Mill Green secures planning

Planning consent has been secured by development partners U + I and Rioja Developments for 'Mill Green', a 110 million pound new outlet village in the West Midlands. With approximately 130 designer-outlets units, new restaurants, a heritage trail and around 2000 car parking spaces, the 23,558 square metres village will be the biggest development of its kind in the region.

Gillespies' landscape proposals take advantage of the sites close proximity to the adjacent Mill Green Nature Reserve, establishing a strong buffer of trees and planting that seamlessly integrates the new Designer Outlet Village into the local context, and reduces the developments environmental impact on the surrounding environs.

A generous, attractive and step-free public realm connects the outlet village with the existing town centre and train centre. Within the village itself, legible pedestrian connections, carefully placed street seating and spill-out cafes enable visitors to walk, talk and sit in and around the blocks of brightly coloured planting. The landscape concept developed by Gillespies for U+I is a departure from the traditional approach to Retail Outlet villages and seeks to set this project apart from its rivals by providing a unique and immersive experience for the visitor. The use of 'Forest-style' planting in the form of trees and groundcover promotes a timeless aesthetic that is consistent with and reminiscent of the nearby AONB, Cannock Chase. The overall effect, therefore, is a development that is true to its location, whilst defining new design parameters.

The introduction of a new heritage trail and children's play park adds further excitement, providing more incentives for people to visit Mill Green.

Phase one of the development goes on site in autumn 2017, with an anticipated opening in spring 2019