The approval of a second hotel in Mansfield town centre has been met with positive reactions from residents, who say the plan will make the town "more appealing".
But concerns have been raised over whether the town centre "really needs" two major hotels.
The reaction comes following news the £12 million 'Stockwell Gateway' plans have been approved by Mansfield District Council.
The development will see a 100-bedroom hotel and three standalone restaurants built at the former bus station site, off Stockwell Gate in the town.
The major scheme, put forward by the ARBA Group, is part of a wider redevelopment of the seven-year vacant site and has been backed by Mansfield District Council.
It is unclear at present which company will run the major 100-bed hotel, and follows the approval of the soon-to-open Travelodge off St Peters' Way.
Reacting to the development getting the green light, shoppers in Mansfield provided an overall positive view of the move.
Leanne Shepherd, 29, an estate agent from Kirkby-in-Ashfield, told Nottinghamshire Live: "I think it's great. Why should we not want more things to come to Mansfield?
"It's more money being spent in the town and something to show off.
"The main thing the town centre needs is more restaurants and things to do, rather than just having shops.
"With all the other money coming into town, if this is spent giving the town more attractions and sprucing up the place, the hotels might be in demand."
Michael Henry, 62, a retired teacher who lives in Mansfield, agreed the new development will make the town "more appealing".
He said: "Both the hotels and the restaurants are good ideas for Mansfield in the grand scheme of things.
"Obviously at the minute with Covid people can't go out and have food, and people can't go and stay away in other places.
"But the town has got to recover from lockdown. If we have got more restaurants in town and somewhere to stay, it might make the town more appealing.
"People from other parts of the country might actually want to come here."
However, Carl Edward, 41, from Mansfield Woodhouse, was out shopping on the last day before lockdown and he was not as positive about the new development.
He said: "Why do we need these?
"It is good to see investment in the town centre but another hotel seems a bit of a damp squib when the town centre hasn't got much going on for it.
"I do understand that we need these things in the town but we have got this new Travelodge just around the corner and that's enough to serve people coming to Mansfield."
The overall development has been welcomed by officials in the town, with Conservative MP Ben Bradley describing it as "great news" for Mansfield.
Andy Abrahams, the town's Labour mayor, has also praised the plans.
He said: “This is a welcome step forward in approving a development that will regenerate a major gateway site into the town centre and support the visitor economy.
"Mansfield has long needed more hotel beds and this scheme would deliver that as well as bringing new jobs in both the hotel and adjoining retail and restaurant sites.
“The ARBA scheme for this long under-used site will help to revitalise our town centre and put in a good position to capitalise on the way high streets nationally are evolving."
Richard Burns, managing director at ARBA, added: “We are delighted that permission has been granted and that an area of our town centre will be regenerated.
"It’s a major scheme that not only brings much-needed hotel beds to Mansfield, but one that has the potential to create hundreds of jobs.”
