Over the past two decades, Cannock Chase District has witnessed a substantial amount of inward investment from the private sector as numerous businesses have moved or relocated in the District creating a large number of jobs.
The Council plays a key role in developing the right factors for attracting and retaining businesses along with helping businesses start up and grow.
The Economic Development Team aim to develop relationships with businesses to provide sustainable growth in the economy, for all business support enquires please contact the Economic Development Team on 01543 464267 or email econdev@cannockchasedc.gov.uk.
- M6 Toll
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In 2003, the country’s first pay-as-you-drive motorway opened, with a junction (T7) at Churchbridge, just a mile from Cannock Town Centre. This brought about significant economic and transport benefits to the District and has been a major factor in the success of a key employment site (Kingswood Lakeside) due to its proximity to both M6 Toll (Junction T7) and the M6 motorway (Junctions 11 and 12) which attracted many distribution companies.
Acknowledged as one of the centres of enterprise on the rim of the West Midlands, the District has a number of distinct advantages from a business point of view – a central location with excellent access to the national road network, a stable workforce with a pool of skilled labour, competitive costs and a good quality of life.
- Enhanced quality of life
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Although much of the investment has been in business projects there has also been a large amount of projects aimed at improving the quality of life for the community.
There has been an increase in the housing stock in the Cannock Chase District with a mixture of new private, affordable and Council houses being built in Lime Pit Lane, Green Lane and Pye Green Valley, which is a huge benefit to the local community and area.
There has also been redevelopment of the leisure facilities in the district; A £1.25m investment in Rugeley Leisure Centre has delivered a refreshed swimming pool along with a state of the art outdoor 3G artificial grass pitch, with low enerygy LED floodlights, new flooring in the centre's squash courts and extended vehicle parking facilities with electric vehicle charging points. Hednesford has also seen large levels of investment from the national lottery to build the 2 storey Hednesford Pavilion Cafe, a new skate park and replace the children’s park with new equipment.
Shopping in the District has also seen an improvement, with opening of the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands, giving shoppers a wider range of choice.
Cannock Chase was designated as the smallest AONB (now known as Cannock Chase National Landscape) in England and Wales at 68sq m (26 square miles) in 1958 because of its beautiful landscape, its wildlife and its history. It is one of the region’s most popular and accessible beauty spots; attracting walkers, mountain bikers (including hosting the Mountain Biking for the Commonwealth Games in 2022), naturalists, picnickers and those just looking to enjoy its rural beauty and peace & quiet.
- Regeneration, Development and Strategic Development
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There is a wide variety of commercial space available in the District ranging from office space, workshops to large industrial space. Over the years the District has seen multiple international businesses set up home here, including: Amazon, DHL, JCB and Finnings.
Kingswood Lakeside
Kingswood Lakeside is situated in a prime location adjacent to the M6 Toll Junction T7 at Churchbridge just to the east of Cannock town centre and 21 miles north of Birmingham City Centre. With its close proximity to the M6 motorway (Junctions 11 and 12) and direct access to the A5 and A34 there is unrivalled access to the national motorway network.
Kingswood Lakeside is home to Veolia Environmental Services, Alternative Parcel Company (APC), HellermannTyton and First Choice Catering to name a few. As a result of its location the site is nearly full.
Rugeley Power Station
Located on the edge of the town centre, Rugeley Power Station is a 139-hectare site that consisted of a coal-fired power station, gas turbine generator, cooling towers and chimneys. As well as its visual dominance locally, it was also the economic and social life blood of Rugeley providing jobs and facilities including a sports and social club, which established subsidiary clubs for fishing, football and model boat and railway activities.Plans are progressing to transform the former coal-fired power station into a sustainable and innovative mixed-use neighbourhood, including 2,300 new low carbon homes, a proposed low carbon school, 5 hectares of employment space and a new 25-hectare country park alongside the River Trent.
McArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands
McArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands secured planning approval in September 2016 and opened its doors in April 2021. The outlet currently has over 60 iconic brands such as Coach, Kate Spade, Hugo Boss, Levi's, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Nike, Under Armour and many more. There is a play area, restaurants and guest services along with ample free parking.
McArthurGlen is Europe's leading owner, developer and manager of designer outlets. Home to the most sought-after luxury, designer and high street brands, they offer visitors year-round savings of up to 60% in the UK.
McArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands is the Group's seventh centre in the UK. This development is a joint venture between McArthurGlen, Aviva Investors on behalf of Aviva Life and Pensions, The Richardson Family and U+I Group Plc.
When fully complete the outlet will provide a high quality, sustainable development with approximately 130 retail units along with a multi-storey car park.