Historic pub in Mansfield could be given new lease of life with shop and cafe

The Pheasant Inn, on Chesterfield Road South, closed down at the end of 2019, since when there has been no interest on the commercial market in reviving it.

Various potential schemes have come and gone over the years. At one stage, even Starbucks looked into the possibility of turning the site into one of its coffee shops.

But a plan to convert the first and second floors of the building into four apartments (three one-bedroom and one two-bedroom) was granted permission by Mansfield District Council last October.

And now a planning application for the ground floor has been submitted to the council, seeking a change of use from pub to local convenience store with a small, integral coffee shop, complete with cafe-style seating.

The applicant is listed as Mr N.Jeevan, the owner of the site, and he has enlisted Jamie Foot, of the Derbyshire-based company, JF Planning Associates, as his agent.

A planning statement by JF says: “The property has been actively marketed by multiple agents since 2021 and no interest has been expressed in operating a pub at this location.

"The building has remained boarded up and on the open market since then.

"The proposal seeks an alternative use for the ground floor. It has been designed in a way that will cause minimal alterations to the building and preserve its historic appearance.”

According to The Lost Pubs Project website, the Pheasant Inn dates back to the 1750s when it was known as the Bricklayers Arms. It changed its name in 1828 and was altered in 1906.

JF says it is not a listed building and does not sit within a conservation area. But it is “an asset of historic merit”.

Limited alterations would be required to the interior, but these should be considered acceptable “when assessed against the positive of bringing the building back into use”.

The plan says the shop and cafe would be open every day from 6 am to 11 pm and would employ five full-time staff and four part-time.

A total of 15 parking spaces would be made available, including for the residents of the new apartments, as well as electric vehicle (EV) charging bays.

The council’s planning officers are currently considering the scheme and hope to make a decision or recommendation by their deadline date of Wednesday, October 15.

However, a spanner has already been thrown in the works by Nottinghamshire County Council’s highways department, which suggests that the plan has the potential to trigger traffic issues on Chesterfield Road South, which is a busy main road with “a high degree of commuter parking”.

A report by one of its officers calls for full, detailed plans to be drawn up to cover the management of parking and the arrangements for delivery vehicles. It also points out that parking spaces should be provided for disabled people.

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/