This article is based on reporting from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), a BBC funded initiative set up to strengthen reporting on local democratic issues. The Staffordshire Signal has taken part in the scheme since September 2026, which means we're able to draw on a selection of LDRS stories alongside our own.
What’s new: Planning officers have recommended approval for revised plans to relocate Werrington’s Co-op from Washerwall Lane to a derelict farm off Ash Bank Road.
By the numbers: The proposed store would have 17 parking spaces and 77 square metres more floorspace, while retaining 14 jobs and creating four new roles.
What’s next: Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s planning committee is due to determine the application on Thursday 8 October.
Plans to relocate a village shop 200 metres away look set to get the green light later this week. The proposal for a new Co-op on a derelict farm off Ash Bank Road in Werrington would replace the existing Co-op in Washerwall Lane, which the retailer says is now too small and ‘no longer fit for purpose’.
All the existing farm buildings would be demolished to make way for the new store. New access would be created off Ash Bank Road, near the middle of the shop frontage, with 17 parking spaces, including one disabled space.
The new plans are an amended version of plans which were refused by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council in 2024 due to design reasons. The proposal was later appealed to the planning inspector, who agreed with the council.
The new scheme puts forward a ‘significant change’, according to planning officers. The previous proposal included a single storey flat roof, while a pitched roof has been designed for the new scheme.
The new plans also have a red brick finish compared to the previous scheme which included a lighter red brick finish on the front and roadside elevation but dark grey cladding on the rear and south side elevations.
The new plans also include the retention of a section of hedgerow, which was previously planned to be removed for cycle hoops. Werrington Parish Council objected to the previous application, however, now the parish council neither supports nor objects to the application.
The parish council says it recognises the need for a new Co-op and previously objected based on data suggesting that access to and from Ash Bank Road was unsafe. However, the council have reviewed data from the speed indicator device and conclude that speeds have either decreased or were overestimated.
The plans have received 20 letters of objection and six letters of support. The main concerns from residents included highway safety, harm to the countryside and the fact that the existing shop would be left empty. Supporters of the scheme said that the village needs a larger store with more parking.
The proposal would retain 14 jobs and create four more roles due to the larger store. The new shop, if approved on Thursday, would have 77 square metres more in floorspace.
Planning officers have recommended that councillors approve the application. They conclude:
“The previous application was refused solely on building design grounds and was dismissed at appeal also solely for this reason.
“It is considered the amended design put forward with this new application is a sufficient improvement. The proposal remains acceptable in terms of the impact on highway safety, overall visual amenity, residential amenity and ecological impacts, with the safeguard of planning conditions. “
The planning committee at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council will meet on Thursday 8 October to determine the application.
Written by Jonathan Sutton, Local Democracy Reporter.
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