A long-awaited revamp of the Gracechurch Centre is set to start soon, after Mayor Andy Street secured around £10million in funding to facilitate the scheme.
The cash, from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), which is led by Andy, comes on top of a £1million commitment to Sutton Coldfield Town Hall and £20million to kickstart the regeneration of the heart of Sutton.
The latest funding is another result of long-standing work by Andy and MP Andrew Mitchell to secure backing to revitalise the town centre. New Gracechurch owners BGP and SAV Group are set to transform the retail area.
Andy Street said: “I know Sutton Coldfield residents care a great deal about their town centre and want to see it regenerated and improved.
“Sutton Coldfield town centre is the second biggest shopping destination in Birmingham, and there is already a robust Masterplan in place to reshape it for the coming decades, which was drawn up by the Town Council, under the leadership of Cllr Simon Ward.
“The Gracechurch, which occupies the majority of the town centre, is key to the success of that Masterplan. This funding should help ensure that, after public consultation, work gets going quickly at the Gracechurch, so that we can see the kind of regeneration everyone wants to see.”