Plans revealed for future of Co-op building

The council agreed to buy the former Co-op store on Gaolgate Street in October

Images have been released to show how a former department store could look after a council agreed to buy it.

Stafford Borough Council's cabinet backed the purchase of the old Co-op store, on Gaolgate Street, earlier this month.

The move is part of council plans to regenerate the north of the town centre.

Under proposals, the traditional parts of the building's frontage would be kept, with the rest revamped.

The inside would also be overhauled and potentially become a food hall, the council said.

The proposals come under the local authority's plans to improve and regenerate the town centre, after it secured a £14.3m investment from the government's Future High Streets Fund.

The derelict store, which closed in 2013, was damaged in an arson attack earlier this year.

"It is exciting to have a glimpse of what this run-down, former department store could look like in the future," council leader Aidan Godfrey said.

Potential uses of the building could include a food hall, the council said