Council plans to buy town's shopping centre

The Guildhall centre has seen a reduction in the number of traders

A council is planning to buy a shopping centre and bring forward plans to redevelop it.

Stafford's Guildhall shopping centre is home to around 20 retail and business units.

Although it was a thriving retail hub when it opened in the 1990s, only four shops are currently trading.

Stafford Borough Council has announced plans to buy the site, with a partner, from Birmingham-based Mercia Real Estate.

The council has not given a figure for the likely cost of a deal.

It wants to redevelop the site and preserve current businesses based outside, such as F. Hinds jewellers and the Body Shop.

In October, the authority announced plans to buy a nearby former department store which has been derelict since 2013.

The council, run as a Labour-led administration since May, says it is prioritising major regeneration of the town centre, after securing more than £14 million from the Government’s Future High Street Fund.

This money will go towards acquiring the centre. It also helped pay for Stafford's Market Square refurbishment and planned work to improve the entrance to the town's railway station.

'We want residents to be proud'

Deputy council leader Rob Kenney, who is leading on the town centre regeneration, said: “We want residents to be proud of their county town, we want visitors to come and shop, we want people to socialise and spend time using hospitality venues, and we want businesses to invest."

The authority will put forward a business case and consult the public on options for the centre once it's been purchased.

However, the Guildhall multi-storey car park needs significant work and is not expected to brought back into use in the near future.

The plans are being recommended for approval by Stafford borough council's cabinet on 7 December.