Plans for a new two-screen cinema, cafe and leisure hub have been unveiled for a Nottinghamshire town, with demolition potentially beginning as early as this autumn.
Newark and Sherwood District Council has tabled designs to demolish the Forest Centre, a Lloyds TSB bank on Forest Road, and the town hall on Sherwood Drive in Ollerton, replacing them with a major mixed-use development. The scheme is set to go before a planning meeting on 4 June.
The proposals would see two large buildings constructed in the area between Rufford Avenue and Forest Road. One would house up to seven small and medium-sized businesses on the first floor, with a retail unit, council offices, customer service area, meeting rooms and public lobby at ground level. The second building would be dedicated to the new cinema and an additional retail unit.
Three affordable council homes would also be built on the site of the former town hall.
Funding for the project comes from the former Conservative government's Levelling Up fund, as part of a wider regeneration effort for the town centre.
Paul Peacock, leader of the Labour-run district council, said: "This is another milestone. A lot of our coalfield towns and villages have been neglected over decades and my time as leader has been about how we can get investment into them."
Nottinghamshire County Council's highways department has raised concerns over parking demand in relation to the development, and improvements have been suggested as part of the process.
If approved, demolition and site clearance is expected to take place in autumn 2026, with construction beginning in winter and the project anticipated to complete by April 2028.