Stoke moves to boost city centre with 19,000-home local plan
Plans to reduce the ‘significant threat’ posed to Hanley by retail destinations such as Festival Park and Wolstanton Retail Park are included in the latest development plan for Stoke-on-Trent.
The city council has launched its final six-week consultation on the emerging local plan proposals, which include plans for more than 19,000 houses and 220 acres of employment land between now and 2040.
The proposals have been tweaked since the last round of consultation, which wrapped up in October last year, with more brownfield land included in the proposals and fewer proposed Green Belt releases.
A controversial allocation for 3,000 homes at Lightwood is included in the plans as the largest single housing allocation in the area, with 1,750 homes also earmarked for Chatterley Whitfield near Tunstall.
The largest single commercial allocation could see the former Cliffe Vale pottery in Etruria redeveloped as 750,000 sq ft of employment space.
The draft local plan document published on the council’s website also says the city centre in Hanley offers a “significant” regeneration opportunity as a sub-regional centre, due to its scale and proximity to a range of attractions and facilities including bars, shops, theatres, and the city centre bus station.
But the authority says it wants to refocus retail development on the city centre in a bid to combat Hanley’s high vacancy rates, currently running above 30%, which it says are down to competition from nearby retail parks.
The consultation will last fix six weeks, with several drop in events arranged across the city.
Cllr Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for growth, regeneration and transport, said: “This proposed local plan provides the framework for how Stoke-on-Trent will grow over the next 15 years, supporting new homes, investment, jobs and infrastructure while ensuring development is sustainable and reflects the needs of our communities.
“People told us they wanted more build on brownfield incorporated into the revised local plan and that is what we have done.
“The Local Plan will influence how Stoke-on-Trent develops for years to come, so it’s important that people understand what’s being proposed, how they can take part in this final stage of the consultation and the process for making a formal representation.”
Further information on the proposals is available on Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s website.
