The redevelopment of Hednesford town centre moved a step closer over Christmas as a formal agreement was reached with Tesco for a foodstore at the Victoria Shopping Park.
By signing a lease to operate the 80,000sq ft foodstore the Council’s development agreement with St. Modwen was triggered, paving the way for construction of the new Victoria Street and bus stands.
With agreements now in place the Council has passed two major legal milestones and remains on track to deliver the Hednesford town centre regeneration programme by the end of 2012.
Cllr Diane Todd, Town Centre Regeneration Portfolio Leader, said: “This latest news takes us a step closer to achieving our vision for Hednesford town centre.
“Now that a formal agreement is in place, developers St. Modwen will be able to have serious discussions with other major retailers about opportunities in Hednesford.
“Victoria Shopping Park and Chase Gateway are on course to be completed this year, delivering a major boost to the town.”
The Victoria Shopping Park site will also house up to seven retail units on a terrace, with community facilities relocated from the old Aquarius club and 640 parking spaces.
At Chase Gateway there are further retail spaces available alongside Hednesford Bingo and a 170 space shopper’s car park.
Cllr Diane Todd added: “As we move into the next stage of development there is likely to be some disruption for pedestrians and vehicles in the town centre.
“I’d like to apologise in advance for this but I’m afraid it is unavoidable at this stage and is necessary in order to deliver improved road and footpath links by the end of 2012.”
Mark Watkins, development surveyor for St. Modwen, said: “It’s fantastic news that Tesco has committed to opening a major store at the Hednesford Gateway scheme. This and the other new shopping and leisure facilities will transform Hednesford town centre.
“As with all construction projects of this scale, the works have resulted in some minor disruption to car parking and infrastructure but we have striven to keep this to a minimum. We would like to thank the people of Hednesford for their patience and the support they have shown to the construction teams working on site.”