The new 136-space car park at Kings Mill Reservoir is now open and ready to welcome visitors.

As part of Ashfield District Council’s £62.6million Towns Deal, the council is building a new boathouse with restaurant and function space at the reservoir. The car park has been created on former wasteland, to accommodate the increased visitors to the site and to the new leisure building, once it is open.

The building works on the new facility are progressing well with the external walls now visible. Construction started on site five months ago and is on track to open late 2024. The building will house modern, accessible changing facilities for water sports, a meeting/training room, and on the first floor a restaurant and function space.

Native hedging and trees will be planted on the car park to increase the biodiversity on site and a permeable surface has been used to mitigate flooding impacts.

Coun Matthew Relf, executive lead for Regeneration, Growth, and Local Planning, said “The expanded car park is an excellent addition that will allow even more people to enjoy visiting King’s Mill Reservoir. We want everyone to be able to access the great facilities here and the new building and car park will open this opportunity up for more people, not just in the local area but for those further afield, marking Ashfield as a destination for visitors from around Nottinghamshire and beyond.”

This project is one of 16 being funded by the council’s £62.6m Towns Deal, which aims to regenerate Ashfield.

The council’s plans, and extended car park, complement the rapid expansion and development of the Mill Adventure Base, to offer a larger variety of activities for visitors from across Nottinghamshire and beyond.

Pictured are, from left, Tom Hollands, Lindum quantity surveyor; Coun Jason Zadrozny, Coun Matthew Relf, and Jay Mallia, Lindum framework manager at the new car park at King’s Mill Reservoir.