Newcastle-under-Lyme: Plans approved for York Place shopping centre demolition

The redevelopment will see the York Place site demolished and replaced with retail and office space

A landmark 1960s shopping centre is set to be demolished after redevelopment plans were approved by councillors.

York Place, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, will be knocked down and replaced by two buildings and a public square, under a revamp of the town centre.

The new buildings, three and four storeys high, will feature retail space and offices.

Proposals for the new site were passed unanimously by the council's planning committee earlier in June.

The site, at the junction of High Street and Merrill Street, lies within one of the borough council's "conservation areas", which aims to protect areas of architectural or historical interest from new developments.

In a report, council officers said the proposed redevelopment would "protect and enhance" and "would not harm" the character or appearance of nearby buildings, including the Grade II listed Old Bull's Head pub.

"Such development would enhance the vitality and viability of the town centre by encouraging its use by a greater range of people for different purposes, possibly at different times of the day and night," the report added.

Councillor Mark Holland praised the plans and called the redevelopment a "key project", adding that it would be an improvement on the current York Place complex.

"There's clearly a great deal of thought gone into it, I'm minded to be supportive of what's proposed," he said.

Councillor Andrew Fear described the current site as a "decaying, ugly box," the removal of which would help enhance the town's night time economy.