Council confirms multi-million pound investment on way for city

The city council has been given the green light by Government to move ahead with a series of major regeneration projects that will help transform the city for good as part of a £20 million package.

The exciting announcement paves the way for major regeneration that will benefit all six towns of the Potteries, including a new college department to train local people in construction and engineering jobs for the future.

It follows £20 million of Levelling Up Partnership funding awarded last Autumn with a major focus on the towns of Tunstall, Burslem and Middleport.

Now the city council is preparing to steam ahead with its projects to transform the city and breathe new life into town centres following the go ahead by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

The council has identified 10 projects it proposes to progress if Cabinet agrees at a meeting on Tuesday 8 October.

They include:

• A multi-million pound package of public realm improvement scheme to Tunstall, Longton and Stoke Town Centres;
• A project to be delivered by the Canal and River Trust to enhance the local canal network and green corridors, including making them more accessible for residents;
• A major investment to deliver an Advanced Green Skills Centre at Stoke on Trent College’s Burslem Campus. This new facility will help students take their first steps into the construction and engineering industries;
• Investment to enable the delivery of works to Burslem Indoor Market;
• Supporting the ongoing development of the Goods Yard scheme;
• The development of a leisure campus at Vale Park which will provide more facilities the local community and for the club along with updated recreational facilities in deprived residential communities;
• Extension of the Safer Streets initiative to design out crime in a number of our town centres;
• Development of a new City Centre Masterplan – a brand new vision for Hanley; and
• A study for Chatterley Valley to understand its potential use as a centre of green energy.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and regeneration, said: “This is fantastic news. The funding will give us the chance to make valuable investments in our city and address some key issues.

"We have listened carefully to what people have told us; they want to feel safer on our streets; they want to ensure the next generation has the skills they need to get on and get a good job; they want more community facilities for all to use; and, critically, they want to protect our heritage and build on it as our city enters a new era.

"All of these projects have been designed with local people's feedback at their heart, and I am incredibly pleased that we have been awarded £20 million of funding to help us make our ambitions a reality.

“The projects which have been chosen align with our key priorities of making our city a healthier, safer, greener and cleaner place to live for all. The work to enhance the local canal network and green corridors will also complement the work we are already carrying out to improve transport in the city, helping to promote active travel and ensuring everyone can move around the city quickly and easily.

“We have an excellent track record of working with partners and I look forward to seeing these projects progress and get off the ground. I am confident that we can achieve great things in a short space of time.”

The projects have been given the go-ahead by the MHCLG, and once agreed by cabinet members, the council will sign up to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which outlines its commitment to the projects being delivered.

The city council will be responsible for the delivery of the majority of the projects alongside partners, including the Canal and River Trust, Stoke on Trent College and the Port Vale FC Foundation.