A popular building in Newark Town Centre will be given a new lease of life as the district council aims to increase the visitorshopping experience in the town centre.

Previously, 14 Market Place traded as The Little Tea Pot café and sits in a prominent location in the heart of Newark.

A need to focus on tackling unused retail units and improving the Market Place is a top priority for the council as well as residents, according to its recent public consultation on Newark Town Centre, which had feedback from more than 1,500 residents.

Plans for the refurbishment will see the entire property given a revamp with the ground floor retained as commercial space and the upper floor refurbished into a shell fit out to consider it for a wide range of future uses.

The council said it was investing in refurbishing the building in its bid to ensure, where possible, properties are not left unused and town centre opportunities are maximised.

Coun Matthew Spoors, portfolio holder for Sustainable Economic Development, said: “This is another perfect example where we’re being proactive in supporting our town centre and are investing in a prominent building to bring it back into use. It sits in a key location, and we hope that once the refurbishment has been completed, we’ll see it adding value to the town centre once again.

“Again, we’re taking action in transforming a previously empty building and transforming it into a site that encourages investment. While we own very few units in the town centre, where we do, such as the Buttermarket, we’ve secured fantastic tenants such as Tambo Lounge, Iguazu, Specsavers, and Inspire. Work on the former M&S building on Stodman Street is also showing great promise as we hope to breathe new life into the town centre.

“If you head down the A1 to other similar market towns you won’t see this level of support anywhere. It can be easy to criticise for not doing enough, but we are doing so much to support our local businesses and to encourage people to visit our high streets.”

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