Road overhaul plan for biggest designer outlet village in the Midlands
A roundabout will be made bigger and extra lanes added to a major road as part of plans for the biggest designer outlet village in the Midlands, it has emerged.
Ambitious proposals for the Mill Green development in Cannock will see new lanes and slip roads added to Eastern Way as well as the layout of the roundabout near the Biffa waste site overhauled.
And council bosses have revealed highway improvements are likely to be needed all the way to Churchbridge to cope with millions of anticipated visitors travelling to the luxury shopping destination.
The multi-million pound development will include a multi-screen cinema, restaurants and 130 shops, creating around 800 jobs.
There will also be a tourist information centre on site, a play park, and new transport links between the train station, town centre and the outlet village.
Big names such as Superdry, Paul Smith and Ralph Lauren are likely to open at the site off Lichfield Road next to Mill Green Nature Reserve.
Initial designs for the site include a filter access lane from Eastern Way into the 307,000sq ft site and an exit back onto the road via an underpass.
There will also be another entranceway off a smaller roundabout that joins Hayes Way near Hawks Green.
Cannock Chase Council leader George Adamson said: "This is terrific scheme for Cannock that will bring jobs and prosperity to the area as well as be the envy of towns across the region.
"For this to take place there will need to be a significant investment in the roads to deal with millions of extra visitors each year.
"This will probably have to go all the way down to Churchbridge where there are the links to the M6 and the M6 Toll."
A 2,000 space car park is also included in the scheme - including a multi-storey.
Bosses behind the ambitious development say it will rival the likes of Bicester Village in Oxford and Cheshire Oaks.
Rioja Developments and Development Securities PLC are working together on the project and hope to submit a planning application later this year.
A consultation will take place on tomorrow and Saturday at South Staffordshire College in The Green to gage public opinion on the scheme. Plans will then be submitted to the district council later in the year.
If the proposals are approved, the outlet village could open by the end of 2017.
