Construction of new planetarium nears completion

The facility has been funded by grants from the government

Construction of a new £5m planetarium in Nottinghamshire is nearly complete.

Work at Sherwood Observatory, off Coxmoor Road in Sutton-in-Ashfield, began in August 2023.

Dr Steve Wallace, project manager, said the planetarium was "now becoming a reality" and was on track to be completed in November.

Newly-released images have shown the progress made.

Dr Steve Wallace, project manager, said the project is "now becoming a reality"

The finished scheme will have a science discovery centre featuring an underground exhibition space in the Victorian reservoir, a café and the planetarium on top.

On Thursday, The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) was shown inside the planetarium and said it included a 59-seat dome that will have a screen with a 10 metre (32.8ft) diameter.

The Sherwood Observatory opened in 1986 and will have the first new planetarium of its size in the UK in more than a decade, bosses said.

The LDRS said £2m had been invested in the project from the authority’s £62.6m Towns Fund pot, secured from the government in 2021.

A further £3.1m was provided through the government Levelling Up Fund in January 2023.

Dr Steve Wallace (left) , pictured with councillor Matt Relf, said the scheme had exceeded expectations

Dr Wallace said: “Having an active observatory and a planetarium is almost unique in the entire country, so this is something really special."

"I’ve been looking at the designs on paper for a long time and now it’s becoming a reality, it’s exceeding expectations.”

Councillor Matt Relf, from Ashfield District Council, said: “It’s absolutely brilliant for the area and the region because we don’t have a planetarium around here.

“Schools, families and tourists, will be able to come and inspire that next generation of scientists and engineers."

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