Heanor town centre car park reopens after six-month closure

The finished Heanor Market Place scheme is still a month away

The car park at a marketplace in Derbyshire has reopened.

However, ongoing works to the centre of Heanor are now expected to run until late May.

A revamp of the outdoor space has been ongoing since October, with delays pushing the initial April date for completion back.

Amber Valley Borough Council is carrying out the £17.8m town centre regeneration project supported by the government's Future High Streets Fund.

It says that issues with drainage on the site, an unidentified gas main being found, and unexpected work to support underground cabling through the site have contributed to the delays.

Poor weather has also made progress slower than anticipated.

'Transformative impact'

The scheme is designed to create an outdoor space that attracts people to the town centre, and to overhaul the toilets and car park, which reopened on Monday.

Bus stops will also be reinstated.

A council spokesman said: "We acknowledge the inconvenience caused by the ongoing work in the town centre, we know how disruptive this has been.

"However, we remain optimistic about the transformative impact it will have on Heanor.

"This marks the beginning of a bright future for our town, with more positive schemes and projects in the pipeline for this year."