Station green dream delight
MANSFIELD residents have welcomed plans for “greener” space near the town’s railway station as part of council regeneration plans.
Mansfield District Council’s scheme to invigorate the town centre includes sprucing up the station and creating a new “Station Square”.
The hope is that this could improve the experience of arriving in the town for rail passengers.
There could also be secure cycle parking and a taxi rank closer to the station. Residents are largely impressed. Retired Ian Hurst, 75, said: “It can’t be a bad idea.
“The thought of more green space near the station sounds pleasant – it’s something we could do more with. I love wildlife.
“Yes a taxi rank seems good as well. I use taxis to get about and it’s much preferable to getting a bus.
“Trains aren’t too frequent and you don’t want to be missing yours because you’ve had to get a bus.”
Grace Jones, 40, said: “Anything that’s going to improve Mansfield I would get behind.
“We need a more welcoming scene that will make people want to come here.
“Greenery would be more appealing than a dingy old car park or a pub.”
The Midland Hotel – next to the station since the 1800s – will also have a new green space or tree planting at the front.
But not everybody was enthused.
Retired 75-year-old Ken Slack, of Bull Farm, said: “It sounds like a waste of money to me.
“They’re building a hotel where the old bus station was and that’s a waste too.
“Nobody is going to come to Mansfield because they’ve gone and built some green space near the station.
“The money could be spent on other things. The market is absolutely rubbish as well. It’s not what it used to be. They could start by improving that first.”
The hotel and the station are both Grade Two-listed buildings, but the surrounding areas are more of a concern to the council.
The council’s 100-page redevelopment masterplan document reads: “The pedestrian route from the train station to the town centre is also unclear and involves crossing wide roads around the rear of the bus station.”