Talks over Stafford car park reopening

A Stafford town centre car park - closed for the past year - could be set for a £1 million facelift.

The Bridge Street multi-storey, which shut following fears over safety, will be the subject of discussions at a Stafford Borough Council cabinet meeting next week.

Councillors will consider a report on Thursday which recommends splashing the cash to repair the car park and bring it back into use.

Council officers have been in talks with the business leasing the building, which includes the former ground floor supermarket site, over what could be done to repair it.

They have produced a confidential report which will be scrutinised by councillors.

The 25-year-old car park, which has 466 spaces on six levels, was closed in September, 2009, after a routine inspection revealed problems with part of the structure.

Although the building is in no danger of collapse the council was forced to close it indefinitely.

The car park sits atop the former Tesco supermarket.

It was originally earmarked for closure as part of the £100 million Riverside development but building work had been put on hold after the developer, Trent City Securities, went into liquidation.

The Moores family, which leases the entire building from Stafford Borough Council on a long-term basis, leases the car park space back to the borough council, which owns the freehold.

Will Conaghan, spokesman for Stafford Borough Council said: "A report to the council's cabinet next week will make a recommendation that subject to ongoing complex negotiations, the Bridge Street multi-storey car park be repaired and brought back into use at an estimated cost of around £1million.

"But any decision is still subject to a satisfactory conclusion to the negotiations."