Sherwood Observatory: Plans for planetarium approved by council

The new attraction will be built at Sherwood Observatory in Sutton-in-Ashfield

A £5m planetarium will be built after planning permission was granted.

The Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society (MSAS) submitted the plans in November last year for the new facility at Sherwood Observatory in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.

A disused underground reservoir will now become an education centre designed to attract thousands of visitors.

Ashfield District Council's planning committee unanimously backed the proposals at a meeting on Wednesday.

Some of the funding for the project comes from the Towns Fund programme

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said MSAS and the council were working together on the project, which is supported by about £2m from the £62m Towns Fund pot secured by the council in 2021 and a further £3.1m from the Levelling Up Fund in January.

MSAS previously said the new centre will be "a jewel in the crown of the local visitor economy, creating a unique tourist attraction that will be out of this world".

The planetarium, which will be 10m (32ft) wide, would sit on the reservoir's roof and could accommodate 60 people per show.

It will be a separate building to an existing astronomical observatory, which opened in 1986 and is located near Coxmoor Golf Club on one of Nottinghamshire's highest pieces of land.

Council leader Jason Zadrozny backed the plans, saying they will "change the life chances for generations to come".