Stoke-on-Trent's civic centre is marketed at European property show
SEVERAL developers have expressed an interest in snapping up Stoke-on-Trent's civic centre – after council leaders marketed the site on the French Riviera.
Follow-up meetings are to be held with interested parties over the next few weeks after the Stoke site – which includes the former Spode factory – was advertised in Cannes.
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Civic Centre
The contacts were made at this week's Mipim property conference which attracted more than 20,000 delegates, including 6,700 companies from 80 countries.
Make It Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire – an inward investment arm of the city council and Staffordshire County Council – sent a five-strong delegation to the conference.
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They marketed the civic centre and Spode site, along with business units on Etruria Valley and Hanley's proposed Central Business District.
City council interim director of regeneration John Betty, who has now returned from Cannes, said: "People were surprised about the amount of work going on in Stoke-on-Trent.
"You have to realise that in the rest of the UK, Stoke-on-Trent, apart from its pottery image, doesn't have a very high profile.
"But people were generally pleased and they now realise there's more opportunity here than they have given us credit for. I think we managed to achieve a lot in terms of what in retail you'd call brand recognition."
The Make It team had a stand at the event, organised two receptions for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, and held 100 one-to-one meetings.
Staffordshire was also represented by Knights Solicitors, Keele University and energy firm Wardell Armstrong.
The cost of the trip has not been disclosed.
City Councillor Mark Meredith, cabinet member for inward investment, who was also in Cannes, said: "The primary reason why we go to Mipim is to promote specific sites, and also to promote the city and the wider Staffordshire area among developers.
"It allows us to explain and highlight the opportunities for investment in the local area.
"The team has made a lot of noise about the opportunities in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. It's right that we were there.
"There's always competition and we know it's a difficult market place, but unless we're actually shouting about the opportunities here, those opportunities could go elsewhere."
Thousands of residents are fighting the plans to sell-off the civic centre site and move the authority to the CBD.
Protester Richard Snell, aged 66, of Penkhull, said: "No case has been made for moving the council offices from Stoke to Hanley. The idea that such a move will attract business to the city is a nonsense."
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by spudder56
Monday, March 18 2013, 2:10PM
“Sell the civic centre for cash now and then rent it back untill the hanley montrosity is built and then vacate the old civic cenre so there is no need to borrow 55 million if Pezzer and his grubby gang havent got the brains to do that GO NOW business is not rocket science as Pezzer and co are trying to make it out to be for gods sake There will be no trouble selling it because of the interest shown in Cannes Surely the council are not telling lies ?????
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by allhan1
Sunday, March 17 2013, 3:38PM
“I really do despair for this city.
Those on the council who supposedly have the citys best interest at heart really are taking the 'P', and as long as those who vote for them carry on voting for them nothing will change.
Those councillors who ran this city throughout the real regeneration of the 60s 70s and early 80s are the ones we desperatly need now.
These lot arent fit to lick their boots.
I just hope that when the next elections do come round that the voters elect the best ones for the job than simply vote back in the current crop of deluded egomaniacs.”
by stokepotter
Sunday, March 17 2013, 3:35PM
“Another jolllie on the ratepayers.”
by stokepotter
Sunday, March 17 2013, 3:35PM
“Another jolllie on the ratepayers. Surely if you want to market Stoke-on-Trent then you send along a professional outfit who are paid on results. You do not send a load of amateurs who are there to top up their tans and enjoy a sunshine holiday in Cannes at our expense.”
by stokepotter
Sunday, March 17 2013, 3:25PM
“Another jollie paid for by ratepayers of this City. Surely if you want to market Stoke-on-Trent you send along professionals who are paid on results - not a lot of amateurs at our expense.”
by stokepotter
Sunday, March 17 2013, 3:24PM
“Another jollie paid for by ratepayers of this City. Surely if you want to market Stoke-on-Trent you send along professionals who are paid on results - not this lot of amateurs swanning about at our expense.”
by stokepotter
Sunday, March 17 2013, 3:24PM
“Another jollie paid for by ratepayers of this City. Surely if you do want to market Stoke-on-Trent you send along professionals who are paid on results - not this lot of amateurs swanning about at our expense.”
by stokepotter
Sunday, March 17 2013, 3:12PM
“Quote........"City council interim director of regeneration John Betty, who has now returned from Cannes, said: "People were surprised about the amount of work going on in Stoke-on-Trent. You have to realise that in the rest of the UK, Stoke-on-Trent, apart from its pottery image, doesn't have a very high profile".
This guy is living in a deluded cloud cuckoo land. The rest of the UK DOES know about Stoke on Trent after the 3 part TV documentary which showed just how the Council and its leadership operate. They have decimated the Services; shown scant regard for its' citizens; flattened buildings leaving rubble on the land across the City under the banner of 'regeneration' (do they know what re-generation means?). Wasted money on failed projects like Worldgate, Cultural Quarter, Ceramica, - the list of failures goes on and on. That is the kind of "work" has been going on in Stoke on Trent.
Oh but wait a minute! They have commisioned an an 'iconic' bus station to be built that is too small for the number of buses that are supposed to use it. Delivered late as usual- as usual for proejcts run by this lot. Well done Stoke Council and its 'officers'.Well done guys. This kind of work will surely inspire investors to come here (not) with this forward thinking (not) Council."”
by stokepotter
Sunday, March 17 2013, 3:07PM
“Quote........"City council interim director of regeneration John Betty, who has now returned from Cannes, said: "People were surprised about the amount of work going on in Stoke-on-Trent. You have to realise that in the rest of the UK, Stoke-on-Trent, apart from its pottery image, doesn't have a very high profile".
This guy is living in a deluded cloud cuckoo land. The rest of the UK DOES know about Stoke on Trent after the 3 part TV documentary which showed just how the Council and its leadership operate. They have decimated the Services; shown scant regard for its citizens; flattened buildings leaving rubble on the land across the City under the banner of 'regeneration' ( do they know what re-generation means?). That is the work has been going on in Stoke on Trent.
Oh but wait a mintue. They have commisioned an an 'iconic' bus station to be built that is too small for the number of buses that are sjupposed to use it. Deliverd late as usual. Well done Stoke Council and its 'officers'.Well done guys. This kind of work will surely inspire investors to come here (not) with this forward thinking (not) Council.”
by miss_d_fyed85
Sunday, March 17 2013, 1:41PM
“It cannes give you a birds eye view if you want to sell dead horses, everything is in the mix to be sold.”