Cannock Chase Council’s Cabinet has approved the spending of £200,000 on a car park refurbishment and improvement scheme across the District.

Following inspections carried out in 2017/18, an estimated programme of planned works has been drawn up over the next five years (2018-23) and 10 years (2024-28) to bring the 35 council owned pay and display car parks to a satisfactory standard with regards to their operation, aesthetic condition, and health and safety requirements.

Cannock Chase Council’s Cabinet has agreed to allocate £231,000 of Council funding towards the cost of producing a business case to upgrade Cannock Railway Station. The decision was taken at its meeting held yesterday (13 December).

The total cost of the outline business case is £400,000 and will be met from three sources; £129,000 from the joint investment fund (agreed with Staffordshire County Council), £40,000 from West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) and West Midlands Trains, with the balance of £231,000 coming from Cannock Chase Council.

Cannock Chase Council’s Cabinet has agreed that the current policy on the Commercial Use of the Highway which affects the display of A boards, chairs and tables in Cannock, Rugeley and Hednesford town centres should be retained.

But after taking into account the views of the Promoting Prosperity Scrutiny Committee, who were asked to review the existing policy introduced in April 2018, it believes the policy should be modified to recognise some of the concerns expressed by businesses and the needs of the wider community.

Cannock Chase Council’s support for the McArthurGlen designer outlet in Cannock has been recognised as runner up at the prestigious Institute of Economic Development (IED) Annual Awards 2018.

The Council’s Economic Development Team was shortlisted for the IED’s awards for the McArthurGlen project. The awards ceremony took place at BMA House in London last week (6 December). The Council was named as runner up behind Maidstone Borough Council.

The limited company which operates Lea Hall Social Club in Rugeley has been prosecuted after pleading guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, having allowed one of its members to use an unsafe ladder.

At Cannock Magistrates Court today, District Judge Strongman fined Lea Hall Social Club Limited £20,000 and ordered the company to pay costs of £17,000.

Cannock Town Centre is supporting Small Business Saturday by hosting in Cannock Shopping Centre a FREE local craft and artisan market on Saturday 1 December, with 30 plus stalls.

Stalls have been offered to local people to support creative and budding entrepreneurs to showcase their talents and products for Christmas shoppers.

This arts and craft market will complement the normal Saturday street market and will be open for business from 10am until 4pm.

Cannock Chase District played its part in the national Remembrance Day commemorations yesterday (11 November) with a Beacon Lighting outside St Luke's Church in Cannock (pictured here) - one of 1,000 beacons lit at different locations across the UK at 7pm last night to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1. Church bells rang out after the lighting.

Cannock Chase Council is consulting on updated Draft Conservation Area documents which have been prepared for the following areas: Church Street, Rugeley Conservation Area; Talbot Street/Lichfield Street, Rugeley Conservation Area; and Trent and Mersey Canal (Cannock Chase District) Conservation Area.

One of the country’s most accessible distribution sites has turned to drone technology to help market a `state of the art` highly-sustainable warehouse which is seeking its first occupiers.

CONNEQT Alpha is a 153,800 sq ft unit with 16 loading doors on the Kingswood Lakeside Business Park in Cannock, beside the M6 toll motorway. Owned by Bridges Fund Management and Opus Land, it was completed last month and is now available for occupation.

Around 160 tradespeople and local suppliers have attended a Meet the Buyer event involving Bowmer & Kirkland, the main construction contractors responsible for building the new McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cannock due to open in 2020.

The event, held today, was organised by Cannock Chase Council as part of its ongoing role to maximize the benefits the Outlet can offer to the local economy.

Nearly 35 different trade requirements have been identified by Bowmer & Kirkland and the hope is to match these opportunities to as many local suppliers as possible.