Chance to comment on centre demolition as part of Stafford transformation

Plans have been submitted to demolish part of the Guildhall Shopping Centre in Stafford.

Stafford Borough Council bought the ailing shopping centre, using money secured from the government, to help speed up transformation of the town. 

Now a planning application has been submitted for the ‘partial demolition’ of the centre and adjoining multi-storey car park - while retaining the attractive historic frontage of the building. 

The work will prepare the site for a future developer to create a new commercial and residential offer in the centre of the town. An application for the proposed business and homes scheme is expected to be submitted over the next 12 months. 

The shopping centre comprises 38 business units, an indoor market, and the 255-space car park - which was shut due to safety concerns. 

The borough council is looking for contractors to take on the preparatory demolition work - but because of the huge scale of the redevelopment of the site they said they would be looking for a future development partner. 

A covering letter as part of the planning application states: “The current proposals involve the demolition of part of the vacant shopping centre, apart from the buildings on the eastern frontage along Greengate Street and the existing and occupied buildings at Market Square which are to be retained. 

“The commercial buildings along Crabbery Street, along with the commercial buildings fronting St Mary’s Grove do not form part of this application and as such will also be retained.” 

Those buildings retained on Crabbery Street will be improved to encourage individual outlets to set up in the town centre - with the offices being kept for businesses that front St Mary’s Grove also being enhanced. 

The application is available to view via the council’s website Planning Public Access | Stafford Borough Council (staffordbc.gov.uk). As part of the planning process people will have the opportunity to give views on the application. 

Council Deputy Leader, Rob Kenney, who has responsibility for the town centre, said the transformation of the town was the council’s top priority and this was another step towards their vision for the area. 

He said: “We purchased the Guildhall to speed up the pace of major regeneration of the High Street - and I am very pleased to see this application has been submitted to help us move forward with our plans. 

“We want residents to be proud of their county town, we want visitors to come and shop, we want people to socialise and spend time using hospitality venues, and we want businesses to invest.” 

The front of the shopping centre sits at the foot of the refurbished Market Square in the heart of the town and adjacent to the derelict Co-op department store - which the council are planning to refurbish with a mix of retail, food court, and residential offer. 

Council leader, Aidan Godfrey, said “The Guildhall and Co-op are huge initiatives but they are not standalone schemes. They are part of ‘Project Stafford.’ We completed the Market Square last year, work will be starting soon on improving the entrance and approach to the railway station - and there is the ongoing work to regenerate the underutilised land behind the station with exciting proposals for a hotel, multi-storey car park and homes.” 

Significant investment has been made in the county town and includes other projects such as the Staffordshire History Centre and the £22.5m Institute of Technology for Stafford College.