Plans revealed for £100m town centre revamp

Plans for a £100m project to regenerate a town centre in Derbyshire have been revealed.

The Revitalising Buxton scheme aims to offer new homes, leisure and hospitality venues by redeveloping The Springs shopping centre, Spring Gardens, and Station Approach in Buxton town centre.

High Peak Borough Council has now appointed a developer, which plans to repurpose the 1980s indoor shopping centre into a vibrant mix of hundreds of new homes, work spaces and independent shops, bars and cafes.

The vision also includes providing a pedestrian-friendly route through the shopping centre from Spring Gardens to the railway station, creating green spaces for dining, drinks and events along the River Wye.

The authority said a public consultation would be held next spring to "help shape the proposals" before submitting a planning application, with the aim of completing the project in 2029.

The council said the "ambitious plans" would regenerate the area between the railway station and the High Street.

It said almost 750 people took part in a community engagement programme earlier in the year, and respondents called for more facilities for young people, a variety of shops, community spaces, housing and more greenery and public toilets.

Council leader Anthony McKeown said: "Over the last few years we have gathered hundreds of ideas from the local community for the future of this part of the town.

"In order to move these ideas to reality, we are thrilled to announce the next steps for this transformational project for Buxton by announcing a development partner.

He said developers Capital & Centric presented a "confident vision, aligned with our aspirations".

The company's managing director John Moffat said: "We want to create a new gateway from the station, which draws in visitors and really showcases the amazing things the town has to offer."

Damien Greenhalgh, council deputy leader and executive councillor for regeneration, tourism and leisure added: "As regeneration projects go, this is huge for Buxton and presents an enormous opportunity to diversify what we have in the town centre."

The council added the redevelopment was made possible after it bought the shopping centre in 2022 following £6.6m of government funding.

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