Stoke-on-Trent hit by twin development rows

A ROW has broken out in Stoke-on-Trent over plans to further develop the out of town Etruria Valley business park.

GenR, the developer of Hanley’s proposed Central Business District (CBD), is understood to be unhappy that a plan by Birmingham-based developer St Modwen to further expand Etruria Valley will attract businesses away from its own planned scheme.

Etruria Valley is an established business park and has over the years attracted ‘white collar’ businesses away from the city centre. Stoke-on-Trent City Council is hoping to reverse that trend by developing a new city centre office core – the CBD in Hanley – and has committed to being an anchor tenant there itself.

But Genr8 claims multi-million pound plans to develop Etruria Valley further are detrimental to the CBD plans which include new civic offices, office blocks, hotels and restaurants.

Council planners are being asked to approve the Etruria Valley business park plan this week.

News of the row comes a day after it was revealed the council is refusing to release land for the £14m expansion of the Potteries Shopping Centre to protect the planned £350m City Sentral development in Hanley.

The decision has caused some concern locally. The viability of City Sentral has been questioned following news that the developer behind it – Birmingham-based Realis Estates – has debts of more than £24m.

Earlier this month independent auditors said there is significant doubt over whether Realis Estates can continue without threat of liquidation.

But reports in the local press suggest the council is in contact with the company and has full confidence over its solvency.