Shoppers welcome council's vision to revitalise Mansfield town centre

The 106-page document outlines Mansfield District Council’s vision for the future, including a number of new projects to reshape some of the town centre’s key sites.

The draft plan goes before the authority’s scrutiny committee before a public consultation is launched in October, which will allow residents to put forward their views.

We spoke to residents about the plans.

Karen Bingham has lived in the area her whole life and says it’s ‘about time’ something was done to revitalise the town centre.

The 51-year-old said: “I’m glad something is finally being done, Mansfield used to be a great place to live and shop, but it’s gone downhill.

"It’s about time we started to see some improvements, they should never have got rid of the indoor market in the first place.

"Hopefully if the town looks a bit nicer, big brands will want to come here and make it a decent place to shop.”

Others were concerned about the accommodation plans.

Steve Robertson, who moved to the area ten years ago, said: “I think, overall, the plans are good, but I’m not sure about these apartments they keep talking about.

"I don’t think we need students, we need families who are going to spend money.

"I like the idea of moving the Four Seasons shops into empty spaces though, some of the units have been an eyesore for as long as I’ve lived here.

"If we can make the high street more attractive, more people will shop here and spend their cash.

"It’s in desperate need of money spending on it.”

Beryl Hartshorne also commented on the plans.

She said: “I’ve lived here my whole life – 75 years – and it’s sad how run down it is now.

"We used to have a busy market and lots of different shops, but now I only come into town if I need the post office or the bank.

"It would be lovely to have some decent shops and to get a market back and busy again.

"They should never have got rid of the old indoor market, so I’m glad they are looking at that as an option.”

What do you think to the plans?

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