This is how the new £23 million Tipping Street scheme will transform Stafford with council bosses claiming it will help save the wider county from recession.

They say the massive project in the centre of town will create jobs, encourage investment and boost the economy – with virtually no financial risks involved.

The bold claims were made after top members of the county authority gave the massive scheme the go-ahead yesterday.

However, Councillor Ian Parry, deputy leader of the council’s Conservative opposition group, said the Tories were keeping a close eye on the long-term viability of the scheme. “In principle it looks OK,” he said, “as long as it doesn’t become Stafford’s Millennium Dome.”

The Labour group officially made the decision at a cabinet meeting before announcing it with a press conference at County Buildings.

The media was shown a specially-made DVD to promote the scheme, featuring Stafford councillor and county council deputy leader Robert Simpson, who claimed the scheme would be good value for council tax payers.

Staffordshire County Council chief executive Ron Hilton also appeared, insisting the council’s existing properties scattered around Stafford Town Centre were “not fit for purpose” and replacing them would liberate “old, worn-out locations” for redevelopment.

Mr Hilton also claimed the Tipping Street offices, set to house around 2,000 council staff, would lead to a “happier and more productive” workforce.

An application for the scheme, which is part of an overall £500 million masterplan for the re-development of Stafford, should be lodged with borough council planning officers over the next two or three months.

It is hoped planning permission will be granted in spring 2009 and construction work could begin as early as June.

The contract drawn up between combined developers Modus Stoford and the county council states the developer will foot the bill if the project runs over-budget.

It also says the developer should use local labour wherever possible to fill the 1,500 construction jobs expected to be created during the building process.

Asked what safeguards had been put in place in case his firm found itself in financial difficulty, Tony Nash, director of Stoford, said that although many of his competitors had “gone to the wall” over the past six months, there was little chance of Stoford or Modus encountering any problems.

However, he said the council would be protected by a series of “step-in” clauses to prevent it losing any money in a worst-case scenario.

Mr Nash also said a number of upmarket cafes and retailers had expressed interest in taking up the units at the base of the buildings, which would provide between 50 and 120 jobs. But Stafford resident Derek Anson, aged 55, from Newport Road, is horrified by the design. He said: “It is totally against the character of the town.

“The way things are going Stafford will be totally unrecognisable. I don’t think alot of people here will be happy.”

* The council’s promotional video can be viewed at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/video lounge/tippingstreet.htm