Buxton residents to have their say on £100m revamp

People in Buxton are being invited to have their say on a £100m regeneration plan that involves replacing a shopping centre with new shops, bars, restaurants and housing.

High Peak Borough Council bought The Springs in 2022 after receiving £6.6m of government funding and has now appointed property company Capital and Centric to lead the project.

The company's co-founder Tim Heatley has described Buxton as a "sleeping giant" and said he hoped the Revitalising Buxton project would boost tourism and encourage more young adults to stay living in the town.

He told the BBC the venues for the consultation sessions would be in bars and restaurants to make them more appealing to residents.

"The opportunity is massive of where it [Buxton] could be," he said.

"It feels unnecessarily sleepy right now, but it is a bit of a sleeping giant in terms of how thriving it could be as a place to live, work, shop and hang out."

His company has been involved in converting a series of former industrial sites in the north-west of England into modern accommodation which he hopes will appeal to young adults in Buxton.

"One of the things we have noticed is that by the time people get to their early 20s in Buxton they tend to leave to move elsewhere," he said.

"That takes talented people who have high earning ability out of the centre of Buxton and that's not great for long-term growth, so we want to help try and reverse this."

Roy Jones, who owns a cafe called Dandelion Coffee on Grove Parade close to the shopping centre, is optimistic about the plans.

"I think it will be fantastic. It has a 1980s feel to it, the high street. There are a lot of empty units," he said.

"I think repurposing that whole area with a more contemporary understanding of the economy post-Covid is a great idea."

Patrick Clearly, owner of household shop, the Village Saver on Spring Gardens in Buxton said he hoped the development would attract more clothes shops.

"As a business in Buxton, anything that makes it more attractive to visitors is good for us," he said.

Times and locations for the consultation events will be announced in due course.

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