Kier completes first phase at Mansfield Connect

A former department store has been handed back to the local authority, ahead of the next stage of a flagship Nottinghamshire town centre regeneration project.

The Mansfield Connect scheme will see the former Beales department store at Stockwell Gate and Queen Street and parts of the former Co-op building redeveloped into a civic hub building, aimed at stimulating further investment and growth in Mansfield.

Kier Group has now signed off on phase one of the works, which has included asbestos works, removal of former pedestrian link bridges and a full strip out of the department store.

The next stage of the project will see facade improvements where the link bridges once stood, ahead of a full planning application for the Mansfield Connect building.

“This has been a complex task, at a site in a busy town centre location, and maintaining public safety throughout has been our priority,” said Mansfield’s Mayor Andy Abrahams.

“Our partnership with Kier has been of the highest standard and we thank Kier for their positive engagement throughout, with us as a Council, with local businesses and with members of the Mansfield public.

“I’m looking forward to the next phase with much excitement. It will transform the town and make it a better place to work and live.”

The council bought up the former department store in 2021, and the project has been backed by £20m from the government’s Levelling Up Fund. The total cost of the scheme is expected to run to at least £30m.

Kier was awarded the contract for phase one of the works, including design and redevelopment of the Beales building, in March, 2024.

Tony Shenton, acting managing director for Kier Construction Eastern & Midlands said: “This marks a key milestone for the Mansfield Connect project, and Kier is proud to have supported the Council in preparing the site so they can move forward with securing planning permission for the next stage.”