Consultant to help Mansfield Council with scheme to make town centre ‘smart’

The authority has approved a £45,000 contract with AD Business Solutions to lead various elements of its ‘SMART Mansfield’ project.

The scheme is one of six projects being progressed through the authority’s £12.3 million Government-led Towns Fund pot.

Its aim is to encourage more people to visit and stay in the town, improve digital skills and “provide a platform for creating higher-value jobs”.

Its long-term aim also hopes to encourage employers to move to Mansfield, to improve the quality of life for residents and to boost connectivity.

It will lead to installing a Low Power Wide Area Network System, which will help people living and visiting the area.

The authority says this system will host digital information for businesses and visitors, while “contributing to the growth of the local economy”.

The project also will be used to improve internet connectivity both in the town centre and in rural areas.

It could also lead to live parking displays in town centre car parks, which a survey found was needed to prevent a “deterrent to visiting” the town.

Smart parking schemes may also offer discount and bulk-buy options for town centre businesses, pre-booking facilities and automated payment methods.

Documents also say a scheme could be created to offer an incentive for people to spend more time in the town centre.

There would also be learning tools available to residents to boost education and skills, alongside the introduction of smart waste and energy management.

Now the authority has confirmed a project manager has been identified to bring the scheme forward.

AD Business Solutions will support the council with the scheme.

In a report, the authority said: “This is a highly specialised appointment requiring skills and knowledge the council does not have internally.

“SMART Mansfield will enable a range of technological proposals to be developed.

The authority will allocate £1m from the Towns Fund pot for SMART Mansfield.

Separate fund projects include £3.27m to make Berry Hill Park a ‘destination’ and £750,000 on rebranding the town centre.

Andy Abrahams, Mansfield mayor, previously said: “These projects should eventually bring better connectivity to Mansfield and far-reaching improvements to help make this area a more vibrant place.”