Work on a new boathouse, restaurant space and extended visitor car park at Kings Mill Reservoir, Sutton in Ashfield has started.
The first phase of building works is the construction of the extended car park, increasing capacity for the new building and outdoor adventure facilities, which started on 29 June 2023. An additional 136 parking spaces are set to be created bringing the total to 260 once complete. The overflow carpark will be closed from Monday 3 July for the duration of this phase of work.
The project forms part of Ashfield District Council’s £62.6million Towns Fund programme.
Construction of the new facility on the site of the old sailing club building, is due to start in a few months. The new building will provide modern, accessible changing facilities for water sports and a meeting/training room on the ground floor, with restaurant and function space on the first floor. The plans will support activities including sailing, paddleboarding, kayaking, and open water swimming at the reservoir. The new offering will allow more residents and visitors to Kings Mill Reservoir the opportunity to access water sports.
Since submitting the initial planning application, the Council has been undertaking surveys and site investigations at the sailing club building, including bat surveys, to ensure wildlife is protected and habitats are enhanced by the new facility. The new building will feature new bat roosts.
The new facilities are due to be completed during the summer of 2024. The new leisure facilities will complement the expansion of the Mill Adventure Base to include new outdoor activities.
The plans for the well-loved reservoir are just one of the 16 projects being funded by the £62.6m Towns Fund. The Council was successful in securing the funding from the government in June 2021, and since then have been developing business cases, designs, and plans for the planned projects.
Cllr Samantha Deakin, Executive Lead for Parks and Environmental Services said: “The plans for Kings Mill Reservoir are extremely exciting. We can’t wait to be able to open up the offer of a variety of great new activities to visitors. The location of the new restaurant offering will be a fantastic addition to the reservoir and will bring in even more visitors to Ashfield. I want to reassure residents that the demolition and construction phases of this project will be done sensitively to ensure none of the resident wildlife will be disturbed.”
Cllr Matthew Relf, Executive Lead for Growth, Regeneration and Local Planning said “This is another milestone for our plans to make Mill Waters one of the top tourist destinations in the East Midlands. We want to hear from clubs or individuals, who are keen to get involved in developing and running water sports activities at the reservoir. Please get in touch with the team if you are interested.”
Lindum Construction Manager Mark Robertson said: “We are looking forward to getting started on this project, which will result in a superb leisure attraction for local people. The restaurant will be in a fantastic location with views of the water. We have a strong pipeline of local subcontractors who will be working on this scheme with us so the Council’s investment will continue to circulate within the economy.
“It is good to be working with Ashfield District Council again. Lindum has delivered several housing schemes for the authority over the past three years and we’ve developed a strong relationship, based on openness, trust and successful delivery of projects.”
If you are interested in developing / delivering water sports activities at the reservoir, please contact: [email protected]
