “uncertain.”

Philip Hollywood, another Mansfield shopper, said: “This has been like this for so many years. It is unreal how they haven’t put some sort of investment into this, bringing it into some sort of use, if only converting it for the local homeless. There could be many uses for it. It needs some sort of think tank to generate ideas.”