Gungate Regeneration Quarter
Tamworth Borough Council is actively seeking to redevelop this key piece of land in Tamworth town centre. For too long, the Gungate area has remained undeveloped, and therefore failing to contribute to the vitality and viability of the town centre.
Tamworth Borough Council purchased this site from private developers in 2018. Plans by the developers to regenerate the area 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 redevelopment.
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, former police station and the Magistrates Court, the council has been working with the various landowners to consider how the wider area could be regenerated as a whole.
A lot of in-depth research and feasibility studies have been carried out to explore how the site could be developed in a way that would be viable, sustainable and contribute to the overall success of Tamworth.
Feasibility studies found that a mix of uses will be the most sustainable, which could include uses such as housing, retirement living, a leisure centre, workspace, medical services, evening leisure and multi-storey car parking.
Retail is not being suggested as a major component of this particular site due to its decline on the high street in recent years and a need to focus on the existing vacant retail space in the main high street areas.
The outline proposals for redevelopment were put to consultation early in 2021, setting out the broad principles for regeneration, taking into account factors such as market demand, any restrictions to development on the site and the design principles within which we need to operate.
Following the successful award of Future High Street Fund Grant in 2020 the Borough Council has recognised that the Gungate regeneration site needs to further support the town centre but also compliment the Future High Streets Fund programme.
Changes in the way people shop and use the town centre has changed, and it is no longer possible to expect retail to do the work. Leisure, and experiences will form an important component in the future along with housing to ensure that the town centre is used during the day but also importantly at night.
On the surface it might appear that nothing much has changed, in fact the work that is going on behind the scenes has been considerable. The council has almost assembled the land north of Spinning School Land and is looking to formally acquire this within the next six months. This will allow the council to masterplan and vision what this area will be.
Of huge importance has been the acquisition of the NCP lease in February 2024 relating to land south of Spinning School Lane. This allows the council to now comprehensively redevelop the entire site stretching from Lower Gungate to Marmion Street.
