High-quality apartments set for 'gateway' site close to Kirkby railway station

The land at Lane End, off Urban Road, close to Kirkby’s railway station, used to be occupied by The Wyvern social club, which was approved for demolition last October.

Originally, it was earmarked by Ashfield District Council for ‘a destination pub and function space’, to be known as the Station Inn to reflect the history of the railway and Kirkby’s industrial heritage.

But the current struggles of the pub industry resulted in very low interest within the hospitality market for such a plan, so the council decided this was not the best use for the site.

Now it is ready to submit a planning application this summer for the apartments in a scheme that would also “improve the openness and visibility of the station entrance”.

Coun Matthew Relf, the council’s executive lead member for growth, regeneration and local planning, said: “This is a huge project to improve an important gateway to west Kirkby, providing more high-quality, energy-efficient homes.

"We have carried out a lot of consultation with residents and councillors to find out what would be the best fit for this location.

"We listened to the feedback to the earlier plans for the ‘destination pub’ and redrafted our approach to ensure we deliver the right outcomes for our area.

“Work on this project is due to start in early 2026, delivering a landmark building at the entrance to Kirkby town centre and more footfall for our excellent town-centre businesses.

“This is one of the many ways we are breathing new life into the district.

"We have already seen the opening of the new Sherwood Observatory and Planetarium, which has been become an excellent and well-used facility, bringing people into Ashfield.

"Work is also well under way on many other regeneration projects, such the Cornerstone Theatre and the redesign of Portland Square. After so many years of bidding, securing funding and construction planning, it is fantastic to see these projects reaching their construction phase.”

All these projects are being paid for with the help of a £62 million grant from the government’s Towns Fund.

The Wyvern, which was built in 1961 for railway workers, was a popular social club in its heyday. But after being bought by the council in 2023, it was considered to be an eyesore on land ripe for redevelopment.

The council tried to help the social club to find new premises, but regulars were upset that it was being forced into extinction and branded the consultation a “whitewash”.

The ‘destination pub’ scheme hit the buffers amid the revelation that about 30 boozers were closing across the UK every week.

Explaining the rethink, Coun Relf said last September: “There is some nervousness due to the problems facing this sort of business. Some well-known pubs are doing well, but others are struggling.

"We have had some market interest for this new pub, but we are considering if a small residential or commercial project would make more sense.”

The apartments plan could complement improvements that are in the pipeline for Kirkby’s train station.

Network Rail is currently trying to source funding for the improvements, which would include changes to disabled access.

A previous bid for cash from Access For All, a programme to enhance stations for disabled passengers, was unsuccessful. But future funding opportunities will continue to be monitored.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We remain committed to seeing significant improvements at Kirkby which would benefit all visitors to the station and complement the other great developments in the area.

“The plans for these apartments would mean the station entrance space being upgraded, and this would give a glimpse of the more wide-scale, positive changes still to come.”

The site for the apartments is not to be confused for one nearby, where fast-food giants McDonald’s are hoping to open a new restaurant and takeaway on land formerly occupied by an engineering factory.