Start date for town centre revamp

New county council headquarters have been part of the plans

Building work may start on a £23m shopping centre and office complex in Stafford by August 2009.

The centre and new Staffordshire County Council headquarters are planned for Tipping Street in Stafford.

The project, part of £500m regeneration plans for the town, would create up to 1,500 jobs, the county council said.

It has approved the business plan for the Tipping Street scheme and a detailed planning application would be drawn up in the next two weeks.

The application would go to the planning authority, Stafford Borough Council.

The £500m plans, called the Stafford Town Centre Masterplan, have involved partnerships between the borough council, county council and various companies.

It has not been announced when a car park at Tipping Street, which would have to make way for the development, would stop being used.