A derelict, Grade II listed former pub in the heart of Mansfield town centre could be transformed under new plans. The Dial, in Market Place, has been closed since December 2019 following an “extended period of poor trading”, developers say.
However, a new planning application submitted to Mansfield District Council wants to turn the site into a commercial space with expanded accommodation above. Maun River Developments Ltd has lodged the plans, saying the new scheme would include a commercial unit in the old pub and two floors of housing.
It says both upper floors would be converted into houses in multiple occupancy (HMOs), providing ten bedrooms in total. The building, which is Grade II-listed alongside several other sites in Mansfield, is of Georgian-era origins and already has some housing above.
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But the applicant says its new plans will make “better use of an underutilised building that is at risk of further deterioration”. Most of the ground floor, currently occupied by the bar, would be a commercial unit, entrance lobbies and bin and bike stores.
The applicant has not outlined which sort of business would take on the revamped commercial unit. But it says this part of the conversion would offer “the opportunity to reinstate activity and vitality in this part of the town centre”.
The two upper floors would then be converted into the two HMOs. One HMO would be based on the left of the building, providing four bedrooms, with the right side offering six bedrooms.
Each HMO would have kitchen and dining facilities, with the six-bed HMO featuring two kitchens, and most rooms would have en-suite bathrooms. The HMOs would be accessed separately but would share the ground-floor bin and cycle storage facilities.
External access via existing doorways off Market Place would be retained, the developer adds. In papers, it said: “The proposals will make better use of an otherwise underutilised building, that is at risk of further deterioration due to vacancy.
“The replacement of the closed public house at ground-floor with a commercial unit offers the opportunity to help to reinstate activity and vitality in this part of the town centre.
“[This is] alongside an improved supply and diversity of residential accommodation options through the use of the upper floors.”
“The approach to the internal reconfiguration of the property has been to retain existing fabric wherever possible, reinstate previously removed walls where appropriate and otherwise limit alterations to the internal fabric of the building.”
It added: “[The proposal] would make an important, if modest, contribution to economic growth within the town centre and boosting the supply of housing to help meet local needs. The improved choice of accommodation would contribute to maintaining mixed and balanced communities.
“The proposed conversion would help to ensure the building is retained and maintained in good order, halting what otherwise might be continued neglect and decline.” The proposals were submitted to the Labour-run authority on June 12 and will be discussed by the council at a later date.
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