Rugely town centre to get a £200,000 facelift
A town centre will get a £200,000 facelift with new seating areas and bins installed to improve its image. Plans for Rugeley town centre are in Cannock Chase Council's proposed budget.
Council leader George Adamson said: "Rugeley town centre is beginning to look a bit rundown, so we want to improve that in the next year and make it more attractive."
The planned revamp, part of a larger plan to spruce up the district's main towns, follows regeneration projects in Cannock and Hednesford.
Tim Jones, Rugeley Town Council head of planning said: "The town council has been pressing for this for a long time.
"The town centre clearly needs regeneration.
"The devil is in the detail, but we do of course welcome the plans and money being spent on the town centre.
"Rugeley is a town which attracts quite a few visitors from out of town, due to its independent shops.
"We're very lucky to still have the butchers, baker and clothing shops, but it's clearly a thriving town centre which needs to continue to attract the right type of shops.
"We want to make people coming into town feel welcome and make them want to come back.
"They key thing in the revamp is just to make the town centre look more attractive to encourage shoppers and the right sort of businesses.
"I don't want to give examples of what I'd like to see done, however, as we want to consult with local people and local businesses, with whom we have a very good relationship.
"Rugeley, luckily, is the type of town where people all know each other, so a lot of debate can take place, and people are always happy to tell me what they want."
The plans will be discussed with the rest of the consultation budget at a cabinet meeting of Cannock Chase Council on Thursday.
