Have your say on plans for Stafford town centre, say council leaders

People are being asked to have their say on multi-million plans to transform Stafford town centre.

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The demolition of the former Guildhall shopping centre and Co-op department store are now nearing completion, after being bought by the borough council, although the historic frontages of the two buildings will be retained.

The council has drawn up plans for a new market hall, food court, blocks of flats, and artisan retailers on the sites, with new public squares and thoroughfares to open up the town, making it easier to navigate between the town’s different landmarks.

The demolition of the former Wilko store, which has been earmarked for a college building, has also begun.

About 100 people viewed the plans during the first public display last week, and three further exhibitions will be held this week at the Guildhall site.

Council Aidan Godfrey, leader of Stafford Council, urged people to make their thoughts known.

“It has been good to have the opportunity of talking to people about the development framework, and to hear lots of positive comments from those attending," he said.

Councillor Godfrey described the plans as “the biggest transformation in the county town in a generation”.

The council bought the Co-op, which had been empty for a decade, and the shopping centre, which had just four retailers, after securing more than £14 million from the Government’s Future High Street Fund in 2023.

Councillor Godfrey said the work had sparked interest from potential developers which were keen to invest in the area.

An earlier report to councillors stated that with people’s shopping habits and leisure requirements changing, old-fashioned town centres across the country were no longer fit for purpose and needed to evolve.

Councillor Godfrey added: “There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes with still a long way to go - and I think most of those coming to the drop-in sessions can now appreciate that, and what we are trying to achieve.

“What we are looking at is a shift away from tired and vacant shopfronts in a high street that operates primarily in the daytime to a place that people are proud to live in and, equally importantly, want to spend their time in.”

He said as well as people from the immediate vicinity, the exhibitions had attracted people from as far afield as Newport, Cannock, Cheadle and Telford.

Diane Harris, 68, from Stafford, said the council should now get on and do it.

“I've seen a lot of changes over the years, and it would be nice to see the town transformed as soon as possible,” she said.

“What I have seen today looks good, now they have just got to get on with it.”

The exhibions will be held between 11am and 3pm today and tomorrow, and then from 11am to 1pm on Saturday.