Renovation work continues on Stafford town centre market square
The first kerb stones were being laid this week as part of the renovation of a town centre market area.
Leader of Stafford Borough Council, Patrick Farrington, joined the contractors carrying out the £1 million work on Market Square in Stafford and heard that the project was on track to be completed in the autumn.
The Market Square is the first phase of the transformation of the High Street and will enable the area to hold more events and specialist markets with significant improvements to infrastructure, such as utility supplies and drainage.
Work to put in the kerb lines began on Tuesday with other enhancements to the Square to include 3,200 square metres of paving, new furniture and planting and is expected to be completed by September.
The investment in the scheme is a small part of a £21m pot that has been backed by a successful bid from the government’s Future High Street Fund (FHSF) with contributions from Stafford Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council.
Councillor Farrington said: “The Market Square is an iconic landmark in our town and it is great to see that work is on track to make it both an attractive centre piece for the area and fit for purpose for the future.
“Our plans will encourage larger scale events and bring specialist markets to the heart of the county town - and increase footfall which will provide the platform for other local businesses to flourish.”
The award-winning civil engineering company, McPhillips (Wellington) Limited are undertaking the work.
Councillor Frances Beatty, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Planning, said: “Growth and prosperity for our borough is a key priority for the council and we have already attracted major investment working closely with our partners.
"The financial backing we have received from the Government is testament to their confidence in us delivering a town centre for the future and the magnet to attract further enterprise.”
Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills Philip White said: “It’s fantastic to see how well work is progressing on the refurbishment of the Market Square and is a great reminder of these exciting times for Stafford.
“This is just one of a range of regeneration projects in the town and will complement the Shire Hall, which reopened last year as an enterprise centre and is already attracting new businesses into the town centre.
"Together these projects will support a thriving town centre in the future, making it a more attractive place to live and visit for work and leisure.”
Confidential discussions are still taking place around other changes to the town centre which will form part of the Future High Street Fund project.
