- Saving Tamworth Borough Council £1.4million which will support future Gungate regeneration
- Level of disruption too significant for parts of the project to go ahead
- Middle Entry to be re-paved to match new paving in St Editha’s Square, around the Town Hall and entrance to Castle Grounds
Tamworth Borough Council in partnership with Middle Entry owners, Peer Group have made the decision to not progress all original plans for Middle Entry as part of the Future High Street Fund project. The decision was ratified by full council on 21 January 2025.
The original plans included removing the glazed roof and the ‘bridge links’ at either end of the Middle Entry, and demolishing numbers 9 Middle Entry and 18, 18a and 19 Market Street and 20, 20a and 21 George Street to enable a new flexible, multi-use building for new and small businesses. The glazed roof and golden bridges will now remain.
The new flexible building for new and small businesses continues and work is well underway and delivering to schedule, with structural steelwork already in place.
In partnership with Peer Group and their tenants, the decision was taken earlier in the year for the glass roof on Middle Entry to remain, as it provides welcome shelter on rainy days. The project then continued to progress with the design and logistics to remove the ‘bridge links’ at either end of Middle Entry.
For the full project to go ahead, it was critical that the programme of work could be delivered safely for all users of the town centre.
For health and safety reasons, work to remove the ‘bridge links’ would mean that each entrance to Middle Entry would need to be closed for a number of months. This level of disruption is too significant for all businesses in the town. This part of the project is also costly, with Tamworth Borough Council directly contributing £1.4milion to the project.
Given the cost and the level of disruption, the decision has been taken that this part of the project will not now go ahead. Middle Entry will however be re-paved to match the new paving in St Editha’s Square and outside Middle Entry around the new buildings, Town Hall and entrance to Castle Grounds.
This decision has not been taken lightly; the original plan was to open up the view from the Town Hall to St Editha’s church to encourage visitors though the town into the refurbished St Editha’s Square. While this will not now be achieved, it means that £1.4million from Tamworth Borough Council will now be used to help fund regeneration work at Gungate, another part of Tamworth town centre.
Leader of the Council, Carol Dean said: “This has been a difficult decision to make, but it is the right one; we simply could not continue knowing the bridge links could not be removed without closing the entrances to Middle Entry for some time.
“To fund this part of the project, the previous political administration diverted funding from Gungate to pay for the works, now that money will go back into the pot to support further regeneration work in the Gungate part of town.
“Considering both aspects, it became clear that the original plans for Middle Entry could not go ahead.
“Work to regenerate Tamworth town centre is ambitious and substantial with plans that have been worked on for a number of years. Throughout all the work the town and market are very much active and I’d urge everyone to continue to shop, socialise and visit the town centre. We’re entering the final stages of regeneration plans, and there is a lot still to build and redevelop over the next six to eight months, but work will then be complete. Yes, there is disruption, but this disruption will be the catalyst to a rejuvenated town centre that meets the needs of 21st century shoppers, residents and businesses.”
Jamie Smith, Senior Regional Property Manager from Peer Group said: “We regret that the Tamworth ‘bridge link’ development project has come to an end. The decision was made after careful consideration, with a strong focus on the potential impact the works would have on stakeholders in the area. The original plan to remove the ‘bridge links’ would have required lengthy closures and caused significant disruption to the area.
“While this original plan will not proceed, Peer Group remains committed to supporting Tamworth’s regeneration and is pleased to see the finances being redirected towards Gungate.
“Tamworth Middle Entry plays an important role as one of Peer Group’s fundamental sites, and we are glad to see the community spirit being strengthened through these council-driven projects.”
Other parts of Tamworth Borough Council’s £21million regeneration plan to transform the town centre into the busy, thriving heart of the community continue to progress now at pace.
The former Peel Cafe on Market Street has now successfully opened as the new Nationwide Building Society, which means their previous 1960s building opposite can be demolished to create a wider entrance to the castle grounds.
Work to restore the beautiful original 19th century former Co-operative building on Colehill is also very nearly complete and will be ready for the final fit in the coming weeks, with the aim of opening in the Spring.
When fully delivered, regeneration plans will see:
- A new Enterprise Centre in the original 19th Century former Co-operative building on Colehill.
- Remedial works to preserve historic vacant properties on Market Street (opposite Peel Café) with a wider footbridge into the castle grounds
- Redeveloped building replicating the original Georgian style of the former Peel Café, bringing a building back into active use. (Complete).
- Middle Entry renovations which will see some vacant units demolished to be replaced by a new flexible, multi-use building for independent small businesses.
- Public realm works that will link all the projects together.
Additionally, South Staffordshire College is also building a new college facility replacing the demolished 1960s part of the Co-operative Building, which delivers a combined investment of over £40million in Tamworth town centre.
Throughout all the work, though there will be disruption, Tamworth town centre and market remain ready to welcome visitors for shopping, socialising and leisure.
This investment from the government’s Future High Streets Fund is a once in a generation opportunity to develop a town centre that meets the needs of 21st century shoppers, residents and businesses.
See our website and previous press releases for further information about Tamworth’s Future High Streets Fund project:
More information about the Future High Streets Fund is available online