A Nottinghamshire council leader says he is “staggered” by the length of time a former Mapperley restaurant has been left empty.
The former French and Italian Mange Tout restaurant in Woodborough Road, Mapperley Top, has been left disused for around two decades.
Locals estimate it closed around 20 years ago, and say nothing has been done with the unit since, aside from a clean-up job a couple of years ago.
Back in late 2023, an ironic piece of street art depicting the popular character of Del Boy Trotter, from the iconic show Only Fools and Horses, appeared on the wooden boards in one of the empty restaurant’s windows.
Fans of the show will have known at the time that “Mange Tout” is one of Del Boy’s classic lines.
Just a few months later, in March 2024, Gedling Borough Council served a Section 215 Notice, which required the owners of the building to improve the appearance of the derelict site.
Despite the spruce up, the unit still lies vacant, with a cleaner restaurant sign still on display.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), someone working in a business near the old restaurant said: “We’ve had numerous people come in [our business] and ask if we know what’s happening with it because people want to take it on – there’s loads of people over the years who have wanted to.”
Gedling’s council leader, Councillor John Clarke said he is “absolutely staggered” by how long the unit has sat empty.
He said: “It was a great restaurant, I went years ago. It’s sadly missed actually in the Mapperley area, it had a good reputation – why it’s not opened up again through new owners I have no idea, but it would be a welcome addition if it came back.
“It does seem a shame for a piece of real estate like that to be left, not being used. There will be some form of council tax charge to it.”
When asked what he would like to see the space turn into one day, he said: “As long as it’s not a Turkish barbers or something like that. Something a bit different, where it might be a chance for a person starting out working from home in a kitchen who is wanting to branch out a bit.”
“I’ll find out [what is happening with the unit], I’ll see if there anything that can be done to put pressure to get that unit back in use.
“I see that Newark and Sherwood [District Council] have been given £800,000 for shop fronts and getting places occupied, granted from the government – it might be worth looking into if we can get a bit of that funding.”
A spokesperson for Gedling Borough Council said: “The Council served a Section 215 Notice in March 2024 requiring improvements to the appearance of the building. The works required by the notice were completed.
“The Council has not had contact with the property owner regarding letting of the unit and any future plans for the premises would be a matter for the property owner.”
