By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
A former pub in Mansfield’s Market Place will be converted into a business and flats, despite concern from councillors over vulnerable people who may move in.
The Dial has been vacant since it closed in 2019, and Mansfield District Council’s planning committee was told on Monday (January 15) the new scheme would help regenerate the area.
However, some councillors expressed concern there would be “violence waiting to happen” for vulnerable people who moved in to the flats.
They will be four and six-bed homes of multiple occupancy – known in planning terms as HMOs – on the first and second floors, with the ground floor pub converted into a commercial unit.
The property is located between two other pubs in the town centre, and the area has a high crime rate, the committee heard.
However, council officers warned it would be difficult to prove tenants would be at risk, and the council would likely lose any appeal against rejecting the plan.
Councillor Richard Tempest-Mitchell (Lab) said: “The elephant in the room is that this building is between two pubs which are open to 2am some nights.
“That is very different to living next to Marks & Spencer’s.
“Having worked with autistic people in schools, I worry about putting vulnerable people in a hotspot like this.
“It’s a danger for this type of residents to put in that spot – there’s violence waiting to happen.”
Councillor Jack Stephenson (Lab) said: “This area is in the 99 percentile for crime, violence and drugs.
“There is a genuine concern that we would be putting vulnerable people in this property.”
A council officer said: “When we talk about HMOs, there’s a perception about who lives there, but it’s difficult to find evidence. They may be students or people who work in the town centre. “
The application was compared to Bassetlaw District Council’s decision to refuse a children’s homes in high-crime areas, which was overturned on appeal.
The Mansfield applicant James Cross, a Nottinghamshire construction manager, told the committee: “We want to take a building that’s been vacant for a long time and bring it back to life.
“There is strong demand for HMOs from young people and professionals, and these schemes will deliver high quality housing.”
Agent Jessica Heard said the property would be designed to reduce crime and keep residents safe.
The application was approved by six votes to two.
Councillors also granted permission to make changes to the listed building as long as the pub’s historic Mansfield Brewery sign was preserved.
Councillor Caroline Ellis (Lab) said: “There aren’t many of these left – we don’t want it to end up in a skip if it’s the last one.”
It may be either kept on the building or donated to Mansfield Museum.
