New M&S and Morrisons on their way to Stafford

[Tumble weed]

That M&S is going to leave a big hole. We were lucky that Sports Direct took over the old Woolworths site. Can't think of anyone really who'd be willing to take such a massive space on. The rent alone would be fairly hefty. Dare I say maybe Primark would be interested? Am I right in thinking Next is next to it? - Primark could always get permission to knock the lot together??

 

[ddub1984]

By the way have any of you been to the M&S in Tamworth? Its enormous, airy, light, makes the old Stafford M&S look so outdated. If the new M&S is anything like Tamworth it will definitely draw in new shoppers, its as different as for example the new Tesco was to the old Riverside Tesco.

 

[Tumble weed]

...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.

A walkway?? What a waste.

I would have liked something more adventurous tbh. Something like a John Lewis or something would be better than M&S and Morrisons, but hey, It's better than the nothing and the derelict building we have now.

 

[scallywag]

With regard to the Apollo cinema and its attributes, ask the disabled members of our community how far they have to travel to visit the cinema, and what they think of the Apollo.

 

[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.

A walkway?? What a waste.

I would have liked something more adventurous tbh. Something like a John Lewis or something would be better than M&S and Morrisons, but hey, It's better than the nothing and the derelict building we have now.

Found it, knew I had seen it somewhere!
http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/live/Documents/Forward%20Planning/Additional_Material/Retail-study.pdf
On page 91 of the pdf, section 7.20 says
"In addition, the opportunity at Kingsmead is currently somewhat detached from the primary retail core. One way of achieving better linkages with the town centre would be to promote the opportunity that any redevelopment would provide a new store for M&S thereby removing their current store on Goalgate (sic) and creating the all important pedestrian link to the primary shopping core."

 

[Tumble weed]

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.

A walkway?? What a waste.

I would have liked something more adventurous tbh. Something like a John Lewis or something would be better than M&S and Morrisons, but hey, It's better than the nothing and the derelict building we have now.

Found it, knew I had seen it somewhere!
http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/live/Documents/Forward%20Planning/Additional_Material/Retail-study.pdf
On page 91 of the pdf, section 7.20 says
"In addition, the opportunity at Kingsmead is currently somewhat detached from the primary retail core. One way of achieving better linkages with the town centre would be to promote the opportunity that any redevelopment would provide a new store for M&S thereby removing their current store on Goalgate (sic) and creating the all important pedestrian link to the primary shopping core."

That is truly the worst idea i've heard yet!

I do agree with knocking it down though, but building something better there instead, not a friggin walkway!

 

[tek-monkey]

How about a walkway between lots of small shops, try and encourage more local businesses? I'm sure the width of M&S would accomodate a decent footpath as well as shops like down the side of the guildhall near the P&A. Give them cheap rent/rates for a year or two, the extra footfall a new morrisons would generate would certainly help them. Maybe rather than looking how to increase the human traffic towards Morrisons we should look at how to entice its shoppers into the town?

 

[Withnail]

Does Charlotte Cross live in Stafford? Has she ever visited Stafford even?

She seems to have got the two the wrong way round.

 

[Tumble weed]

Yeah, It's a mental idea. This walkway couldn't be further away if they tried

 

[Mikinton]

Does Charlotte Cross live in Stafford? Has she ever visited Stafford even?

She seems to have got the two the wrong way round.

Looks like she has

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-15271527

Plans for a £70m redevelopment of Stafford town centre go on display on Friday.

They include a supermarket on North Walls car park at Kingsmead, and new shops at the former Bridge Street car park and Riverside Recreation Centre.

Developer LXB Retail Properties plc said it was in negotiations with Marks and Spencer and Morrisons.

It said it hoped to submit a planning application next month, following a public consultation.

Stafford borough councillor Frances Beatty, cabinet member for planning and regeneration, said it would bring "long-awaited improvements to the county town".

"This will bring more shops, more choice and more footfall which will spill off to other retail outlets and businesses," she added.

The council said the project could create as many as 650 jobs in the town.

If approved, work could start on the development in 2012.

The plans will be on display at the Gatehouse Theatre in the town on Friday and Saturday.

 

[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.

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

Thats what i said.....as there is already a M&S in town presently, then the hardened M&S shoppers will walk to the new one (at the other end of town) hopefully to continue shopping there ( in the new one)

 

[Mikinton]

Thats what i said.....as there is already a M&S in town presently, then the hardened M&S shoppers will walk to the new one (at the other end of town) hopefully to continue shopping there ( in the new one)

From my point of view, the existing M&S is already at the 'other end of town' so the new one opening at Riverside would mean me rarely having to walk past Market Square.

 

[Withnail]

Does Charlotte Cross live in Stafford? Has she ever visited Stafford even?

She seems to have got the two the wrong way round.

Looks like she has...

So she works for the BBC now?

E&S to the BBC over the course of an evening - cripes!

 

[gilbert grape]

I haven't trawled through the posts and paper in fine detail but have not seen the positive slant of how many jobs this will create over the coming years? That includes building work as well as the retail work and I'd imagine a lot of the jobs could be taken locally.

 

[Withnail]

Another overlooked consequence of the building of 'Plaza de Elephante Blanco' has been the amount of money that must have been pumped through Stafford's retail establishments on the back of the building work.

Where have they slept?
Where have they eaten?
Where have they drank (and got drunk)?

I dare say a few changes of underwear were in order too. Keynes my arse (or is that their M&S underpanted arses)?!?

Time for a bit of Keynes elsewhere?

 

[Miss Red]

Dont really matter which way you look at it, Stafford town is a dive, like i said in my earlier post, i have a job to even try and spend up there.
If you count how many shops you actually "need" to go, you wouldnt need more than one hand!

Dallans has closed down too now!

I mean what sort of town is it where, you cannot rent a dvd!, you cannot buy furniture (unless you wait 6 weeks from homebase/argos or want "pine" and you cant even buy a school blouse above a 7yr old!! or you go for a browse in the market, only to find, what your looking for isnt on the 6 stalls thats left in there! Its shocking!

Everything in town is mobile phone or food!! and yeah i can understand some people that say "town is lovely, if you dont like it shop elewhere!", I do - but if more people start thinking the same, Stafford will become a ghost town! and those little xmas jobs for your kids when they get older, wont be there!

 

[andy w]

Whilst the new M & S development and the extra jobs are most welcome, you have to worry about the top end of the high street. We have lost Next and losing M & S will leave a big hole in that area.
I might be wrong but I am led to believe that M & S still own many of their freeholds to their shops, if that is the case I can't see them allowing a major competitor such as john lewis or debenhams move into their old store.

 

[Jade-clothing]

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be keeping this a secret or not but ive known about this for a long time as the council called me in for a meeting a few months ago - our block of shops is also included in the development as is the council offices and the litten tree so unfortunately we wont be winners. Although the council have offered us a shop in the new development - which is nice they want us to stay but the only way round this would be to move from unit to unit while they build around us! which would be a nightmare - and we know from experience that when there is work going on its even deader than ever down the walkway - as in when the scaffolding was up when the council window fell out!

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.

 

[joshua]

So is the riverside council complex going ?

 

[Miss Red]

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be keeping this a secret or not but ive known about this for a long time as the council called me in for a meeting a few months ago - our block of shops is also included in the development as is the council offices and the litten tree so unfortunately we wont be winners. Although the council have offered us a shop in the new development - which is nice they want us to stay but the only way round this would be to move from unit to unit while they build around us! which would be a nightmare - and we know from experience that when there is work going on its even deader than ever down the walkway - as in when the scaffolding was up when the council window fell out!

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.

Thats not good perhaps you get compo for the inconvenience.
Whats happening to the litten tree? that cant really go in a shopping complex.