Town centre regeneration plans submitted

The Ryecroft site would feature 171 family homes and apartments, under the plans

Plans have been submitted to transform two town centre brownfield sites in Staffordshire.

Developer Capital & Centric said it hoped to breathe new life into the vacant Ryecroft site in Newcastle-under-Lyme along with the town's 1960s shopping centre York Place.

Under the plans, the shopping centre would be renamed Astley Place, while the Ryecroft site would become Rye Park.

If approved, Astley Place will see new homes as well as shops and a new music venue, while Rye Park is set to include a mix of family homes and apartments.

The two planning applications follow a submission last month to redevelop the Midway car park in the town.

The car park has been earmarked for 114 new homes and forms part of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council's ambitions to reimagine the layout of the town centre.

If given the go-ahead, the former York Place shopping centre will be turned into 52 new apartments, and its new name is a tribute to founder of the modern circus Philip Astley, who was born in the town in 1742.

The Ryecroft site, meanwhile, would feature 171 three- and four-bedroom family homes and apartments, as well as a new green space for community use.

The overall plans have been partly funded by £35m of investment from the government's Future High Street and Town Deal funds.

'Fantastic opportunity'

"All together these three sites show a real ambition by the council to revitalise the town centre and create something that the town can be proud of," said Capital & Centric joint managing director John Moffat.

"In the same way that we're revamping Midway car park, our plans for Astley Place will retain and repurpose the existing buildings, stripping them back to their bare bones and revealing their charm."

Council Leader Simon Tagg said he was pleased the local authority had been able to attract the investment from the government required to reshape Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to secure the town centre's long-term future and success, and I can't wait to see Capital & Centric's work unfold," he said.

The firm has previously delivered award-winning schemes such as Kampus and Crusader in Manchester city centre.

Its founders Tim Heatley and Adam Higgins have also appeared in tv programmes including Channel 4's Big Interiors Battle and the BBC's Manctopia.