Councillors have given the go-ahead for Stafford Borough Council to buy the town’s Guildhall Shopping Centre.
Daily Focus recently reported that the local authority intended to buy the shopping centre site, which also includes a multi-storey car park and office accommodation.
The plans were discussed and backed by senior councillors at a meeting of the council’s cabinet on Thursday, December 7.
The purchase will be made with money the council has secured from central government.
Councillor Rob Kenney, the deputy leader, said the town centre had been the number one issue for local people and was the council’s top priority.
He added that acquiring key property would help increase the pace of regeneration.
The shopping centre is home to around 20 retail and business units but only a handful of shops – such as The Fragrance Shop and Eurochange – are currently trading.
The borough council has said a business case with potential options for the centre will be put forward and the public will be asked for feedback next year before permission for planning is submitted.
Because of the huge scale of the project, they will be looking for a partner to redevelop the site – while preserving businesses around the premises such as The Body Shop and jewellers F Hinds.
A valuation report commissioned for the local authority rules out any chance of bringing the multi-storey car park back into use in the short term because of significant work required – saying it doesn’t provide “a viable option for the council.”
The cabinet report said previous plans by the owners of the Guildhall to develop the site had stalled – and could take many years to start or may never come to fruition.
The front of the shopping centre sits at the foot of the newly refurbished Market Square and adjacent to the derelict Co-op department store which the council agreed to buy a few weeks ago. Plans for that site include a mix of retail, food court, residential and a market offer.
Council Leader, Councillor Aidan Godfrey, said: “This is absolutely fantastic news. I am extremely excited about the future of the High Street.
“There are so many projects – the Market Square, the Station Approach, the Co-op – as well as the Station Gateway – and now this.
“But they are not individual – they are being looked at together, as a whole project. This is ‘Project Stafford’ and it is great news for the county town.”
