Cannock designer outlet shoppers to use M6 Toll for free
Drivers travelling to the new £115 million Mill Green Designer Outlet Village in Cannock via the M6 Toll will have not have to pay a fee, under new plans.
Talks are in progress to waive the usual cost of using the 27-mile motorway, with drivers paying upfront but having the cost refunded at Mill Green.
The 132-outlet site was given the final seal of approval by the Secretary of State for Local Government last week after 12 months in the planning process but aspects of the scheme are still under negotiation.
Mill Green's catchment area will extend from north Birmingham to south Manchester, with a population of 14.6 million. It is also expected that tourists from further away would also visit.
It is compared to the likes of Bicester Village in Oxford.
Cannock Chase Council leader George Adamson said the no-fee idea would be an incentive for people in Birmingham to visit the new shopping site, the biggest of its kind in the West Midlands.
He said: "Nothing has been decided yet but the idea, and it's a good one, is on the table."
A spokesman for Midland Expressway, which operates the M6 Toll, said: "We are in ongoing dialogue with the developers to understand their plans and what involvement the M6 Toll might have in supporting this development although nothing firm has been agreed at this early stage."
Meanwhile, Cannock Chase MP Amanda Milling has said the designer outlet village will put the town 'on the map'.
She has welcomed the Secretary of State's decision not to 'call in' the Mill Green development for extra scrutiny after council planning chiefs approved the scheme.
The new park will start to open in 2018.
Ms Milling said: "This development will place Cannock firmly on the nation's retail map. The development means big luxury brand-names will set up shop in Cannock, as well as unlocking road, rail and town centre investment.
"There will also be a new retail training academy open at South Staffordshire College.
"It's also great news for the local jobs market.
"There will be ongoing retail employment onsite and more jobs in the wider supply chain, as well as new construction jobs while the development is built."
The site will also include a cinema and restaurants.
