Potential move to Mansfield

[Ck1005]

Hi, I'm looking to buy my first home. I don't have a massive budget and I can't always drive (due to a medical condition) but can walk for miles. I was looking for somewhere that was close to some walks and also walkable to get to the shops. I've been looking at Forest Town /Clipstone area of Mansfield as feel that fits with what I looking for. But when I Google about moving to Mansfield everyone seems to advice not to do it and I was just wondering why? I understand there are deprived areas but just wondering exactly what it is about Mansfield that gives it a bad reputation. I'm too old for clubbing so not fussed on nightlife and I work from home so fine work wise. Any help / advice / guidance would be much appreciated.

I live very, very close to Mansfield and would avoid town centre like the plague. It’s awful.

Forest Town isn’t too bad, I live around 5 minutes from there and go into Nottingham rather than Mansfield if I need to shop/want to go out. There are direct trains from Mansfield and trams from Hucknall.

Do you live locally now?

Have you considered Rainworth? I have friends there and it’s a nice little village with walks on the doorstep? Buses to both Mansfield and Nottingham. Some parts are a little run down but there are a lot of nice areas.

Thank you for your help. I live in York at the minute which I appreciate is different to Mansfield but also comes with a very high price tag (one which I can't afford to buy).

When you say the town centre is awful do you mind me asking what you mean by that? Is it that it's run down or is it quite crime ridden? I would only go to the town centre in the day so not so worried about what goes on at night. Thanks again!

What about Lincoln? It's as pretty as York and much more reasonable

I live in York at the minute which I appreciate is different to Mansfield

That's an understatement!

What's your budget for your house?

Have you got a reason to move to that area as I think I'd go north if you haven't.

It’s really run down, all of the decent shops have closed down there’s really nothing there at all.

It’s actually really depressing.

There is absolutely no comparison between York & Mansfield. The latter is very grim & run down. Property is cheap there for a reason.

I grew up about 10 miles from Mansfield. It’s an ex-mining town which was economically devastated by the closure of that industry in the 80s & 90s. The local economy never really recovered. Most of the jobs in the area now are in the warehouse & distribution industry and pay minimum wage, therefore most people are skint. The town centre has declined particularly badly. The only thing worth visiting Mansfield for now is the ‘East Midlands Designer Outlet’ shopping mall close to M1 J28 which is thriving & expanding. Other than that, I would give the place a miss.

Ah right I see. That's helpful to know. Thank you.

I appreciate your honesty. Thank you for your help.

It's a nice wider area, but the town itself is very past it.

Have you visited?

There are lots of little places around it, on the train line- Newstead Village is a reasonable bet- beautiful walking in the area, and a regular bus. It's an old pit village, a real mix of up and coming and depressed. Some lovely houses and lots of good value terraces.

Also, politically Mansfield leans very much towardS UKIP / Reform & voted strongly for Brexit. Ashfield, one of the local constituencies, elected Lee Anderson of Reform as its MP on Thursday and the party finished a strong third in Mansfield itself. It’s certainly not a place I would want to live if I was black, gay, Muslim or visibly ‘different’.

Trying to find something positive to say about the place ; it’s very conveniently located in the middle of England. It’s right next to the M1. Nottingham, Sheffield & Derby are within easy commuting range, with Leicester, Leeds & Birmingham a little further away but still commutable. And it’s close to the Peak District with everything that has to offer. So it’s not all bad…

I’m not going to give an opinion about actually living in Mansfield but part of my family is from there and I last went a couple of years ago to organise a funeral. Everyone I came into contact with, the funeral director, the staff at the Premier Inn, family member’s neighbours, were really nice. Not in a fake OTT way, just nice in a way that left me with a good feeling about the place.

Special mention to the guy with a van who was clearing the house and told us about an item he’d found which he thought was valuable and were we sure we wanted to get rid? He could have kept it without saying anything and nobody would have been any the wiser.

This is kind of off-topic but Mansfield usually gets negative opinions and I thought I’d counter it a bit! Also their football team has just been promoted to league one.

York is lovely. Mansfield is really not!

If you have a sting reason to move to Mansfield (family ties, work etc) fine, but if your driving factor is property price you will very likely regret buying in Mansfield.

It is very budget driven if I'm honest - and having some walks on my doorstep. Although York is nice it's too tourist heavy for me and I spend so much on rent I have no quality of life in terms of hobbies / holidays. I'm looking for somewhere cheaper so I can have a life too. I have looked further up north but it also suffers with deprivation, probably similarly to Mansfield due to industry. Also a heavy motorway system upwards (I'm a nervous driver so find the road system hard going). Maybe I need to have a rethink 🤔.

I have a family member relatively close to the town centre + football stadium heading out toward Berry Hill, they have been there a few years and are extremely happy and their house is lovely too. It’s quiet and they get no trouble at all.

i would advise you to take a couple of days and go and have a look for yourself. Most town centres aren’t great these days but that doesn’t mean the surrounding areas are poor.

Further to your comment about nice walks, said family member runs and walks and has found some lovely routes near where they live.

There are a lot of much nicer and equally inexpensive places you could live instead.

Derby, Newark, Spalding and Grantham spring to mind- not desirable but less run down than Mansfield.

I've worked in and around Mansfield and always wonder, well, why many people choose to live there when you could live somewhere relatively close by that is so much better! Chesterfield is nicer than Mansfield by a mile, has some excellent schools and is right on the edge of the Peaks, particularly if you live in the west of the town. Or if you want Notts, places like Southwell and Newark are again much more pleasant. I really don't think Mansfield has much going for it at all apart from perhaps it being close to the M1. It seems to be something of a cultural void, with some very rough and insular areas to boot. I wasn't surprised at all that Ashfield (basically next door) is now a Reform constituency.

Berry Hill is lovely, but very expensive.

How about somewhere like Belper?

What's your budget and what sort of property are you after.

Maybe because the average price for a house in Southwell is £470,000 and in Mansfield £174,000?

I have been to Mansfield once in my life and it was the most depressing place I've ever been to.

If you're happy to be surrounded by Reform voters and people that have flags in their front garden then you'll love it! Awful place.

I used to live in Berry Hill and worked in the surrounding villages (Southwell, Rainworth, Blidworth etc). I enjoyed living there and could walk into town, found some nice walks/running routes and made friends through volunteering. But the area is quite deprived. It suffered extremely badly with the closure of the mines and, as someone else has said, the main 'industries' now are extremely low paid and nobody has any money to spend so the town centre is quite run down.

However, the people I met were probably some of the nicest and kindest people. So very friendly and hospitable. I loved the surrounding area and being so close to Nottingham and the Peak District worked well for me. But having also lived in York, it really is quite a contrast. I would see if you can spend a few days there so get a feel for the place. Other places that are a similar area but may offer more - Derby, Chesterfield, Newark - may be worth considering.

If house prices are an important factor alongside good transport links then Hucknall might be worth considering. Tram, train and bus links into Nottingham. Plenty of walking on the doorstep.