New housing ruled out for Staffordshire University Beaconside campus
A taskforce of key figures across Stafford has been created to find new uses for the Staffordshire University site which is due to be left empty, as new housing on the site was ruled out today.
Political and business leaders held an emergency summit today to create an action plan after the university last week announced it would leave Stafford by 2016.
The group ruled out housing being built on the site and said their priority was finding new educational or research uses for the campus at Beaconside.
And, as revealed by the Express & Star, the site is also being touted as the possible home for the planned HS2 Skills Academy.
Stafford Borough Council leader Mike Heenan said: "It was a very positive meeting with all agreed that the university's decision – although short-sighted in our opinion – gives the opportunity for us to look at the future potential for this area. A taskforce involving all the organisations will now be set up to make this happen.
"I have already sent a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, identifying the university campus as a potential ready-made site for the proposed HS2 academy. It was agreed unanimously that this is not an appropriate site for housing.
"The taskforce will concentrate efforts on having an educational / research institution on the site. Our plans will give the skills and the knowledge required for a prosperous and growing borough but we cannot not say any more at this stage."
