Plans for a new boathouse and an 80-seat restaurant have been given the green light by Ashfield District Council’s Planning Committee.
The plans form part of Ashfield District Council’s £62.6m Towns Fund projects.
Plans to demolish the former sailing club building at Kings Mill Reservoir were also approved.
The new building will provide modern, accessible changing and storage facilities for water sports on the ground floor, with a dedicated space for a restaurant 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 for the plans in 2022, 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 include new bat roosts, bird nesting boxes, and a replacement open-front pole-mounted kestrel nesting box.
Construction of the new extended car park to accommodate the new leisure building will begin in May 2023, with the demolition of the sailing club building beginning later this year. The construction of the new building, on the site of the sailing club building, is due to start in late summer.
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 which will be operational in 2023.
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 Member for Parks, Town Centres 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 Member for Regeneration and Corporate Transformation, said: “This is another positive step 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.”
