Around 100 people came along to a drop-in session to find out more about a multi-million pound development to create a new community in Stafford.

The event was part of the consultation on the Stafford Station Gateway masterplan which will see new homes, businesses, hotel, and leisure facilities in the town.

And local resident associations, business owners, and members of the public attended the town’s Civic Centre on Tuesday (6 September) to talk about the draft scheme with Stafford Borough Council, Staffordshire County Council and CBRE - who are leading the consultation.

The plan is focused on revitalising underutilised brownfield land around the railway station. The project would see the ‘Station Gateway’ become a thriving active community, boosted by the town’s location at the heart of the proposed HS2 route.

With HS2 expected to cut travel time to London to 53 minutes, Stafford will become a major new transport hub and the masterplan sets in place the amenities to maximise the opportunity on the town’s doorstep.

The drop-in session was part of a six-week consultation that was launched last month with residents and businesses encouraged to share their views on the proposals.

The consultation is due to end on Thursday 29 September and people can have their say online at www.staffordbc.gov.uk/stafford-station-gateway-consultation which includes a summary of the draft plan. Once all community feedback has been factored in, the masterplan will be submitted to the council for final approval. The search for development partners to deliver the proposals will get underway when the plans are agreed.

The major transformation includes proposals to create up to 20,000 sq ft of commercial space, alongside hundreds of new high-quality homes, a hotel and multi-storey car park.

The scheme will also create walkable neighbourhoods that are well-connected to the town centre to encourage more active lifestyles - with the plans complementing the £21 million Future High Streets Funded town centre transformation. 

The new framework is being delivered by the council, LCR and Staffordshire County Council.

Councillor Frances Beatty, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Planning, said: “Thank you to all the people who took the opportunity to come to this drop-in session to find out more and ask questions about this draft masterplan.

“We had some positive comments as well as some challenging questions regarding aspects of the proposals - and all of these will be considered before we put forward a final plan.

She continued: “Growth and prosperity is a key priority for the council. We have attracted huge investment to our area working closely with our partners - and the financial backing we have received is testament to the confidence that government has in us to deliver major developments such as the Stafford Station Gateway project.

“This underutilised area will see the birth of a new community, with quality homes where people will want to live, alongside a business-friendly environment and leisure facilities, sitting on the doorstep of our station which will be an enormous attraction to potential investors.”

Councillor Beatty added: “The ‘Station Gateway’ scheme is yet another piece in the jigsaw of transforming the heart of Stafford and there is still time for people to let us know what they think.”

There has already been a huge amount of investment in the town in recent times - with the opening of the £63m Western Access Road, work underway on the £28 million state of the art skills and engineering facility at Stafford College as well as the new Shire Hall enterprise hub, and £2.5m restoration of Victoria Park.

Money has been secured by the Borough Council for the £21m Future High Street Fund transformation of the town centre including work to improve the landscape outside the front of Stafford Railway Station. The County Council have also secured £7.1m for the Staffordshire History Centre, off Eastgate Street.

Press Release No 5943