New M&S and Morrisons on their way to Stafford

[joshua]

Marks & Spencer and Morrisons will take up prime positions in a new £70 million shopping complex in Stafford town centre, it was announced today.

The two new major stores will form the cornerstone of the Riverside development, bringing hundreds of jobs to the area and transforming the landscape of the town.

Artists’ impressions released today show how the Morrisons store would sit on the former Riverside Recreation Centre site, incorporating the redundant Bridge Street car park, while Marks & Spencer would build on the current Kingsmead car park at North Walls.

Meanwhile, Staffordshire County Council leader Philip Atkins confirmed the existing Marks & Spencer store in Gaolgate Street would close as part of the move.

Read more: http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2011/10/12/new-ms-and-morrisons-on-their-way-to-stafford/#ixzz1aZZKGCOx

 

[Dabbler]

I saw that in the Express and Star too. Surprised me to be honest. I thought M&S were going on the Riverside site and Morrisons at Kingsmead. I must start paying more attention to what's going on...

 

[joshua]

The worrying bit is that the original m&s is closing and the effect that this will have on footfall in that area.

 

[Lucy]

I saw that in the Express and Star too. Surprised me to be honest. I thought M&S were going on the Riverside site and Morrisons at Kingsmead. I must start paying more attention to what's going on...

I believed that too, and think it's a type on E&S's part; the picture of M&S shows the river... :/

 

[tek-monkey]

So we are going to remove half the council car parks from the town, and replace them with shops? Where exactly do the people who drive to these shops park? This also means we have a supermarket at each corner of town, although I'll be happy to see a morrisons TBH.

 

[gon2seed]

I too thought M&S IS going on the Old Riverside, and the piccy seems to confirm that! The old Tesco multi-story will be knocked down and rebuilt with some shops under neath, and that will occure at a suitable time to allow the development to happen, and the shops to have parking spaces. I assume Asda carp park will go strict pay & display, as per Sainsbury's.

If you believe an brain adduled fraudster, the god help you! Ed

 

[joshua]

Plans for the redevelopment of two important sites within Stafford town centre will be unveiled at the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre on Friday and Saturday this week.

The plans, prepared by LXB Retail Properties plc, will explain how the redevelopment of the existing long stay car park at North Walls (known as the Kingsmead site) and the redevelopment of former Riverside Recreation Centre site (including the redundant Bridge Street car park on the opposite side of the River Sow) will be transformed into two new high quality retail developments.

LXB Properties plan to redevelop the Kingsmead site to provide a new supermarket and car park linking with the town centre. Plans for the Riverside site include a new shopping scheme with two large anchor stores, additional smaller retail units, a new multi-storey car park on the site of the existing multi-storey car park and a new footbridge link across the River Sow.

The two developments represent a significant investment in Stafford town centre and will create important jobs for the local economy whilst reinforcing the centre’s retail offer.

The borough council announced in July that the £70 million worth of development was coming to Stafford following talks with developers.

Councillor Frances Beatty, cabinet member for planning and regeneration at Stafford Borough Council, said: “This scheme will provide long awaited improvements to the county town of Stafford and will raise the profile of our area as a shopping destination.

“This will bring more shops, more choice and more foot-fall which will spill off to other retail outlets and businesses. We will also have improvements to our parking and environment, so I would ask people to go and take a look at the plans and take the opportunity to talk to the developers to see just what it will mean for our borough.”

Plans of the two schemes will be on display in the Mountbatten Suite of the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Eastgate Street, Stafford town Centre (ST16 2LT). The exhibition will be open from 10am until 6pm on Friday 14 October and 10am until 4pm on Saturday 15 October.

Members of the public are welcome to visit the exhibition to view the plans, talk to the developers and their professional team, and provide important feedback on the proposed developments.

http://wwww.lxbretailproperties.com/images/uploads/Acquisition%20of%20retail%20development%20sites%20in%20Stafford.pdf

 

[Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt]

If Morrisons go on Riverside that puts them right opposite ASDA? Seems a bit odd, would have made more sense as others have pointed out if Morrisons had gone to Kingsmead and M&S to Riverside.

I know we should be grateful in these economic times for anything that brings more jobs to the town but in a way it a shame that we can only attract yet another supermarket - is this really the best we can do? What we could actually do with is a better range of recreation activities within the town as I should imagine that this is a prime reason that people travel elsewhere. A proper new cinema would be good for a kick off.

 

[tek-monkey]

Is our cinema used enough to warrant another? Also, as mentioned in the 'where to live..' thread, Stafford already has more than a lot of the outlying areas.

As far as I can see these developments only touch disused sites, no green land? If so, I say what the hell. The only real downside is any profit from these shops goes to big companies rather than locals, but what can you expect nowadays?

 

[henryscat]

So we are going to remove half the council car parks from the town, and replace them with shops? Where exactly do the people who drive to these shops park? .

In the 1,600 car parking spaces the Distress & Star sez are included in the development!

 

[wizzard]

So we are going to remove half the council car parks from the town, and replace them with shops? Where exactly do the people who drive to these shops park? This also means we have a supermarket at each corner of town, although I'll be happy to see a morrisons TBH.

Don't forget the riverside development only became a carpark when the original deal fell through due to the developer going bust.

 

[Wolfenrook]

I actually really like the Stafford Apollo cinema now, they've really done the place up since I took my wife there on our first date all those years ago. It's very quiet though, even for more popular films. I think most people these days go to Cineworld near Wolverhampton, the Odeon on Festival Park or the UCI Showcase near Walsall. I wont comment on the Odeon as it has been many years since I went there (as in, around 18 or so... lol), but I much prefer the Apollo to the other 2, and I was a regular at Cineworld until a couple of years ago. So no, I don't believe Stafford needs another cinema, just needs the one we have to start showing better films on at least 1 screen. lol

As to the whole car park thing, I don't drive so don't give a hoot. A good solution though would be to perhaps run a free shuttle service from the Queens into town, but then the number 6 goes right past there already. Folks need to just stop using their cars so much, or get the hang of parking out of town, it's not difficult. Car parks are, frankly, a waste of valuable space in our towns and cities.

As to M&S and Morrisons, again I could care less. M&S are rubbish these days, just an overpriced Tesco. Morrisons, we shop in Asda and are unlikely to change. Don't like Tesco or Sainsburys and been to the Morrisons in Stone, Walsall, Festival Park and Newcastle Under Lyme, and was unimpressed. I'd like to see more smaller shops to be honest, or small chains, quirkier ones. Stafford has more than enough supermarkets, phone shops, coffee shops, pubs, restaurants and chain stores already.

Ade

 

[daz100]

I like the plans and to be fair anything is better than what we have got now. If it all links in with Staffordshire place and the revamped Civic then they might finally have done something right.

 

[Miss Red]

In response to the E&S editorial on this.........2 stores (large as they may be) coming to stafford (one which is already in the town) will not be the making of stafford!
M&S are already in town, so shoppers that shop there will (hopefully) walk the other end of town to "continue" shopping in there. Morrisons are a middles bit of sainsburys & tesco;s but with asda just down the road i doubt whether it will attract more people to "shop" in stafford, unless you already live here!

So really nothing new to attract anybody outside to come into town. I personally have a hard job spending in stafford and prefer to go where there are a variety of shops.

The only winner out of this (as far as i can see) is Jade Clothing - she will definitely get more footfall past the shop lol.

 

[tek-monkey]

IIRC the council were being funny about the leases on those buildings, maybe now we know why!

So we are going to remove half the council car parks from the town, and replace them with shops? Where exactly do the people who drive to these shops park? .

In the 1,600 car parking spaces the Distress & Star sez are included in the development!

Do'h, missed that bit!

 

[CreamCake]

When will they start building ?

 

[gon2seed]

Not long now till all is revealed, and all these rumour mills can come to an end! And if you beleive that ........ my uncle must be an tailed, hursuit, ape like, creature........ ....... actually he is!

 

[grumpystaffordguy]

I heard that M&S was going on the old riverside site as part of a new shopping complex. However I was told that Morrisons was going on the big North Walls car park. That would sound better than having the supermarkets opposite each other and it would also spread the parking spaces across two sites (although no more parking overall).

 

[Andreas Rex]

In response to the E&S editorial on this.........2 stores (large as they may be) coming to stafford (one which is already in the town) will not be the making of stafford!
M&S are already in town, so shoppers that shop there will (hopefully) walk the other end of town to "continue" shopping in there.

...but M&S is closing, so there will be no M&S to go to at the other end of town

 

[ddub1984]

...but M&S is closing, so there will be no M&S to go to at the other end of town

I'm sure I read somewhere the old M&S would be demolished to form a new walkway to the North Walls car park development, I might be wrong though. I think it was on one of the "future planning strategy"-type documents on the borough council website.