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• £21million Future High Streets Fund programme transforms Tamworth town centre
• Final public realm paving works complete this month, connecting all regeneration sites
• Heritage buildings restored, new spaces created, and independent businesses supported

Tamworth Borough Council is celebrating the completion of major works in its ambitious £21.65 million Future High Streets Fund regeneration programme, as the final piece of public realm paving work comes together.

The programme, which began in 2020, has transformed Tamworth town centre from somewhere people had to visit into somewhere they want to visit – addressing key challenges including declining footfall and a dated environment.

The final phase of paving work, which connects all the regeneration projects together, creates a seamless link from St Editha’s Square, through Middle Entry to Town Hall Place, and the new Castle Gateway. This brings together the council’s vision of connecting the town’s three ancient monuments: Tamworth Castle, the Town Hall and St Editha’s Church.

The programme has delivered a diverse range of projects, from sympathetic heritage restoration to bold new builds designed for 21st century needs.

Major achievements in 2025 include:

The Elizabeth Bradford Business Centre in Colehill – the council has beautifully restored this 19th century building, offering 14 serviced offices for growing businesses, complete with original features including stained glass windows, decorative staircases and parquet flooring.

The former Peel Café on Market Street – matching its original Georgian style and now home to Nationwide Building Society, which relocated from its 1970s building to make way for the new Castle Gateway.

Castle Gateway – the council demolished the former Nationwide building to create a wider, more open bridge into the Castle Grounds with enhanced views of the castle and castle herringbone walls from the town centre.

St Editha’s Square – refurbished with new paving and lighting, to create an attractive space for the market and community events.

Town Hall Place – seven individual retail units in a striking new building opposite the Town Hall, specifically designed to support independent small businesses with affordable, flexible leases. The building is complete and internal fit-out work is underway, with new businesses preparing to open in the New Year.

Public realm improvements – new paving throughout the town centre creates cohesive, accessible spaces that link all projects together.

The regeneration programme was shaped by extensive consultation with local people and businesses in 2019, who told Tamworth Borough Council what they wanted and needed from their town centre. Tamworth was one of just 72 towns to receive Future High Streets Fund support and was awarded the fourth highest amount – one of only 15 towns to receive the full amount requested.

Combined with South Staffordshire College’s new facility in St Editha’s Square, which opened in September and welcomes over 1,000 students daily, the projects represent a combined investment of over £40 million in Tamworth town centre.

Councillor Carol Dean, leader of Tamworth Borough Council, said: “We’re incredibly proud of what’s been achieved through this once-in-a-generation regeneration programme. With seven major build projects completing in 2025, the transformation of our town centre is remarkable.

“Beautiful historic buildings have been bought back to life, stunning new spaces have been created for people to enjoy, and there are now opportunities for education, enterprise and independent businesses to thrive.

“This final piece of paving work quite literally brings everything together – you can now walk seamlessly from the Castle Grounds, through our historic market square, past the new college and business centres, connecting our town’s incredible heritage.

“Town Hall Place is ready to welcome its first independent businesses in the New Year. These units were specifically designed for start-ups and niche traders – businesses bringing something new and different to Tamworth that we don’t already have. We’re working closely with entrepreneurs to help them establish their ventures, and I’m excited to see these spaces come alive with activity.

“Tamworth’s community has been incredibly patient throughout the disruption, and I want to thank residents, visitors, market traders and businesses for their support. We now have a town centre fit for the 21st century that we can all be proud of – somewhere people want to visit, not just somewhere they have to visit.”

Tamworth Borough Council worked in partnership with Speller Metcalfe, appointed as delivery partner in January 2023, who brought expertise in complex town centre regeneration schemes and working within conservation areas. Throughout the programme, the council worked in consultation with Historic England and the heritage and conservation experts.

The final project in the regeneration programme – restoring three Grade II listed properties on Market Street next to Tamworth Castle – will begin in Spring 2026. Heritage conservation specialists BSN Group Construction have been appointed to carry out this sensitive restoration work, bringing these historic buildings back into active use.

Completing these major works marks a significant milestone, but not the end of Tamworth Borough Council’s ambitions for the town centre. Plans are being developed for further regeneration in the Gungate area, building on the momentum and success of the Future High Streets Fund programme. Tamworth Borough Council remains committed to continuing investment and improvement across Tamworth town centre.

In Arena Television Limited (in liquidation) v Bank of Scotland plc & Lloyds Bank plc [2025] EWHC 3036 (Comm), Butcher J dismissed strike out applications by two banks in respect of so-called Quincecare claims said to be in excess of £1.3bn, on the grounds that the directors of Arena had actual authority to authorise payments out of the company’s bank account pursuant to a fraud on asset based lenders.  

​On the main issue in the applications, the Judge accepted that it is arguable with a realistic prospect of success that the relevant law is that (at least in the absence of express agreement of the principal otherwise) an agent only has actual authority to act honestly in pursuit of the interests of the principal and there is no realistic or workable distinction which can be drawn in a case like this between frauds on and by the principal.  The judgment includes detailed consideration of the Supreme Court’s decision in Philipp v Barclays Bank UK plc [2024] AC 346.

However, the banks succeeded in their application for strike out in relation to the claim advanced for damages representing the difference between the customers’ liability to lenders as at a date in 2008 or 2009 and their liability to lenders upon their administration.  Applying the scope of duty principle set out in Manchester Building Society v Grant Thornton [2022] AC 783 and related ‘SAAMCO’ cases, Butcher J held that in the normal case the purpose of the bank’s duty is to avoid the making of unauthorised payments, and its liability for damages is limited accordingly to the quantum of those unauthorised payments. 

Butcher J also left open the argument that where the claimant is a ‘one-man company’, the reasoning in Singularis Holdings Ltd v Daiwa Capital Markets Ltd [2020] AC 1189 will not apply. He therefore declined to strike out the banks’ contingent counterclaims in deceit and unlawful means conspiracy. 

William Day was led by Lance Ashworth KC at the hearing, instructed by Alex Jay, Elaina Bailes and Harry Spendlove of Stewarts Law. The judgment can be found here.