New artist impressions reveal homes plan for West Kirkby Gateway
Artist impressions have revealed plans for brand new high-quality homes heading to Kirkby.
Ashfield District Council is pushing forward with plans for 12 apartments to be built close to Kirkby railway station.
This will allow for quality homes, designed to meet high levels of energy efficiency in a well-connected location.
The work at the site will also improve the openness and visibility of the station entrance.
A planning application for the project is due to be submitted in Summer 2025 and, subject to planning approval being granted, the construction phase will start in early 2026.
The plans are just one of the Council’s projects being funded by the £62.6 million Towns Fund. Other Towns Fund projects include the now completed Planetarium and Science Discovery Centre at Sherwood Observatory, redesign of Portland Square, and the Enterprising Ashfield project.
The Council initially developed plans to construct a new destination pub at the site. However, further market testing found interest was very low so it was decided that this was not the best use of the area.
Cllr Matthew Relf, Ashfield District Council’s Executive Lead Member for Growth, Regeneration and Local Planning, said:
“This is a huge project to improve an important gateway into Kirkby, providing more high-quality energy-efficient homes.
“We have carried out a lot of consultation with residents and councillors to find out what would be the best fit for this location. We listened to the feedback to the earlier plans and redrafted our approach to ensure we deliver the right outcomes for our area.
“Work on this project is due to start early 2026, delivering a landmark building at the entrance to Kirkby town centre and more footfall for our excellent town centre businesses.
“This is one of the many ways we are breathing new life into the District. We have already seen the opening of the new Sherwood Observatory and Planetarium, which has been become an excellent and well used facility bringing people into Ashfield. Work is also well underway on many other regeneration projects such the Cornerstone Theatre and Portland Square. After so many years of bidding, securing funding, construction planning, etc. it is fantastic to see these projects reaching their construction phase.”
Network Rail is currently in the process of sourcing funding for improvements to Kirkby railway station, which includes changes for disabled access. A previous bid for Access For All funding, a programme to enhance stations for disabled passengers, was unsuccessful but future funding opportunities will continue to be monitored.
A Network Rail spokesperson said:
“We remain committed to seeing significant improvements at Kirkby which will benefit all visitors to the station and complement the other great developments in the area.
“The plans for these apartments would mean the station entrance space being upgraded, and this would give a glimpse of the more widescale positive changes still to come.”
