Deal done with outlet village developer to spruce up town in £150k shopping centre upgrade
A cash windfall of £150,000 is to be spent on Cannock shopping centre under plans to help offset the impact of the new designer outlet village to be built on the outskirts of the town.
Better car parking, the modernisation of the indoor market and a reward scheme to encourage loyalty are among the proposals put forward as part of the revamp package.
Work on the £115 million Mill Green development is due to start next year if the Secretary of State for Local Government gives the green light. The 130-outlet centre was referred to him because of its size. A decision is expected in the next couple of weeks.
Concerns over the potential negative effect the new complex have already been raised by commercial property agents covering Walsall, Wolverhampton and Stafford town centres. They are worried about being able to attract traders.
Cannock Council has asked for £150,000 as part of the deal with the developers. The cash would be handed over in three instalments of £50,000 over three years.
Council leader George Adamson said: "I understand people's fears but I think Mill Green will have a positive impact on Cannock, rather than the opposite.
"People in Bicester had the same concerns when their designer outlet village was built but the town has gone from strength to strength."
An extension of the Friday market, offering more specialist stalls, and the upgrading of buildings and signage have also been put forward as part of the revamp.
The council's economic leader Gordon Alcott said the plans could lead to a complete remodelling of the town, with car parks being sited where shops now stand and shops built on sites currently occupied by car parks.
"This will all emerge in consultation with traders and property owners," he said. "We don't want to do this in a piecemeal way, we want to have an over-arching plan."
He said older shop premises in Wolverhampton Road, New Penkridge Road and Market Hall Street would be among the first to be upgraded.
"This is good news for Cannock," he said.
Mill Green's catchment area has been estimated as extending from north Birmingham to south Manchester, with a population of 14.6 million. It will be the biggest development of its kind in the West Midlands area. It is also expected that tourists from further away would also visit.
'The planning application was submitted in February this year by development partners U+I and Rioja Developments and approved last month. The decision of the committee was unanimous.
