Developer sets sights on £100m+ reboot of Buxton town centre  

Manchester-based social impact developers, Capital and Centric has revealed its latest challenge, the £100m+ reboot of The Springs shopping centre in Buxton.

The company is collaborating with High Peak Borough Council to transform the site between the train station and the high street.

They plan to repurpose the 1980s indoor shopping centre into a vibrant mix of hundreds of new homes, workspaces and independent shops, bars and cafes. The vision is to give pedestrians easy access through the site from Spring Gardens up to the train station, while also seeking to open up the River Wye, creating green public spaces perfect for al fresco food, drinks and events.

The team is now working up a vision for the site, with more to be revealed in the coming months as a planning application is prepared.

John Moffat, Joint Managing Director at Capital and Centric, said: “Surrounded by the Peak District National Park, Buxton’s already a town with so much going for it – from its stunning Georgian and Victorian architecture, to its healing spa waters and buzzing food and drink scene.

“This is a huge opportunity to revitalise the shopping centre, improving the spaces for shops, cafes and bars whilst bringing in new people to live in the town centre. We want to create a new gateway from the station, which draws in visitors and really showcases the amazing things the town has to offer.”

‘Revitalising Buxton’ will see the shopping centre, Spring Gardens and Station Approach redeveloped – a scheme which became possible after the council received £6.6m of Future High Street Fund money from the Government, which it then used to buy the shopping centre in 2022.

Leader of the council, Cllr Anthony McKeown, said: “Over the last few years we have gathered hundreds of ideas from the local community for the future of this part of the town. In order to move these ideas to reality we are thrilled to announce the next steps for this transformational project for Buxton by announcing a development partner.

“Capital and Centric has presented a confident vision, aligned with our aspirations for this site. We now want everyone to have the opportunity to help shape the proposals through further consultation and engagement next year.”

Cllr Damien Greenhalgh, Deputy Leader and Executive Councillor for Regeneration, Tourism and Leisure, said: “We promised to revitalise Buxton town centre and that’s what we’re doing. As regeneration projects go, this is huge for Buxton and presents an enormous opportunity to diversify what we have in the town centre, whilst at the same time ensuring what is proposed complements the great assets we already have here that are cherished by residents and visitors alike.

“We look forward to working with our new development partner as we work together on this bold and exciting scheme we aim to have completed in 2029.”

Capital and Centric has restored and repurposed some of the UK’s iconic historic buildings, turning them into new homes, work and cultural spaces fit for the 21st Century.

Having already delivered a slew of regeneration projects across the North of England – including in Manchester, Stockport and Sheffield – this will mark the company’s first foray into Derbyshire.

It follows the tried and tested method they’re taking in other places like Kampus, Manchester’s garden neighbourhood, the reboot of Farnworth town centre in Bolton, and a new community at Goods Yard in Stoke-on-Trent. The developer has also been appointed by Homes England to lead the delivery of a town centre and around 2,000 homes at the Northstowe new town in Cambridge.