Near ‘certainty’ that community will bid for prized Mansfield Bowling Club site

Community groups have the chance to buy a treasured bowling club after its owners revealed they would be selling the site.

The owners of Mansfield Bowling Club, in Croftdown Road, Dartmouth Park, gave notice last week of their intention to sell the 100-year-old club, so community groups can now prepare a bid.

On Wednesday, the club’s developers unveiled initial plans for the land, all of which include a large open space for public use.

In July, plans to build eight luxury homes, a leisure centre and an indoor bowling area on the land, at the expense of the historic bowling green and clay tennis courts, were refused planning permission.

Patrick Lefevre, chairman of the Dartmouth Park Conservation Area Advisory Committee, said: “It is pretty certain that the community will seek to exercise its right to bid for this designated asset of community value under the Localism Act.”

A spokesperson for developers the Generator Group said: “The club has served notice of its future intention to dispose of land in whole, or in part. This has been undertaken to preserve the club’s position and to enable the delivery of the future scheme.”