Colourful new identity produced for Cannock town centre as transformation plans put forward

“Cannock Town Centre is changing” is the message being spread as regeneration work takes place, and the branding is set to feature prominently in the area over the coming months.

Action is already taking place behind the scenes, Cannock Chase Council has said, and will continue this year before building work and the demolition of the town centre’s multi-storey car park can begin in 2024.

Plans include the creation of a new “Northern Gateway” into the town centre to boost the existing connection with the Beecroft Road car park and create a café building.

The area being redeveloped is land bound by the Ringway, Church Street and Market Hall Street. Improvements to public open space are proposed, as well as a new workspace for small businesses and start up companies.

Cannock Chase Council was awarded £20m for the scheme from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund in 2021. The funding must be committed by the end of March 2025.

A performance report covering the period from October to December 2022 revealed work on delivering the regeneration scheme for Cannock town centre had been up to three months behind schedule. But a design report for the leisure and culture hub, public realm and northern gateway had been signed off by the project delivery team in December and design work was now progressing to the detailed design stage.

The planning application seeking outline permission for the redevelopment has recently been submitted. Last month the council held an event to showcase the projects it plans to fund using £3m from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) awarded by the Government in December.

The council’s head of economic prosperity, Dean Piper, who presented the report to the latest economic prosperity scrutiny committee meeting, said: “We have seen some slippage in terms of scheme design as of the end of Quarter Three, waiting for a sign off. We have had our investment plan signed off and we now have £3m in our pockets we need to spend over the next two and a half years.

“We should have detailed designs for the scheme by late spring/early summer and we are making progress. Whether the (£20m) needs to be spent before March 2025 is an issue we are exploring with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

“In reality we will be looking at funding committed, contracts and plans in place to deliver the buildings and that is an ongoing discussion with the department about how that money will be drawn down.”

The investment plan for the UKSPF funding, submitted last summer, includes 13 projects proposed by local enterprises, parish and town councils and community groups. Funding will be used for schemes such as a employing poverty benefits adviser, providing climate change and fuel poverty advice, business support and connecting communities.

Councillor Mike Sutherland, portfolio holder for district and high street development, said: “This funding is another strand of the Government’s Levelling Up Fund; this extra funding can be spent district-wide and we will be able to target the investment where it is needed. The planning application is consistent with our Levelling Up Fund bid.

“It will strengthen both the day and night time offer in Cannock where we know from our recent surveys that residents would like a safer, more inviting and family friendly town centre where they can spend quality time in and enjoy to the full. Leisure and culture are big draws in attracting people to town centres and have a key role to play in regenerating areas that have perhaps become tired and jaded.

“We certainly have high hopes that will be the case with this scheme. Our plans will deliver an exciting new hub area that people will want to spend time in throughout the day with relatives and friends, in addition to coming to the town to shop, bank and access other service functions that already exist.”