Residents in Shirebrook are being given the chance to have another look at what the Growth Plan could offer for the town - and this time in glorious virtual reality 3D!
Following on from the Masterplanning Consultation Exercise in Shirebrook during September, we will be providing feedback on Friday 11 November on what the people of Shirebrook thought any growth could look like through their masterplanning submissions in the PlaceBuilder digital community engagement platform.
In addition, the planned Shirebrook Market Place: REimagined public realm enhancement proposals and how the Council will implement these will also be revealed.
But this won’t be any normal style of public reveal. We have been working with the clever folk at The Future Fox and Digital Urban to add a bit of magic to the proceedings to allow you to get a bird’s eye view from our hot air balloon of what growth could look like.
The reveal event is being held in Shirebrook on Friday 11 November at the BLAST headquarters at the Hole in the Wall building on Carter Lane, Shirebrook, NG20 8PE. The doors will open at 10am and offer people the chance to see the proposals and to talk to Council officers about the Growth Plan and the Market Place enhancement over a cuppa and a piece of cake.
Council Leader, Councillor Steve Fritchley, said “This is our latest planning innovation and gives us a chance to show how we want to involve our communities in planning for the kind of good growth that will support our District.
“Growth remains one of our main priorities as it helps to improve the District and create the jobs and homes we want. It brings investment, new services and facilities to our communities and through our Masterplanning Consultation Exercise the public have told us what they think is important.
“Things like eco homes, parks and green spaces, GP surgeries, nature sites and woodlands, schools, offices and workspaces, shops and other facilities, as well as good quality new homes to help pay for the required infrastructure.
“And central to any good growth is an enhanced town centre and as a result we have made improvements to the Market Place a key priority.
To support this, we have commissioned Lathams Architects to prepare high quality enhancement proposals with detailed costings that will help them take advantage of any funding opportunities.
Councillor Fritchley added, “Making sure our community is involved in our Growth Plan is important, and that’s why we asked people that responded during our Masterplanning Consultation Exercise to nominate their favourite local community group for our Community Prize and I’m looking forward to announcing the winner at the reveal event.”
The Growth Plan feedback and Market Place: REimagined enhancement proposals will remain on display in the Shirebrook Contact Centre throughout November. Beyond this, the Growth Plan feedback will be considered by Council in December 2022 with further work and public engagement in late-January 2023.
The virtual reality experience has been developed in collaboration with digital experts Digital Urban.Place, who use the cutting-edge technology of 3D models and virtual reality experiences to help more people engage, explore and visualise proposed developments as part of public consultations
Simon Mabey, Founder of Digital Urban.Place, said, “We aim for people to have fun and try using the latest VR technology for free whilst also making a real difference to the future of the place where they live, work and play. This unique experience involving taking a VR flight in a hot air balloon is a great way for people of all ages to really visualise and experience potential ways that Bolsover could be enhanced in future. We look forward to welcoming you to the experience.”
The PlaceBuilder digital community engagement platform, created by The Future Fox, was used by Bolsover District Council to run the digital consultations on the Growth Plan this year and capture community views on what growth could look like.
Annette Jezierska, CEO and Founder, The Future Fox said, “We’re delighted to be working with Bolsover District Council to help them understand in depth their communities’ needs and ambitions for the future. This project with our partners DigitalUrban has shown just how creatively we can help communities engage in ambitious projects and capture vital feedback; through imagining new town ideas via their phones and seeing those ideas come to life in 3D."
More information is available by contacting the Council on 01246 242203 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
