PICTURES: £70m Stafford shopping complex rises from the ground
A £70m shopping complex is rising from the ground in Stafford as the countdown continues to its opening.
Construction work on the Riverside development, which will include Marks & Spencer and Primark, is moving forward as these latest images show.
A 1,000-space multi-storey car park at the Bridge Street site is also nearing completion and this artist impression details what it will look like when it opens this October.
The town centre entertainment development will also house include shops, restaurants and a five-screen, 900 seat cinema.
Big names earmarked by LXB Retail Properties, the developers behind the site, also include River Island and H&M.
A total of 18 shops will be built and developers have assured Stafford Borough Council that no units will be empty when the site opens.
The 19,000 sq ft leisure and shopping facility is expected to create 600 jobs for the area.
However it was revealed earlier this week that Staffordshire County Council snapped up around 500 of the 1,025 available spaces on the 14 level car park and the site will charge short stay drivers more than other town centre parking sites.
The £70m development of the town centre also includes the Kingsmead project which will see a Morrisons store built on the Kingsmead car park in North Walls.
This is expected to bring an additional 300 jobs to the town.
The construction of the site has caused major road chaos in the town centre with driver facing various closures and diversions while the development is built.
