Town square revamp to be completed 'in May'

Ashfield District Council said the design would allow people to socialise and relax in a "pleasant environment"

Work to renovate a town square which once featured a sundial billed as the largest in Europe will be completed in May 2025, the council has said.

Portland Square, in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, is being rebuilt to provide "much-needed greenery" to the town and attract more visitors.

Ashfield District Council previously indicated the work would be finished by Christmas 2024 but a spokesperson told the BBC there had been "a few delays".

"The new and improved Portland Square, alongside our other regeneration investments, will vastly transform Sutton town centre," the authority said in a statement.

The council said access for businesses and emergency services had been maintained

The council also said new lighting and CCTV cameras would deter antisocial behaviour and improve safety, which it acknowledged as a "concern" of people.

Jen Blasdale, 43, said she was optimistic the development would help the town, but she felt it would not be a "fix-all".

"It's really nice that they're doing something to the area, that they're tidying up a little bit, making it look cleaner," she said.

"[But] we need more shops, probably better shops... I just think a bit more variety of places to go, if you're meeting a friend somewhere there's not much to go and look around."

Alan Belcher said there needs to be more attractions to draw people into the town

Alan Belcher, who has lived in the town for seven years, said the scheme could have been promoted better.

"If there had been some signs up here with pictures with what they intended it to be in the end, it wouldn't have been so bad," said the 76-year-old.

"The whole town sort of seems to be, not dying, but it's getting that way," he added.

Ashfield District Council said the space had been designed to create opportunities for local businesses and to foster a community atmosphere.

Meanwhile the sundial which once took up the space has been scrapped, the council previously said, because it was "impossible" to relocate without breakage.

The metal work was weighed in, and the money given to John Eastwood Hospice.

The super-sized sundial was removed in 2024