Hopes revived for £1.5m hotel complex in Staffordshire
Hopes have been revived for the creation of a £1.5 million hotel and shopping complex in Staffordshire that would create 100 jobs.
Hopes have been revived for the creation of a £1.5 million hotel and shopping complex in Staffordshire that would create 100 jobs.
The Gallan Park scheme in Cannock was thrown into doubt after a £750,000 funding bid was rejected in April.
Council bosses are now resubmitting the application following the announcement of a new round of funding from the Growing Places programme run by the local enterprise partnerships(LEP).
Council leader George Adamson said: "We were bitterly disappointed to miss out last time and we're hopeful of a positive outcome this time around."
The scheme, which includes a 60-bedroom Travelodge hotel, was dependent on two grants.
The Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP came through with half of the funds but a bid for a similar amount from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP was refused.
The scheme has been in limbo ever since the announcement.
The hotel has been touted as the showpiece of the Gallan Park development, fronting the busy A5 in Bridgtown. The development also includes 9,000sq ft of space available for leisure and retail businesses on seven acres of land.
There would be 40 parking spaces for visitors. Birmingham-based property specialists, the Gallan Group described the location, with 30,000 vehicles passing by daily, as ideal.
As well as the creation of 100 jobs, some £5m private sector investment would be leveraged if the revived bid is successful.
The Growing Places funding is specially earmarked for projects which have stalled after being hit by the economic crisis. It handed out £8.5m of cash in April, with the Beacon Business Park in Stafford also among the beneficiaries.
The second phase involves the release of a further £3m.
Councillor Adamson said the land has been empty for some time and was ripe for development.
"We found it strange at the time that one local enterprise partnership agreed to fund the scheme while another did not. We feel we are strong contenders," he said.
At the same time as rejecting the Gallan Park scheme, the Stoke and Staffordshire LEP agreed to hand over £1.78m to Cannock Chase Council for a separate project in Mill Green, on the other side of Longford Island, which could secure up to 2,000 jobs.
