By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
Mansfield District Council plans to increase taxi rank spaces in the town centre after saying it is becoming difficult for people to access cabs at “all times of day”.
The Labour-led authority has outlined a number of solutions to address the problem and says its plans come in a bid to improve taxi services as the town becomes a “visitor destination”.
Under the plans, due before the council’s licensing committee on Thursday (July 14), the authority proposes increasing the existing Queen’s Street rank back up to eight spaces.
The Queen’s Street taxi rank, behind the Old Town Hall, previously had its size reduced to four spaces to accommodate extra disabled car parking spaces.
But the council says these are no longer needed due to disabled spaces being created elsewhere in the town.
The council is also proposing the removal of the existing Hackney carriage rank at the former bus station, on Rosemary Street, due to a lack of demand as the site is redeveloped into fast-food takeaways and a hotel.
Susie Rhodes-Best, the council’s licensing manager, says the proposals will help visitors to the town as it undergoes a “radical transformation”.
In a report published ahead of Thursday’s meeting, she said: “Mansfield town centre has undergone a radical transformation with improvements being made to the Market Place and the Old Town Hall, with its car park being redeveloped and with further improvements being proposed.
“With these improvements, it is expected that the offering Mansfield has to give as a visitor destination will improve and therefore attract more visitors to the town centre and surrounding areas within the district.
“However, it is clear that despite these improvements to the town centre, the provision of taxi ranks and stands have not only failed to progress in equal measure but also have significantly fallen behind.
“It is a difficult proposition for people to find a convenient taxi rank at all times of day.”
If the plans are approved by councillors, the council must notify the police and publish proposals for a consultation in local newspapers.
It will also have to consider any objections and obtain permission from the landowner. Documents confirm permission has already been sought and Nottinghamshire County Council, the highways authority, supports the plan.
Alongside this taxi rank, the authority also has a rank on Quaker Way, near the new bus station, which has space for eight council-run taxis.
