As I See It: Lee Brazier, portfolio holder for housing at Newark and Sherwood District Council considers an exciting new time for Ollerton

As you might have seen, big things are coming to Ollerton and Boughton over the next few years as we prepare for an exciting transformation of the town centre, writes Lee Brazier, portfolio holder for housing at Newark and Sherwood District Council.

I am lucky enough to call Ollerton and Boughton town my home and this investment is great news and links into the wider funding coming to our town, including funding for the Dukeries Academy and the A614 improvements.

The work for our new town centre is thanks to the tireless efforts from the officers at the district council and our partners.

We’re thrilled that our regeneration plans are becoming a reality.

These projects will enhance our town and bring about new opportunities for those who live and work here, thanks to significant funding through the government’s Levelling Up Fund round three.

Last week, we revealed our proposed plans, featuring a new public sector hub with services from the district council and the town council, as well as a state-of-the-art library, boutique cinema and residential, retail and hospitality units.

These plans will create a town centre that is better connected, can draw in visitors, creates an enhanced pride of place, provides greater opportunities both for work and leisure and enhances our strong community spirit.

On December 11, we held an engagement session in Ollerton with members of our regeneration team to talk to you, our community, about your thoughts on the plans. More than 100 people came and spoke to our team throughout the day, and I cannot thank you all enough for taking time out of your day and having your say. The feedback and thoughts we received are crucial to this project’s success.

If you didn’t get a chance to attend our session and you’re interested in having a look at our proposed plans, you can view them on our website at www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/ollertonregen. There is also an online feedback form available on the same webpage, and I encourage anyone who has any thoughts about the plans to let us know by filling it out.

There will be other opportunities for you to have your say and tell us what you think of the plans as they develop throughout Spring and Summer 2024.

I am incredibly proud of my connection to Ollerton. It is an amazing place full of wonderful people who truly understand the meaning of community spirit, and I am delighted that there will be investment in the area.

It’s such an exciting project and I can’t wait to see the finished results in a couple of years.