Place Board and Towns Fund

Towns Fund

Following the Making Mansfield Place Board’s submission to central Government, the district has received Towns Fund allocations total of £12.3m for five projects which will be completed by 2025.

The Place Board, which features representatives from a wide range of partner organisations, has agreed the 13 projects that would benefit from the Government’s Towns Fund.

The projects collectively tackle the economic challenges the district faces including skills, employment, job creation and making physical improvements and changes as part of a place shaping agenda. The priority projects come under five key themes for improvement - town centres, skills and growth, transport and connectivity, health and wellbeing, and identity and brand. Find out more about the projects from page 65 in our strategic narrative (opens in new window).

The Towns Fund gives the council and its partners an opportunity to fundamentally transform the future economy for people living and working in Mansfield. These projects bring new jobs, upskilling and improved technology to make Mansfield a more vibrant place to live and visit.

The priority projects

Berry Hill Destination Park

Berry Hill Destination Park will receive £2.94m towards a total project of £3.27m to redevelop Berry Hill Park. The project includes a new visitor centre, café, play area and event performance space along with repairs to pathways.

The project aims to embrace the opportunity to evolve Mansfield’s story to become a place where people can live happier and healthier lives. The project will include landscaping of areas of the park and the creation of a dedicated picnic area and outdoor school facility.

Match funding is being sought from the private sector through sponsorship, funding from charitable trusts or other philanthropic sources or partnership funding from commercial operators. This is to obtain £261,000 of match funding. £70,000 has been awarded from the DLUHC for a Changing Places facility.

This project will be managed by Mansfield District Council, the Place Board, Project Steering Group, Project Sponsor, Project Manager, Professional Team and Works Contractor.

Destination Mansfield

Destination Mansfield has a £500k Town’s Fund allocation to deliver around £750k of investment to redefine and reposition Mansfield as a place to live, work and visit. The project includes a new place strategy and branding for the district and a range of improved event and cultural activities over three years including trails, arts and festivals, to inspire and energise residents and to attract people from outside the district to visit.

The Destination Mansfield Branding Programme will bring together the principles of place branding, place making and place shaping in a strategic place plan for Mansfield which will provide a unifying vision, a roadmap for place making initiatives and one compelling narrative.

£215,000 is being provided as co-funding from Mansfield District Council.  This is from the existing Marketing and Communications Budget plus staff time from the Marketing and Communications Manager, Senior PR Officer and Communication Officer.

Warsop Health Hub

Warsop Health Hub is an £8.2m project which will receive £3m from the Towns Fund to help build a new health and fitness centre in Warsop. The project will address the lack of formal pay and play facilities in the area and improve access to health and wellbeing activities since the closure of Meden Sports Centre.

The aim is to support and facilitate healthier lifestyles in Warsop through the provision of a swimming pool, mixed use games area, fitness suite and a multi-purpose sports hall and studio on a site with pre-existing outdoor recreational activities. The project is supported by Sport England and Mansfield District Council.

This project will be funded with £3m from the Towns Fund, £1.5m of from reserves from Mansfield District Council and potential support of £1.5m from Sport England. Mansfield District Council overall have approval to use Reserves combined with Prudential borrowing up to £3.5m. Also exploring other potential funding sources.

Smart Mansfield

SMART Mansfield is a £1m allocation, solely funded by the Towns Fund, to design and implement a Low Power Wide Area Network across the district to enable smart technology and improve connectivity for people living and visiting the area. The project will deliver specific improvements including smart parking and improved connectivity in rural areas.

Utilisation of a Long Range Wide Area Network will increase operational benefits for all partners and will be available for start-up and SMEs to utilise, to develop and offer new products and services.

West Nottinghamshire College Future Technology Centre

Future Technology and Skills Exchange is an £8.86m project which is due to receive £4.3m from the Towns Fund to create new teaching space to deliver Level 3 and above qualifications, a new technology centre where students and businesses can work together on projects to support the increased use of technology, and provide local businesses with access to the College's technology which will be used to support product and process innovation.

The centre will be located at the Chesterfield Road Campus of Vision West Nottinghamshire College. Working with Nottingham Trent University the site will support the use of increased technology and process innovation. The local workforce will be upskilled and ready to support the future labour needs of the area.

This project will address:

  • The low level of skills attainment in Mansfield and the impact on residents and the local economy - Mansfield is well below the national average for workers with level 3 and above qualifications.
  • The need to support local businesses upskill their staff
  • The need to support local businesses to adopt new technology to make them more competitive and profitable

This project will be funded by £3,827,000 of match-funding secured from the ESFA. West Nottinghamshire College is making a capital contribution of £306,554 and a revenue contribution of £30,000. Nottingham Trent University is contributing £25,000 revenue funding – confirmation from NTU required. In addition, there is a land contribution of £372,400.

Supporting documents

In partnership with Vision West Nottinghamshire College, we have created a short video featuring key partners talking about the Towns Fund bid.

Watch our Towns Fund video

Submission documents

Towns Fund project information

Government Offer Letter