Posted on 27th Feb
Newark and Sherwood District Council is one step closer to transforming the empty former M&S building in Newark town centre.
It hopes to soon appoint a developer to progress 32 Stodman Street into a hub, made up of homes and retail units.
The plans are for 29 high-quality residential homes as well as two refurbished retail units.
Coun David Lloyd, co-chair of Newark Town Board and district council leader at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “We want our town centres to have a thriving future where living, working, shopping, leisure, and enjoyment come together.
While Newark performs well compared to the UK average for numbers of vacant town centre retail units, it’s important that we continue to do all we can to attract people.
“Retail change shouldn’t mean town centre decline. It should be an opportunity. By repurposing an important site in the centre of the town, we hope to inject new life in the area with the aim to make the heart of Newark a great place to live and shop.
“Newark is unique and has so much to offer already with fantastic independent retails sitting alongside national stores, but this development really will add to the vitality of our historic market town.
“I am delighted that we are hoping to appoint a building contractor imminently and that work will hopefully start this summer.”
Already the council has completed preliminary work at the empty site, including the removal of large amounts of asbestos and clearance of partition walls.
Subject to Cabinet approval and agreement with the appointed contractor, work on the site could commence in late summer. The construction phase is likely to begin around Christmas with completion in summer 2025.
The Stodman Street development is one of many projects being funded by Newark Towns Board’s successful application to the Government’s Towns Fund initiative. It is being delivered by he district council.
Other projects include the £3m restoration of Newark Castle, a £2.1m cultural project for town centre events, and the £4.4m Newark Gateway project aiming to bring business and employment opportunities to Newark.
