Development partners behind the first development at the landmark Etruscan Square site in Stoke-on-Trent’s city centre are working on a planning application to build new affordable homes on the brownfield site.
Genr8 and sustainable developer PfP Igloo have the green light to submit their plans after the demolition of the former Iceland store on Charles Street was demolished.
It comes after a previous planning application – made by the city council’s former Conservative administration – timed out and lapsed through lack of activity.
Contractors are on site and hopes are high that the new application will breathe life into the long-running saga of the site of the former bus station and East/West Precinct.
Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for growth, regeneration and transport, said: “The start of demolition work at the former Iceland store marks another important milestone in bringing the long-awaited Etruscan Square brownfield regeneration project forward.
“These works will not only ensure we have no potential issues associated with an empty building but also prepare the ground for the first phase of development.”
Demolishing the building also makes the site safer and less of a magnet to anti-social behaviour.
Phase One will see 110 new homes built on the site of the current Iceland store and Charles Street car park. One quarter will be affordable homes. The development will include a mix of property types and sizes, new courtyards, and improvements to the public realm.
