Energy firm ENGIE has been granted outline planning permission from Cannock Chase District Council and Lichfield District Council, for the redevelopment of Rugeley Power Station in Staffordshire.

After three years of extensive community engagement and planning, ENGIE will now progress plans to transform the former coal-fired Power Station site, which it owns, into a sustainable, mixed-use development of 2,300 new low carbon homes with a low carbon all through school.

With outline planning now confirmed, ENGIE will be able to make headway with infrastructure and remediation work, while progressing the school model.

The development will advance in phases, with initial work commencing to the north of the development, where the coal yards resided. The remediation work will start in May and is projected to complete in the winter of 2022. Infrastructure will begin in the autumn with housing parcels following remediation.

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The wider Rugeley masterplan includes more than 12 acres of employment space and a new country park alongside the River Trent. ENGIE has incorporated significant local commitments as part of the Section 106 agreement, including the delivery of a new neighbourhood centre and dentist facility.

Additionally, the company is in communication to see how it can support and enhance amenities for a number of locally loved fixtures including the model railway, local allotments and the canal.

Colin Macpherson, Divisional CEO for ENGIE UK & Ireland, said: "We have been in positive and productive communication with all the relevant local authorities and local residents for many years now; as we pushed to drive forward with a powerful proposal that would enrich the local area and inject new homes, jobs and opportunities after the closure of the power station.

"We're delighted to now be in a position where we can start to deliver on this ground-breaking development and look forward to continue working closely with the local authorities and the John Taylor Multi Academy Trust (JTMAT) as the scheme develops."

The cooling towers at the Power Station are due to be demolished on 6 June 2021.