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Members of the Hucknall Probus Club heard the fascinating tale of how the town was nearly chosen as the site for East Midlands Airport back in the 1960s.

Guest speaker Coun Gordon Mann (Ash Ind), who represents Hucknall North on Ashfield Council, gave a talk to the group in which he recalled how, in 1962 Hucknall Aerodrome, was earmarked as the location for the airport.

The proposal was turned down, however, because Hucknall was prone to mining subsidence, which could cause sudden collapses in the ground, he explained.

The Belvoir Street and North Hill Crescent areas were severely hit by this problem and six houses had to be rebuilt.

East Midlands Airport could have been built at Hucknall has history turned out slightly differently. Photo: Submitted

Coun Mann’s talk was about plans for Hucknall which never got off the ground.

One of these was a scheme for tower blocks of flats at Butlers Hill, which was rejected by the former Hucknall Council as 'unfit' for the town.

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At one time a Morrisons superstore was planned on the site of the site of the former Fine Fare premises on Nottingham Road but it was decided that the traffic level there would be too heavy for this development.

Also scrapped were plans for combined outer and inner bypass, linking St Mary's Way with Wigwam Lane, as well as a BUPA hospital and a garden centre where Sherwood Zoo used to be located.

A direct road between Hucknall and Underwood was also once envisaged but this was turned down because it would have to go over land which was too steep and potentially dangerous.

Hucknall could have been the site for East Midlands Airport