Plans to rebuild the historic Brinsley headstocks have been given the go-ahead. Broxtowe Borough Council gave final approval to its own planning application at a meeting on Wednesday, January 8.
The landmark will now be reconstructed as a full wooden structure – a direct like-for-like replacement of the original. Councillors praised the “good news”, saying it would bring a positive contribution to the local community after the council removed the old structure over safety fears.
Coun Greg Marshall said: “If there was ever a good news planning application, this is what you’d put in the bracket of good news. I think there was a lot of culture and community concern at the time, when the headstocks were removed due to health and safety reasons.
“There was a lot of doubt in the minds of the community about whether they would be replaced and brought back for the importance to the local area. I’m really pleased to say, yes they have.”
The structure is expected to cost the council between £170,000 to £220,000 to rebuild. Some of the original parts of the structure will be retained while new parts will be a “direct like for like replacement” of the previously demolished structures”, the planning application reads.
Some of the oldest parts of the headstocks date back to 1872. The council also plans to build metal fencing around the site perimeter, which was previously surrounded by a low wooden barrier, and create a hay meadow to boost biodiversity.
The towers will measure 11m in height and be 7.4m in width and cover an area of around 35m in length, with new boundary fencing measuring 1.2m in height. The Brinsley Colliery Headstocks site is located at the Brinsley Picnic Site, off Mansfield Road, near the village of Brinsley, north of Eastwood.
Campaigners, including the heritage group Friends of Brinsley Headstocks, previously called for the colliery structure to be replaced as part of the area’s industrial heritage.