City's regeneration held up by property talks deadlock
MAJOR regeneration projects have been delayed by up to a decade because of wrangling over the sale of homes and businesses, it has been revealed.
There are currently at least 15 clearance areas across Stoke-on-Trent, covering almost 1,300 properties in more than 70 streets.
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But it has emerged that some of these schemes date back up to 10 years because of deadlocked negotiations over purchase prices.
The most recent figures, recorded in April, show that more than one in 10 properties earmarked for clearance has yet to be purchased.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is increasingly using compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to resolve disputes.
But the authority is facing growing calls from councillors and regeneration officers to speed up the process.
In recent months, the council has applied for CPOs to acquire the remaining properties in the Slater Street clearance area in Middleport, and business and residential properties on the Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College site off Leek Road, Stoke.
Orders have also been sought for homes and businesses around the proposed Tesco development site, in Clough Street, Hanley, as well as around Eastwood Road, in Hanley, and Pyenest Street, in Shelton.
Former economic development overview and scrutiny committee chairman, Councillor John Daniels, said he wants the council to get tougher with landowners who want unrealistic sums for their properties to prevent regeneration programmes suffering delays.
He said: "I have come across a really good example of this which has been going on in Weston Coyney, where the owners of two commercial properties are asking for silly money and it is holding things up.
"I think we need to move forward with compulsory purchase orders far more quickly in situations where the owners clearly cannot see commonsense.
"When it does go to a CPO we can then say that the owners have had plenty of time to put something sensible on the table, but they have refused."
Phil Brundrett, the Meir area regeneration framework project manager for Renew North Staffordshire, is also in favour of the speedier use of CPO powers.
But he said that the council would have to be very careful not to be seen as forcing people from their homes.
He said: "At the moment we get criticised for being too slow at using our CPO powers, but we also get criticised for trying to go too quickly and I think it's about finding the right balance."
Kevan Shaw, aged 65, of Melstone Avenue, Tunstall, pictured, was among the last to leave the Middleport clearance after battling moves to buy up his home.
He said: "It was a very worrying time for everyone in Middleport to go through because we were never told what was happening.
"I felt that the whole process could have been done much more sensibly and quickly."
13 Comments
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by ian norris, tunstall
Tuesday, June 16 2009, 5:01PM
“dave, EB and Gwendolen, is someone going to ask the question then? lets start to find out whats really going on”
by Gwendolen, Trentham
Tuesday, June 16 2009, 10:33AM
“Thanks for that link Dave. Very eye-opening!”
by Dave, Stoke
Tuesday, June 16 2009, 9:53AM
“Better still, go to whatdotheyknow.com and do it online (and anonymously if you wish)”
by Gwendolen, Trentham
Tuesday, June 16 2009, 9:17AM
“E.B.: You are welcome to request that information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. There are template letters freely available online, and the only costs are for your time, stationary and stamp.”
by E.B., Stoke
Monday, June 15 2009, 8:31PM
“As in many posts from the past,I have asked the same question over,and over. What,after spending millions of pounds of our hard earned money on their wages,
have this regeneration bunch actually achieved,I would like someone from their offices to come out and tell the taxpayers factually where all our money has gone.That means you document all the wonderful places,buildings,estates,etc, You get the gist don't you .
I don't think there will be much to put down,DO YOU ?.”
by Anon, Mow Cop
Monday, June 15 2009, 8:00PM
“Well,well, well, what a surprise, I did actually predict this some months ago. What we have is another "cultural quarter" style foul-up of the so-called regeneration of Stoke-on-Trent. The city fathers have poured money into Hanley over and over again instead of the rest of the city. Have you noticed the amount of shops closed in Hanley now ???, I was there last week and shocked at the number that were shuttered up. I will never understand why councillers in this city are so short-sighted and self-serving, unlike other towns who have actually got on with the job of modernisation and dragged themselves into the 21st century.”
by steven Fox, middleport
Monday, June 15 2009, 7:41PM
“I have lived here in middleport for five years. It has been going on here for 10years. They should not keep telling us time scales then changing them. They are causing us more stress stringing us along. We can not get on with our lives. (don't do this with your house and don't do that) It is all rubish. If you are buying it buy it if not leave us be and let us get on with it. Why don't you ask Mr Brown to put a claim in for us. But just get on with it and stop messing us all round.”
by anon, stoke-on-trent
Monday, June 15 2009, 7:10PM
“Gerald, you can see what they are like, jealous of your money,they don't like to seeanyone have anything.”
by Gwendolen, Trentham
Monday, June 15 2009, 6:41PM
“Come now Mr Passino, don't be so disingenuous. You didn't refuse to sell "because of the total disrespectful manner" in which you were treated by the council. You sold to "a well know burger chain" because they offered twice the price. If the council had offered 20% more than the burger chain, no doubt they wouldn't have been too "disrespectful" for you to do business with.
Really, the audacity of some people. The very notion that the council should enter into a bidding war against a multi-national with taxpayer's money just to satisfy some land baron's ego is ridiculous.”
by Gerald Passino, Basingstoke
Monday, June 15 2009, 5:35PM
“I own a block of 6 properties in a stoke-on-trent generation area with parking which I also own. Because of the total disrespectful manner in which all this has been handled I have sold my properties and car parking space to a well know burger chain for twice the offer made by stoke-on-trent city council. This was earmarked for affordable housing.”