Stafford leisure complex to open by summer 2016 'at the latest'

It comes as plans for a cinema and restaurants at the Riverside in Stafford are submitted to council bosses – marking the latest milestone for the long-awaited development.

The demolition of an eyesore multi-storey car park has finally been completed to make way for the new centre.

And a 14-level car park with more than 1,000 spaces as part of the new centre will be finished by Christmas 2015, developers said today.

The complex will include Marks & Spencer, River Island, H&M, Debenhams and a multi-screen cinema.

A planning application has now been submitted to Stafford Borough Council by developers LXB for the 860-seat cinema surrounded by restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating.

It will cover two sides of the river and will be linked by a brand new pedestrian bridge. The café will be knocked down, while the former newspaper building will remain and its red-brick frontage extended as far as the service road.

Next door to the cinema will be a row of 'high-end' restaurants, such as Bar & Grill and Nando rather than fast food outlets. A 5ft by 3ft LED screen high on the outside of the cinema showing trailers for upcoming films is also being considered.

Carl Barrand, of developers LXB Properties, said: "Discussions are continuing with three or four retailers about taking on other units, and we are also in talks with a couple of cinema operators but nothing has been decided at the moment. We anticipate opening the shops in summer 2016 at the latest."

As well as Riverside, the £70m regeneration of the town centre also includes the Kingsmead project, which will see a Morrisons store built on the Kingsmead car park in North Walls. Both schemes are expected to create a total of 870 jobs. Staffordshire County Councillor Mark Winnington, said: "It's fantastic to see the beginning of the Riverside retail development in the centre of town."