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A plan to refurbish shop fronts at a landmark building in Mansfield town centre has been given the go-ahead.

Several conditions have been attached to the planning permission by Mansfield Council, which is insisting it is consulted at every step of the works.

But the improvements are expected to start soon at Brunts Chambers, which straddles Leeming Street and Toothill Lane and dates back to 1915.

The centrepiece of the distinctive Grade II0listed building rises to three storeys and features a turret with a clock face and statue.

The landmark Brunts Chambers building in Mansfield town centre, which dates back to 1915 and includes several shops on the ground floor.

The ground floor is occupied by retail units, including the popular wedding boutique, Cherished, the Britalia Italian restaurant, a nail shop, Fifi Star Nails, and a vape shop, Premier E-Cigs.

It was also formerly the home of Mansfield Wool Centre and the cafe, Frenchie Frenchie, which are now closed.

The idea behind the £250,000 plan is to restore the traditional, historic look of the shop frontages, including replicas of their original signs.

A report to the council’s planning committee read: “Various modern alterations and additions have previously been carried out to the original shop frontages. But these have included unsympathetic alterations.

The wedding boutique, Cherished, is one of a handful of shops that will benefit from the £250,000 refurbishment plan at the Brunts Chambers building.

"The planning application seeks to reverse the unsympathetic works and reinstate more historically accurate shop frontages.”

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Improvements will also be carried out to 33 sash windows on the first and second floors, as well as general maintenance work to the rest of the building.

Funding for the shop front scheme is expected to be boosted by a National Lottery grant from the Townscape Heritage Initiative, which helps regenerate historic urban areas.

The rest will be paid for by the Brunts Charity, which was founded back in 1711 by a bequest from Samuel Brunts, whose statue is part of the building’s facade.

The charity, which owns Brunts Chambers and is based there, runs more than 150 flats and bungalows in Mansfield for people over the age of 60 who have fallen on hard times.

The plan was submitted to the council on behalf of the charity by agent Kirtie Green for the Nottingham-based architects, Halsall Lloyd Partnership.

In granting permission, the council’s planning officers stressed that all the work should be carried out “to preserve the special architectural and historical interest of the building” and “to preserve the significance of a designated heritage asset”.

Traditional shop fronts to return at historic landmark building in Mansfield