Construction starts on world-class Nottinghamshire planetarium

Mansfield & Sutton Astronomical Society (MSAS) supported by Ashfield District Council accelerated the delivery of this scheme through early contractor involvement with our delivery partner G F Tomlinson, through the SCAPE Venture framework.

Works on the Sutton-in-Ashfield centre began at the end of August 2023 and was marked with a ceremony at the observatory by representatives from G F Tomlinson, MSAS and Ashfield District Council. The project is due for completion in autumn 2024.

Breathing life into a historic building, the development will include an exhibition hall, classrooms, a café and meeting rooms, as well as a state-of-the-art planetarium.

As part of this, a disused, underground Victorian reservoir on the site will be converted into the planetarium. The new building will be ten metres in diameter and accommodate up to 60 people to provide a multi-functional exhibition space for the observatory, and additional teaching spaces.

The planetarium will sit on top of the reservoir, and the delivery team will work carefully to maintain as many of the original and historical features as possible. This will include restoring intricate brick arches, while evolving the existing structure into a unique and functional building.

The construction of the planetarium and science discovery centre at Sherwood Observatory is one of the 16 projects being funded by the £62.6m Towns Deal which was secured by the council from the government in 2021. This project is also benefiting from Levelling Up funding and grants from the Wolfson Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Foyle Foundation and National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The council wants Ashfield to be known as a place of innovation, somewhere that people are proud to be from, and want to visit. The planetarium and others benefiting from this funding, will transform the district, drive regeneration across local towns, and give Ashfield a new identity.

Schools, clubs, groups, businesses, and individuals will all benefit from having a cutting-edge facility in Ashfield; it will broaden horizons, educate and inspire, and add to the district’s visitor economy. It will have the potential to attract 20,000 visitors a year, invigorating the North Nottinghamshire economy, becoming a regional tourism hub for school groups as well as science and astronomy lovers.

The facility aims to inspire interest and careers in STEM learning with a wraparound experience, as well as an aspiration to increase annual footfall to the location from 3,000 up to 20,000. It is hoped the centre will create a pipeline of talented and motivated people interested in STEM who will duly develop the skills needed by Ashfield businesses and the wider region.