A £1.4m plan to revamp the Old Town Hall in Mansfield as part of wider plans to regenerate the town centre is moving forward.

The ground floor could house indoor retail units and the upper floors offices, bringing the building back into full use by early 2019 for the first time in more than 30 years.

It is one of the flagship projects in a wider Mansfield District Council place shaping strategy to breathe new life into the town centre and raise the profile of the district as somewhere to invest in, shop, visit and live.

The council has earmarked more than £733,000, 50% of the total cost of the work, to bring the Old Town Hall back into public use.

It is hoped half of the cost of the second phase of the renovations would be covered by a grant from D2N2, the Local Enterprise Partnership.

The proposals include completing the renovation to the main council chamber and grand stairs.

The work will also improve the accessibility of the Grade II listed building by providing level access and improved toilet facilities to the public areas of the building as well as fully accessible offices.

It is anticipated the retail units could attract, for example, craft and artisan businesses. The offices would be let.

The latest project follows £550,000 of essential repairs to the building’s roof, chimneys and structure in 2016 and would mean it will be fully used for the first time since since 1986 when it ceased to function as a town hall.

The Mayor of Mansfield, Kate Allsop, said: “Improving the appearance of the town and instilling a pride of place are priorities for the council to attract business and investment opportunities and encourage the community to think positively about their town.

“Bringing this glorious landmark building back into public use will be a wonderful achievement and bring an economic lift to the town centre.

“It is one of the main strands in our overall regeneration vision and strategy for the town that we aim to put in place over the next five years.”

The town centre vision includes plans for a hotel on the site of the old bus station near Walkden Street and a scheme to revitalise buildings in Leeming Street with the help of an application for nearly £1m from the Heritage Lottery Fund.