An ambitious plan to develop a new vision for Hanley as Stoke-on-Trent’s city centre is being welcomed as the way to reverse its economic decline.
Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce hopes the 10-to-15-year masterplan will also halt the drop in footfall of recent years, but says any scheme must take into account the change in commercial and residential needs.
A consultancy team is set to be hired to develop the plan, with Stoke-on-Trent City Council continuing to work closely with partners such as Homes England and other key national and local agencies to oversee its production.
This will include extensive public engagement to seek views on the future of the city centre.
The plan will compromise a model for future development including:
- definition of the geography of the city centre area and relationship to other towns
- the future strategy for retail, office, leisure and cultural sectors
- residential opportunities, scale and potential tenure mix
- infrastructure requirements, including transport, parking and digital, all in the context of climate change ambitions
- re-use of heritage buildings and a widening of cultural and events opportunities available, building up the day-time and evening offer
- a public realm plan and management model, building on the work of Stoke-on-Trent City Centre Business Improvement District
The City Council’s cabinet was set to discuss the production of a new City Centre Plan at its meeting yesterday and a final report is expected to be ready for review in April 2025.
In the meantime, work will be progressing on existing projects such as Etruscan Square and improving the route from Stoke Station to the city centre.
Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce Policy Adviser Declan Riddell said: “We’re pleased to see that there are proposals to develop a new masterplan to transform Hanley, with ambitions to reverse decline and prepare for the future.
“In the 15 years since the publication of the last city centre plan, Hanley has struggled against the backdrop of a growth in online shopping, a pandemic and a rise in the numbers of staff working from home. The drop in footfall has seen a sharp rise in the number of empty commercial premises.
“We very much hope that the masterplan will serve as a clear vision of how to reconfigure our city centre, shaping the future development and prosperity, whilst taking into account changing patterns of both commercial and residential use.”
Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for Transport, Infrastructure and Regeneration said: “We want to develop a viable proposal for the long-term renewal of the city centre and create a fresh vision.
“Despite the best efforts of the council, the Business Improvement District (BID) and committed long-term developers, the city centre is not fulfilling its role as our main city centre and this plan aims to turn that around by taking a very different approach.”
“What is crucially important is that in the next few months we hear from as many local voices as possible – residents and businesses – everyone who has a stake in our city centre. We want to know what people want to see included in the fresh plan.”
Meanwhile, Stoke-on-Trent City Centre Business Improvement District Chair Jonathan Bellamy said: “A top quality plan, delivered with the participation of stakeholders will provide a focused strategy that all will be able to get behind. It will also create confidence for the future and raise the profile of the city centre.”
