Sad fate for popular town centre chippy
Plus: New adventure attraction opens in district
Good morning and welcome to your Monday briefing from Ashfield News.
This week, a popular Ashfield chippy has ‘permanently closed’, work is beginning on a major town centre project and if you have a head for heights, why not head over to the King’s Mill Reservoir?
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Mystery over future of Ashfield chippy
Mystery surrounds the fate of a popular Ashfield chippy described as “first rate” and “good quality”.
The windows of Kingsway Fish and Chips in Kingsway, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, have been blocked and the interior of the restaurant has been gutted.
Ashfield News attempted to contact the shop.
Customers gave the takeaway an overall rating of 4.3 out of five on Google.
One fan said: “All food from Kingsway Fish and Chips is consistently high quality and reasonably priced. Friendly customer service and generous portion sizes. Definitely recommend.”
The Google entry for the chippy states it is “permanently closed”, though no official notice was posted of the closure.
It is the second eatery in the town to have apparently run into difficulties in the last year, with The Tea Room in Station Street closing in January.
At the time, the owners said: “With a heavy heart I come to the conclusion that running The Tea Room is no longer financially viable for me, it was a very difficult decision but I didn’t really have a choice.”
The Tea Room was taken on by a former employee who now operates it from the former Triple 7 premises.
Major new tourist attraction opens
A new tourist attraction including a 100-metre zip wire and high treks course has opened in Ashfield.
Adventures in a new addition to the Mill Waters site at King’s Mill Reservoir, Sutton.
In addition to the zip wire and high treks course, it also includes a ‘net park’, a network of interconnected nets which visitors with a head for heights can use to explore.
The site is operated and managed by Nottinghamshire County Council’s outdoor environmental education service, Notts Outdoors.
The county council has invested in the new facility, while Arc Partnership – a joint venture between the council and SCAPE – has overseen its development.
Councillor Tracey Taylor, the county council’s cabinet member for children and families, said: “This new venue is hugely exciting for Nottinghamshire, and I was delighted to see for myself the fantastic facilities it has to offer when I and colleagues from the county council visited it recently.
“It offers an affordable and fun experience to our communities, as well as to those visitors coming to our wonderful county from outside of the area.”
Activity sessions start from £12 and bookings are now open. For more information visit adventures.nottinghamshire.gov.uk
Beggar breached order in front of officer
A man has been jailed after he breached his Criminal Behaviour Order in front of a plain-clothed police officer.
Robert Mallaburn, 45, was banned in 2021 from begging for money anywhere in Mansfield or Ashfield after repeatedly harassing shoppers and retail staff.
Mallaburn, who is also prohibited from using aggressive, abusive or threatening words or behaviour, was seen asking people for money in Mansfield’s St Peter’s Retail Park on Saturday, May 18.
He then asked the officer directly for money and was arrested a short time later.
Mallaburn, of Lansbury Road, Edwinstowe, was charged with three counts of breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order.
The other counts relate to incidents of begging outside a Sainsbury’s store.
Appearing at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday, May 20, he admitted to the charges and was jailed for 16 weeks.
Sergeant Alice Bartle said: “This is the second time Mallaburn has breached this order and it is of little surprise that he’s been jailed as a result.
“Criminal Behaviour Orders of this nature are not granted lightly by the courts, who take an extremely negative view of anyone who breaches them.”
Tattoo studio approved for village
A tattoo studio will be created in a Nottinghamshire village.
Ashfield District Council has approved a proposal to convert an annex in Langley Close, Bestwood village, into the studio.
The new unit, named Sarah Louise Tattoos, will offer services to one client per day, a design and access statement into the plans states.
It adds: “Operating a single client per day, allows clients time to make informed decisions on their choices without time constraints and pressures experienced in a high street shop.”
Work starts to transform wasteland in town
Work is under way to convert a derelict piece of land in Sutton-in-Ashfield into a new events and market space.
The development in Fox Street is planned to link pedestrians from the Asda superstore to the town centre.
A car park will also be created on the disused wasteland, which stands behind Lloyd’s bank, while the River Idle will also be cleaned and restored.
The work is being funded through Ashfield District Council’s £6.27m Future High Streets Fund.
Jason Zadrozny, leader of the council, said: “ We can’t wait to see this project begin. The Fox Street site has been an eyesore for a long time and our renovation works will breathe life into it, creating a space that can be used for events and markets – capitalising on the natural footfall in this part of Sutton.”
The next stage of the regeneration of Sutton town centre will start shortly after Fox Street, with ground being broken on Portland Square in June.
The council’s plans for Portland Square will feature two raised lawns with inbuilt seating, lighting, planting and semi-mature trees. Alongside the planters will be CCTV cameras, street lighting and more room outside businesses for outdoor seating.
Both sites are expected to be completed by the end of the year.