Up to 800 city centre homes planned to boost economy
UP to 800 homes are planned for the centre of Stoke-on-Trent under economy-boosting proposals to encourage more people to live in the city.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has drawn up a detailed action plan to breathe new life into Hanley over the next 16 years.
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NEW DAWN: The run-down Hope Street is one area earmarked for some of the 800 homes to be built in the city centre. Picture: Wesley Webster
Under the masterplan officers want to see a minimum of 500 houses built in the city centre and Etruria Road corridor. But the authority has named locations for almost 800 new properties to create a culture of city centre living.
The area which will see the most homes built is Hope Street, which is earmarked for 230 'residential units'.
Some of the homes on this site, bounded by Bryan Street, New Hall Street, York Street and Hanover Street, will be in new developments, while others will be created from the upper floors of units occupied by shops and businesses.
This site will be part of a larger area, known as Hope Village and includes retail and leisure facilities.
However, the plans depend on private sector funding. The plan says: "Hope Village will become an exciting and vibrant quarter of the city centre where people choose to live, work and visit."
The City Centre and Etruria Road Corridor Area Action Plan (CCAAP) says the residential developments should include town houses, as well as expensive apartment complexes.
It also identifies a need for affordable rented one-bedroom apartments and more accommodation for older people.
Councillor Brian Ward, cabinet member for housing, planning and transportation, said: "We need to move people back into the city centre.
"If we create 500 houses there will be between 1,000 and 1,500 people in walking distance of the centre."
Around 150 homes are planned on land between Town Road and Potteries Way, as part of a prestige development to draw people into the city from the north.
There are also 140 town houses planned for Clough Street (West) and another 134 town houses for land west of the Potteries Way extension and south of Clough Street.
Richard Day, spokesman for the City Centre Partnership said: "People are ready for change."
1. East West Precinct
Mainly retail with some office space and
leisure facilities. It will also include a
120-bedroom hotel, restaurants, cafes and
bars, and the new city centre bus station.
2. Hanley Town Hall
A leisure area with a 50-bedroom hotel and a
public square fronting on to Lichfield Street.
3. Central Business District
This area will be mainly taken up by offices
but there will also be between
80 and 100 homes, a 255-bedroom hotel
and some retail and leisure outlets.
4. Marsh Street South and
Broad Street North
This area will be divided up between
leisure and offices, with 39 homes.
5. Clough Street (East)
Most of this area will be taken up with
employment and office space.There will also
be 134 homes and some open space.
6. Clough Street (West)
This will be a residential area with 140 town
houses, green and public open spaces, and
land reserved for a school or community
facility to serve the new neighbourhood.
7. Etruria Road
This area will be mainly devoted to tourism and leisure. There will be space for retailers selling bulky items.
8. Town Road
Mainly retail and leisure. There will be 150 homes - mainly apartments - and space for offices or a hotel.
9. Potteries Shopping Centre North
Part of Hope Village, this will be split equally between retail and tourism and leisure.
10. Hope Street
Also part of Hope Village, this will include 230 homes and space for retailers selling bulky goods.
11. Trinity Street/ Marsh Street North
The final part of the Hope Village scheme, it will be mainly devoted to leisure and tourism with the rest of the area turned into offices.
12. Waterloo Road (west) The largest part of this area will be for retailers selling bulky goods. There will be leisure facilities and a 122-bedroom hotel.
13. Cobridge Road East
Twenty homes are planned
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by alan, fenton
Sunday, September 12 2010, 11:22AM
“The amount of spiel about masterplans that will transform this city reads like Orwell's 1984 as an exercise in keeping a population in its place. Are these council houses? If so, where's the money? In less apathetic times there would be organised protests made these contemptuous propagandist pronouncements. What another pile of bull. Do they think we're a bunch of dementia sufferers?”
by Warren, Meir
Friday, September 10 2010, 9:27AM
“Realist......I challange you to show me any report that says stoke on Trent is the 3rd worst place to live, The BBC report today tells us that the area is third from bottom of a list of UK areas that would be least resilient to govenment cuts and economic shocks. Nowhere is it saying that the area is a bad place to live.”
by anon, stoke-on-trent
Friday, September 10 2010, 9:23AM
“I keep saying about the hotels, we won't need them, but hotel chains pay a 5 figure sum to find land to develop. I would be interested to know who has been getting the payments. Has for people coming for cheaper houses & commuting, they usually look to rural areas for a better life. Not red light destrict.”
by peter hughes, birches head
Friday, September 10 2010, 8:59AM
“I will keep watching the skies for the pigs.
when we have the correct calibre of leaders and staff we just perhaps could progress
until then they will keep lookjng at the trees and miss the wood”
by realist, Weston Coyney
Thursday, September 09 2010, 8:36PM
“Let's be honest, Stoke is the third worst place to live in the UK. Why? Because the councils allow the developers to do want they want, who knows, the councillors maybe rewarded for their inactions, but that's not for me to speculate. All I know is that any decent development in the Stoke area is completed by out of towners and a higher cost than it would be if local labour where used. Stoke college is not complete because it has gone over budget, a project that was down by a Birmingham company. Tescos in Hanley, again done by Rochester based companies. How on earth can it be more cost effective to bring labour in from so far away every day than use local guys. Someone in the council is obviously getting a bung.
It's a shame that nobody living in Stoke will be able to afford to enjoy any of these developments, why, because all of our jobs are taken by outsiders!!!!!”