Flats plan for distinctive building in Mansfield Woodhouse town centre

Located on High Street, the prominent building, which is close to a multitude of shops and businesses, was sold at auction in December for £129,000.

The ground floor houses three shops, which are let, and now Mansfield District Council has received a planning application to convert the offices on the first floor into a couple of one-bedroom, self-contained apartments.

It is unclear who the buyer was, but planning papers list the applicant as Mr A. Marshall, while his agent is listed as Mr D. Harding, of Sutton.

At the time of the sale, the businesses occupying the ground floor were the Hair Vibes salon, chiropodist Alison Whittingham and the mobile-repair store, We Fix Fones.

A planning statement says: “The proposal seeks to bring under-utilised commercial space into meaningful residential use, providing high-quality, smaller-scale housing in a sustainable location.

"The conversion would enhance the vitality of High Street by increasing evening footfall and ensuring the building remains in a good state of repair.

"Both flats would be designed to meet housing standards, and all habitable rooms (bedrooms and living areas) would benefit from large existing windows.

"The proposal also incudes a dedicated internal or rear-courtyard bin-storage area, ensuring that refuse sacks would not be left on the High Street pavement.”

The building sits within the Mansfield Woodhouse Conservation Area, so external changes would be kept to a minimum, says the statement.

There was no on-site parking, but “the proposal adopts a car-free approach,” says the statement, adding: “The site is less than a ten-minute walk from Mansfield Woodhouse railway station and is served by frequent bus routes.”

In conclusion, the statement says: “The proposal would preserve the heritage of the conservation area while providing much-needed housing.”

The council’s planning officers are currently considering the scheme and have set a deadline date of Friday, May 8 for a decision or recommendation to be made.

THE details of many planning applications can be found in public notices advertised by local and regional newspapers. To catch up on all the latest public notices, go to https://publicnoticeportal.uk/