Councillors have given their backing for two new drive-thru restaurants at a key site next to a major Derbyshire commercial development.

Bolsover District Council’s Planning Committee granted outline permission for the two restaurants, which will be built on a site off the newly-laid roundabout off the A38 Mansfield Road, South Normanton, next to the Park 38 development. Planning manager Sarah Kay said the council saw the proposal as good use of a brownfield site, which had previously been used for fly-tipping, providing a more ‘vibrant street scene’.

“This is a very important renewable location of South Normanton alongside the A38, so that needs to be considered in terms of improvements to the street scene and a sustainable location, and the development will bring forward support for the local economy in terms of providing employment opportunities,” she commented.

An artist's impression of what the Park 38 development will look like. Image: Corstorphine and Wright Architects.

placeholder image — An artist's impression of what the Park 38 development will look like. Image: Corstorphine and Wright Architects.

Chris Quinsee, agent on behalf of the applicant Marcus Jolly, said the developer of the neighbouring Park 38 scheme was ‘very keen to see this application come forward since they regard it as a valuable addition to the park as a whole and a very useful facility for future employers on site’.

It has yet to be determined which restaurant or coffee chains are likely to occupy the buildings.

Park 38, opposite the East Midlands Designer Outlet near South Normanton, was given the green light by Bolsover District Council in 2019 and is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs. The development, off Cartwright Lane, will see a new retail park created on farmland, as well as industrial units.