Rethinking regeneration in Stoke

Plans for transforming Stoke-on-Trent’s skyline were dealt a major blow in recent weeks after the city council scrapped its proposals for a £50m arena. An £8.5m shortfall in the council’s budget this year is expected to widen to £25m next year, according to councillor Chris Robinson, painting a bleak picture for major projects in the city. The council is going back to the drawing board on some of the city’s key development sites, but private investment remains a missing piece of the puzzle. “We are looking to get more money from different groups, including private investors, to come and develop Stoke,” Robinson told EG last month at a topping-out ceremony for Capital&Centric’s mixed-use Goods Yard development (pictured) next to the city’s main railway station. “There are other buildings that are historical and create opportunities for developers to come and take them over and recreate them, regenerate them,” he added. “We’ve got an £8.5m shortfall this year and we’ll be down to about £25m next year, so we are restricted to what we can do. So we have put a call out to the private sector to come and see what these old buildings could be turned into.” Masterplan for rejuvenation Despite facing significant cost pressure, the council is sticking with its ambitions to rejuvenate the city. It is setting out to engage with private investors on bringing historical buildings in the city back into use, which Robinson hopes will support footfall and the future viability of the city centre. It aims to draw up a combined masterplan for commercial and residential developments. Robinson said: “We have lots of historical buildings around the city that need to be kept and cherished. We are going to talk to private investors and we are going to look after these buildings better by developing a single masterplan for both commercial and living space.” At the same time, the council is working up plans to redevelop the Spode Works site in the city centre. A tender for design principles and masterplan has been issued through Homes England’s commissioning framework, seeking a developer to deliver space for digital and creative companies and a residential offer to create an “urban village”. The council hopes to emulate Capital&Centric’s £60m Goods Yard development, which is in the process of turning a former industrial site into a leisure and residential scheme with events and co-working space and a food hall. The social impact developer is seeking to restore the vaulted 1980s red brick warehouse, known as Swift House, and complete the neighbourhood in around spring 2025. Replacing the arena The Etruscan Square scheme, in Hanley, was previously set to feature a 3,600-capacity arena, 138-bedroom hotel and around 290 homes on a 10-acre site. Consent for the project was granted in April. A separate planning application for a new multi-storey car park nearby at Meigh Street was also approved at the time. To replace the arena, the council is exploring the potential for a multi-purpose sport, leisure and entertainment facility. Options for this are expected to be brought forward later this year and early next year. In the meantime, plans for the hotel and car park have been shelved. The scheme, which is backed by £20m from the government’s Levelling Up Fund, was proposed to be delivered in three phases, kicking off with the delivery of 139 flats across three buildings plus three townhouses, a courtyard for residents and shops. The council has since shifted its focus for the site to a greater residential provision. It is consulting on this under the first phase of the project. Robinson said: “Housing is a massive priority for the council as we need affordable homes to get people onto the ladder. “If we put more housing in the first phase, it will help with the footfall in the town centre, because the town centre is struggling at the moment.” To send feedback, e-mail evelina.grecenko@eg.co.uk or tweet @Gre_Eve or @EGPropertyNews Discover which agents have been most active in Stoke-on-Trent so far this year >> Image © Capital&Centric