Future of Gungate consultation – read the responses submitted so far and have your say

So far more than 170 people have taken part in our consultation on the future of the Gungate site – and there’s still time to have your say.

Tamworth Borough Council is seeking views on how a large area around the former Gungate Precinct could be unlocked for future development as part of major regeneration plans for the town centre.

While the boundary of the site is likely to be flexible, it incorporates land to the north and south of Spinning School Lane; including the NCP car park, the Spinning School Lane car park, the Magistrates’ Court, Staffordshire County Council Social Services buildings and the former bingo hall.

A great deal of work has already taken place to explore potential uses that would be viable, sustainable and contribute to the overall success of Tamworth.

Proposals have been drawn up which set out the broad principles for regeneration, including potential uses and taking account of market demand, any restrictions to development on the site and the design principles within which we have to operate.

The consultation and supporting maps and documents have been live on the Tamworth Borough Council website since the beginning of February and more than 170 people have shared their views already.

Responses submitted to date have now been added to the website, together with an updated list of some of the frequently asked questions that have arisen so far. This can be viewed at www.tamworth.gov.uk/consultation where the consultation will also be open to comments until March 1 2021.

Once agreed, the principles and uses will act as a guide for future development on the land.

Cllr Jeremy Oates, Tamworth Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Heritage and Growth, said: “We know that the future of the town centre is something that the people of Tamworth are very passionate about and it’s great to see so many taking the time to add their views to this project formally, in a way that can be captured and measured as part of the process.

“Of course there are parameters around what is going to be feasible and a lot of this depends on what the demand is and what the market will actually support.

“We need to strike a balance between aspiration and what is achievable. The key is to increase the number of people in the town centre and that covers a range of options including leisure, residential and car parking, which have come across from market testing as the most viable. It’s all described in the online proposals and it’s been interesting to read people’s views so far.

“These are really exciting times for Tamworth. We’ve also just secured the £21.65m from the Future High Streets Fund for a separate project - the Gungate area is another big part of the puzzle.

“These two major projects, in addition to the recently redeveloped Enterprise Quarter and ongoing improvements to Tamworth Castle, all have the potential to help completely transform Tamworth and restore the town centre as the beating heart of the community.”

Tamworth Borough Council bought the piece of land which used to be home to the Gungate Precinct from private developers in 2018. Plans by the developers to regenerate the site never came to fruition and it has been used as a temporary car park ever since. When it came up for sale, it was felt this represented a good investment opportunity for the town and the chance to finally unlock it for regeneration.

The council already owned the Spinning School Lane car park land opposite the police station. As many of the buildings neighbouring the car parks are now vacant, such as the bingo hall and the police station, the council has been working with the various landowners to consider how the wider area could be regenerated as a whole.