An extra £1.5 million is being invested in a Stoke-on-Trent town centre, with plans expected to include improvements to shop frontages and measures to reduce the number of empty units.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s cabinet has agreed the funding for public realm and regeneration work in Tunstall town centre, taking the council’s total investment in Tunstall during the current financial year to around £10 million.
The money will go towards further improvements to the town centre and Tower Square Conservation Area, and residents will be asked for their views on exactly how it is spent.
The council’s cabinet has also agreed to reallocate around £1.6 million of Levelling Up funding, originally earmarked for the Tunstall Library, Baths and Drill Hall development, after the planning application for that scheme was recently refused on heritage grounds.
That funding must be spent by March 2028 so the local authority is redirecting it to refurbish 10 council-owned properties on Queen Street, Burslem, adding to the multi-million-pound regeneration already under way there.
Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for growth, regeneration and transport, said: “£10 million going into Tunstall this year is investment on a scale the town hasn’t seen in a long time – real money for a town centre that’s improving, new affordable homes, and safer streets people can see and feel the difference from.
“We won’t pretend the Library, Baths and Drill Hall decision isn’t a disappointment. But we’re not going to let good money sit idle because one scheme couldn’t go ahead. We’ve moved it straight into another regeneration project in Burslem, so it stays working for Stoke-on-Trent instead of being handed back to Government. We are making sure Tunstall gets almost exactly the same amount of money under this new arrangement so it doesn’t miss out.
“We still want to see a future for the Library and Baths building, and we’ll keep working on that. In the meantime, Tunstall gets the investment it’s been promised – and residents will have a direct say in how the new funding is spent.”
Other projects funded in Tunstall this year include £4 million for town centre public realm improvements, up to £225,000 for crime prevention works, £3.04 million to deliver 14 new affordable homes at the former Lily Gertrude Court site, and £700,000 earmarked for the future regeneration of the Tunstall Library and Baths site.
Work with National Grid will also relocate the electrical sub-station inside Tunstall Baths, clearing the way for future development.
What projects would you like to see take place in Tunstall? Leave a comment below.
