Wonderful Worksop: Worksop’s Priory Centre Is Being Transformed
A New Future for the Town Centre
For years, the Priory Centre has been a familiar part of Worksop town centre.
Now, one of the town’s most recognisable shopping areas is undergoing a major transformation – and in 2026, residents are finally beginning to see the scale of the changes taking place.
What was once a tired part of the town centre is being reshaped into a destination focused not just on shopping, but on leisure, entertainment, food and family activities.
A major change for the Priory Centre
The redevelopment is a major investment of around £20 million, with G F Tomlinson appointed as the main contractor.
The first major stage involved carefully stripping out and demolishing part of the existing centre. That section dates back to the original Netherholme Shopping Centre, which was developed in the late 1960s.
The demolition was completed in 2026, clearing the way for the next and much more visible stage: Building the new Priory Centre facilities.
For people walking through Worksop, the change is already difficult to miss.
Hoardings, construction compounds and demolition have temporarily changed the appearance of the area, but behind the disruption is a much bigger ambition for the future of the town centre.
From shopping centre to leisure destination
Perhaps the most exciting part of the redevelopment is what is planned for the new building.
The new section is expected to include a climbing wall, indoor adventure play area and bowling alley, alongside further leisure, entertainment and dining opportunities.
That represents a significant change in direction.
Rather than relying entirely on traditional retail, the new Priory Centre is being designed around experiences – places where families, friends and visitors can spend time.
That could be particularly important for Worksop at a time when town centres across the country are having to rethink their reliance on traditional shops.
There has already been a positive sign that retailers see potential in the revamped centre.
Sports Direct has returned to the Priory Centre, taking a 6,000-square-foot unit and creating more than 10 new job opportunities.
The store is expected to offer major sports and lifestyle brands including Nike, Adidas, PUMA and Skechers.
Its return is significant because attracting a recognised national retailer can help create confidence around a redevelopment and potentially encourage other businesses to consider Worksop.
The council has also said it is working to attract additional retail and leisure operators to the centre.
Keeping the town centre moving during construction
One of the challenges with any major town-centre redevelopment is carrying out the work while businesses remain open.
In Worksop, existing Priory Centre shops have continued trading during the redevelopment, while pedestrians can still pass through the centre between the car park, Bridge Place and Ryton Street.
Vehicle access from Bridge Place has also remained available. That means the transformation is happening around an operating town centre rather than simply closing the site and starting again.
Why the redevelopment matters
The Priory Centre is more than just another shopping development.
Its location puts it right at the heart of Worksop, meaning its future could have a noticeable impact on the wider town centre.
A successful leisure-led development could bring people into Worksop for reasons other than shopping.
A family might come for the indoor adventure play area.
Friends could meet for bowling.
Visitors might combine leisure activities with food and a trip around the town centre.
And retailers could benefit from the additional footfall generated by those activities.
That is the wider ambition behind the project: create more reasons for people to visit and stay in Worksop.
The beginning of a new Worksop?
The Priory Centre redevelopment comes at an interesting time for the town.
Across Worksop, there are other signs of investment and regeneration, while major employment developments planned around the A1 could bring additional jobs and economic activity to the wider area.
The Priory project therefore forms part of a bigger picture.
Worksop doesn’t need to become somewhere completely different. It needs to build on what already makes it a useful market town while giving people more reasons to come into the centre and spend time there.
Visitors to Worksop should expect to see the site changing significantly over the coming months as the new building begins to take shape.
The finished Priory Centre will look very different from the one that many local people have known for decades.
And perhaps that’s the most important point.
This isn’t simply a refurbishment.
It’s an attempt to give a major part of Worksop town centre a new purpose and a new future.