A milestone has been reached in the multimillion-pound project to transform Tamworth town centre as the flagship building at the heart of the plans changes hands.
Tamworth Borough Council has now taken ownership to the Tamworth Co-operative Society building at St Editha's Square, paving the way for it to be transformed into a hub of education and enterprise.
The shop units on the Colehill side of the site will become a second Tamworth Enterprise Centre, providing affordable office space for businesses.
A 1960s section at the back will be demolished and replaced with a new home for Tamworth College, part of South Staffordshire College.
This move will bring approximately 1,500 students and visitors into the town centre, both for daytime and evening courses.
This development represents a key milestone in the Future High Streets Fund project, which saw Tamworth win a massive £21.65m grant from the Government to regenerate the town centre. When combined with funding from external partners, the project will represent total investment of around £40m.
Cllr Jeremy Oates, Leader of Tamworth Borough Council, said: “We’re delighted that our purchase of the Co-operative Society building is now complete. This was a significant milestone and means we can now really get on with the ambitious plans to bring the Co-op site back into life as a hub for education and enterprise.
“The council will maintain the historic frontages of the building on Colehill, which will be turned into modern, affordable office space; something which is desperately needed in the town centre. Our first Enterprise Centre at the Philip Dix Centre has been a huge success from day one. It has always had a full complement of tenants, and often a waiting list.
“This venture will give more businesses the chance to set up and grow, through access to affordable office space and all the advice and support that goes with it, from our business support team.
“The larger more modern part of the building will become home to the new Tamworth College. The college wanted a new location, and this move represents a great opportunity for both the college and the town centre. It will bring a new community to the heart of the town centre with guaranteed footfall, day and night, that is not reliant on other factors or market forces, which will be a real boost for the high street.
“It will also make the town centre a more attractive prospect to businesses looking to relocate, and we are already seeing signs of that as a result of the planned investment. And it means the college will be able to work even more closely with the local economy to address local skills gaps – creating more jobs, business and opportunities all round.
“We can now really crack on with the next phase of the project in terms of progressing the planned refurbishments for the Enterprise Centre section and a complete demolition of the 1960s part of the Co-op building to prepare the ground for a new college.”