Developers given green light to build hotel on former Mansfield bus station as part of £12m regeneration

Members of Mansfield District Council’s Planning Committee granted permission for property developers, ARBA to transform the Stockwell Gateway into a six-storey, 100-bedroom hotel, with three restaurants and car parking spaces.

The £12 million proposals to develop Mansfield town centre also include building direct pedestrian access to the existing Walkden Street car park and revamping walkways to the Four Seasons Shopping Centre.

Work is expected to begin on the former bus station in Spring 2021, as contracts with tenants are set to be signed and finalised within the next few weeks according to ARBA.

Managing director Richard Burns said: “We are delighted that permission has been granted and that an area of our town centre will be regenerated.

"It’s a major scheme that not only brings much-needed hotel beds to Mansfield, but one that has the potential to create hundreds of jobs.”

Director at ARBA Andrew Allen added: “For the past few years we have worked hard, with a lot of partners and with the local authority, to create a scheme that works for Mansfield.

"We have also continued to progress the scheme during the very trying months of this year, so gaining permission is welcome news.”

The project is estimated to inject around £5 million into the local economy every year, the property developers have said.

ARBA was nominated as the preferred developer by Mansfield District Council after a selection process.

Executive Mayor of Mansfield Andy Abrahams commented: “This is a welcome step forward in approving a development that will regenerate a major gateway site into the town centre and support the visitor economy.

“Mansfield has long needed more hotel beds and this scheme would deliver that as well as bringing new jobs in both the hotel and adjoining retail and restaurant sites, aligning with the council’s Growth agenda to encourage more inward investment in the district.

“Along with the forward-thinking plans in the Town Investment Plan and the expected investment in the town centre from the government’s Towns Fund and Future High Street Fund, the ARBA scheme for this long under-used site will help to revitalise our town centre and put in a good position to capitalise on the way high streets nationally are evolving in the face of changes to the way people use them.

"We look forward to work commencing at the earliest opportunity and seeing this exciting scheme come forward in the near future.”

CEO of Mansfield BID Nikki Rolls said: “It’s wonderful news for Mansfield town centre and shows genuine confidence in what the whole area is trying to achieve.

"This development should be a catalyst for change, along with the government’s Towns Fund and Future High Street Fund.”

ARBA worked with architects Isle Design, planning consultant Pegasus Planning, and highways and engineering advisors at Ardent Consulting Engineers for the £12 million regeneration project.

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