CITY WATERSIDE VISION LAUNCHED
City Waterside - a pioneering neighbourhood bringing modern urban living to Stoke-on-Trent - is to be launched at a major event on Thursday, March 9.
The City Waterside partnership will launch the new vision, masterplan and potential future development opportunities to an audience of developers, house builders, community representatives and public sector partners.
Immediately south of Stoke-on-Trent city centre, the area will be designed to the highest standards for architecture, urban design and sustainability. It will revitalise surrounding neighbourhoods, attract new residents and provide replacement homes for local people whose homes may be cleared under regeneration plans.
City Waterside is being promoted by a partnership of national regeneration agency English Partnerships, housing market renewal pathfinder RENEW North Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, British Waterways,
the Housing Corporation and economic development agency the North Staffordshire Regeneration Zone.
The event is being held on Redrow’s “Pavilion Lock” development, where work is about to begin on the first new housing site in City Waterside.
Representatives from Redrow and Bett Homes will join speakers from the City Waterside partnership to explain how the vision can be delivered.
After the launch guests will be able to tour the area by coach to see the potential future development opportunities.
City Waterside is a 120-acre (50 hectare) site alongside the Caldon Canal, five minutes’ walk from Stoke-on-Trent City Centre. It is set in a spectacular location on a south-facing hillside with dramatic views over the Trent Valley and green hills beyond.
The aspiration is to encourage private sector developers to redevelop sites in a way in which is reflects the vision for the area. Public sector support will be made available to support developers to bring forward residential development that creates new, high-quality homes.
Neighbourhoods surrounding City Waterside are a priority for regeneration because of poor housing conditions in small Victorian terraces, a lack of housing choice, large numbers of empty homes and a poor environment.
The City Waterside partnership expects around 1,600 new homes to be built in the area over the coming 10 years. The total cost of the development is expected to be around £177m, of which £146m would be private investment and £31m from public sources.
City Waterside will demonstrate how successful housing regeneration can be achieved in Stoke-on-Trent and provide a model to follow in other parts of North Staffordshire.
Paul Spooner, English Partnerships’ regional director for the North West and West Midlands, said: “City Waterside has a fabulous canalside heritage setting with huge potential to become a successful and sustainable community.
“Alongside a wide range of new high-quality, affordable housing will be canal-side leisure opportunities and workspaces for new and existing businesses. This will attract new residents and provide a wider range of housing choice for local people making it a place that people will want to live.”
Hardial Bhogal, director of RENEW North Staffordshire, said: “City Waterside is our first major opportunity to build new housing and to provide alternative new homes for residents whose homes may be cleared elsewhere. We want to showcase the opportunities and aspirations in the City Waterside masterplan.”
Mark Meredith, elected mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, said: “A lot of our older housing is worn out and is no longer popular with many people – especially families and people who currently live on the edges of North Staffordshire.
“City Waterside will attract new residents by providing variety and diversity – brand new homes alongside characterful factories converted into stylish loft apartments, aspirational homes alongside high quality affordable housing.
“It will help use revitalise our economy too by providing homes for the professional people who will work in our new city centre business quarter.”
