Homes crisis leads to Victoria Ground rethink [+ PICTURES]

DEVELOPERS of the old Victoria Ground site are considering putting up commercial buildings after plans for houses were hit by construction sector gloom.

Regeneration firm St Modwen already has permission to build homes on the former Stoke City ground, which has laid derelict since 1997, but progress has been stalled by the credit crunch.

Regional director Mike Herbert said he was considering a change-of-use planning application to allow commercial premises on the land, which occupies a landmark position off the A500 into Stoke-on-Trent.

Residents living nearby say they want to see progress on the site, but do not want to be disturbed by too much traffic.

Mr Herbert said: “The housing market is just not happening at the moment. So do we sit still and wait for the housing market to come back, which of course it will at some stage? Or if we can find something that works in the interim should we consider it?

“That site has been derelict for a long time and unfortunately it took longer to get planning permission than we would have liked.

“The important thing is we’re not just sitting back saying ‘oh dear’. There must be something we can do and if that involves some commercial development we will go with it.”

He added: “You certainly couldn’t be putting up a big shed there – it’s not really a distribution warehouse site.

“You would also have to think carefully if manufacturing was going on there, but there are other commercial opportunities which could be appropriate. I don’t know what the answer is, but we’re certainly not going to do nothing.”

Proposals for 220 houses on the Victoria Ground site went before Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s development control committee last November.

Developer St Modwen has said the plans will boost regeneration in Stoke and increase takings in the town’s shops, pubs and restaurants.

Work on the site was held up for several years while work on the D-road took place.

But The Sentinel revealed in July that the long-awaited work would be delayed until 2010 because of falling housing demand.

Gloom in the construction sector has hit St Modwen hard. It made a £20 million loss in the first half of the year, compared to £65.1 million profit in the same period last year.

Commercial property expert Richard Day, a senior partner at estate agent Daniel & Hulme, said developers are having to consider alternatives to house-building to satisfy shareholders.

He said: “Residential house-builders are finding it difficult in the current market. The number of purchases of sites has decreased, so St Modwen is having to look at different routes for the site.

“It has been vacant for a long time."

Ann Belfield, who lives in nearby Selwyn Street, said she would have no objections to the land being used for commercial premises, as long as residents are not affected.

She said: “If they are going to have wagons coming and going throughout the night then that would not be okay with me. But if they are going to put warehouses closer to the A500 side and there was a road going across the ground I wouldn’t have any problem with that.”

Pat Edwards, also of Selwyn Street, said: “It would be nice to see houses on there but anything would be better than leaving it to become a dumping ground.”

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