Sherwood Observatory: Work on new £5m planetarium due to begin

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

Work is due to start on a new £5m planetarium in Nottinghamshire by the end of the month.

Plans for the facility at Sherwood Observatory, off Coxmoor Road, in Sutton-in-Ashfield, were approved by Ashfield District Council in March.

A disused underground Victorian reservoir will also be refurbished to create an education centre.

The Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society (MSAS) submitted the plans last November.

A disused underground Victorian reservoir will be refurbished to create an education centre as part of the project

The MSAS and the council have been working together on the project, which has been funded through government grants.

The 10m-wide planetarium will sit on the reservoir's roof and be able to accommodate 60 people per show.

It is hoped the facility - which will also include an exhibition hall with classrooms, meeting rooms and conference rooms - will become a regional tourism hub for school groups and space fanatics, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It will be a separate building to an existing astronomical observatory, which opened in 1986.

'Great tourist destination'

The council confirmed construction will begin in the coming weeks.

Matt Relf, lead member for economic regeneration at the authority, said: "This is going to be a regional centre of excellence.

"It will be teaching and inspiring kids and adults in STEM subjects, of which the observatory already does brilliant outreach work with schools.

"This is going to be able to supercharge that and also be a great tourist destination."

It is hoped the facility will become a regional tourism hub for school groups and space fanatics