Businesses in the area have previously expressed concern at a ‘triple whammy’ of demolition work
12:45, 24 Jan 2026Updated 14:32, 24 Jan 2026
The former Beales department store in Stockwell Gate, Mansfield, with one of the asbestos bridges covered in scaffolding(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
Part of a busy Nottinghamshire shopping area will be closed for a month while old bridges containing asbestos are demolished.
Businesses on Stockwell Gate in Mansfield have previously told NottinghamshireLive that they feel their trade is being “destroyed” by a “triple whammy” of demolition work in their area affecting two old shopping centres and a multi-storey car park that partially collapsed.
Mansfield District Council has now said that as demolition progresses on one of those shopping centres, a pedestrian closure is being introduced at Stockwell Gate.
The closure will see the pedestrian underpass from Quaker Way to the north side of the Four Seasons Shopping Centre shut off from Monday (January 26) and will be in place until Friday, February 27.
Stockwell Gate businesses will remain open though, with pedestrians being diverted and signs being put up to make the diversion route clear.
The bridges previously connected the Beales department store, one of the shopping centres being demolished, to the Four Seasons Shopping Centre and surveys have confirmed that they contain asbestos.
James Biddlestone, the chief executive of Mansfield District Council, said: “Safety must be our overriding priority. The presence of asbestos means these bridges can only be removed within a controlled and enclosed environment, and unfortunately this makes a temporary pedestrian closure unavoidable.”
The ongoing demolition work to the Beales site will see it transformed into a new civic and community hub called Mansfield Connect.
The other two nearby demolition works affect the former Rosemary Centre and the Walkden Street Car Park.
Ongoing demolition at the Rosemary Centre will see it transformed into a new Lidl and retail park.
Finally, a major redevelopment of the Walkden Street Car Park had been planned, but this was binned after the top floor of the site collapsed.
The site first closed in February 2024 as a “precautionary measure” after 162 structural defects were found at the site.
Mr Biddlestone added: “We fully appreciate the impact this may have on local businesses and the public, compounded unfortunately by the challenges we face with the collapse of one of the levels at Walkden Street car park, but we want to reassure everyone that all businesses will remain open and accessible.
“Working closely with our contractor, we are committed to keeping disruption to a minimum and ensuring people are clearly guided through the diversion route.
“This work is an important step forward in delivering the long‑term regeneration of this long neglected part of town and the creation of the Mansfield Connect building, and we thank residents and businesses for their patience and cooperation.”