Plan to redevelop Worksop shopping centre has 'massive potential' says Levelling Up minister

Levelling Up minister Dehenna Davison was joined by Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith, and David Armiger, Bassetlaw Council chief executive, for a tour of Worksop’s Priory Shopping Centre, which is set to be transformed as part of an £18 million Levelling Up project in the town.

The funding will initially focus on the redevelopment of the shopping centre, including the creation of a new family-focused leisure facility with activities such as tenpin bowling, indoor soft play, a trampoline park and café.

The scheme will look to retain existing occupiers and bring in new tenants for empty units.

The works will also create a new towpath link along the nearby Chesterfield Canal, improve a green corridor through the town centre and bring two sites forward for the development of new apartments and townhouses.

Ms Davison told your Guardian: “I’ve come to Worksop to mark the fact Worksop is getting £18m from the Levelling Up fund which is super exciting and something I know the local council and the local MPs are very excited about.

“I love the Levelling Up fund because it does what it says on the tin and here in Worksop it’s about developing the town centre, bringing in more footfall and breathing new life back into the Priory Centre and making the town centre a place where local people are really proud to come and visit.

“After having signed it off on pen and paper I’m happy to have come to see it in person and see the vision for what it’s going to look like.

“The thing I’m most excited to see is the redevelopment of the square section near the canal. Open up that space and make it a really lovely place to come and bring the family, have a bite to eat but also linked into the shopping centre which will hopefully drive in more footfall and give those shops even more of a fighting chance to.

“I think it’s going to be a really great thing and I can’t wait to come back once it’s finished.

“It’s been a tough few years for retail and we’ve seen it right across the country.

“I think the face of our high streets are changing and it’s important we recognise that in Government and on the ground and that’s why we’re putting cash in to try and redevelop.

“High streets are moving more towards mixed use. We’ve seen some other things coming in, the police are back in town, we’ve got the Bridge Skills Hub to bring in people who are on training.

“It’s all part of the wider package to get more people coming on to the high street to drive that footfall and make sure the shops have got people wandering past and keep them alive.

“I think this has got massive potential and we’ve seen Levelling Up fund money put to good use all over the country to drive through these type of projects.

“Seeing the potential and seeing the ambition of people here to drive up the town centre and bring it back to its former glory has been fantastic.”