LEP Major Projects

 

 

 

 

 

Centre for Health Innovation – Staffordshire University
Photograph courtesy of Staffordshire University

 

 

 

Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone

The Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone (CVEZ) has an ambition to provide growth opportunities for modern industries that will provide high quality jobs for local people.

It is expected to facilitate the growth from traditional industries to cutting-edge globally competitive sectors. Industries expected to deliver that growth are: technical ceramics, traditional ceramics, engineering, sustainable-energy, technical and high-end manufacturing.

CVEZ is a three-mile long corridor within which are six largely cleared individual sites with over 140 hectares of net developable land, all benefiting from Assisted Area status. The CVEZ programme of activity involves public and private sector investment to open up these sites.

The sites within the CVEZ comprise (from North to South): Tunstall Arrow (pictured above), Chatterley Valley East, Chatterley Valley West, Highgate/Ravensdale, Etruria Valley and Cliffe Vale.

Project update (May 2022):

• 78% in 6 years of 2025 target of 3.7m sq ft industrial space completed, under construction and planning approved
• 110.3 Ha of brownfield land remediated and/or regenerated by 2022
• 37 new businesses
• £32.13m GVA increase
• £92.53m of public investment
• £252.8m of private investment

i54 South Staffordshire Business Park and Enterprise Zone

More than £1 billion has so far been invested in i54 South Staffordshire, with 2,500 people employed by multi-national companies JLR, Moog, ISP, Eurofins, ERA and Tentec with a further 2,100 jobs anticipated over the next few years.

The latest company has just moved onto the site, Morrisons Site Machinery. Now a major extension is being built over 100 acres – attracting a further £600 million of private investment and delivering up to 1,700 more jobs.

Over 2,700 people work on the current site, with half being held by people living within a 10-mile radius. Furthermore 60 per cent of supply chain businesses for the companies on site are from within 30mile radius which is excellent news for the local economy.

The business park is unique in the region in that it has its own purpose-built motorway junction and also has Enterprise Zone status.

It was developed by a partnership made up of Staffordshire County Council, City of Wolverhampton Council and South Staffordshire Council. The western extension has been financially backed by both the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership.

Over 3,500 students have also benefitted from a targeted skills and education programme. Extensive work continues to ensure communities and businesses in Wolverhampton and Staffordshire benefit from the development including: recruitment and apprenticeship programmes and meet the buyer events to promote supply chain opportunities.

i54 and its expansion play an integral part of the Midlands Engine strategy to maximise the economic potential of the area.

i54 Western Extension

Access road and plot servicing works to create a 60-acre extension to the i54 South Staffordshire site.

A Joint Venture partnership of Staffordshire County Council, South Staffordshire Council and the City of Wolverhampton Council are bringing forward the Western Extension of the regionally significant i54 South Staffordshire employment site.  Funding will combine an allocation from Local Growth Deal funding with the balance of investment being secured from the retained business rates from the existing i54 South Staffordshire Enterprise Zone site calculated on a net present value basis.

Project update (February 2023):

• The access road and earthworks programmes for the site are now fundamentally complete with the site being actively marketed for end users. 
• A major manufacturing occupier is expected to be undertaking build out on plot 2 from March 2023 and are expected to be operational during early/mid 2024. Identification of the occupier currently remains confidential whilst they manage their internal communications. 
• Plot 1 is again being actively marketed for end users after the original interest in the plot has regrettably fallen away.  
• The occupiers bring inward investment and will generate great job opportunities for local people building upon the already successful i54 employment park. 
• Through the design and planning process the Partners have strived to create a fabulous place to work which has been endorsed by the very early interest shown by the two occupiers. As well as provision of footways and cycleways a much-improved bridleway there are vast areas of landscaping with over 10,000 native tree species that have been planted. 
• Despite the challenges of the pandemic, global economic factors on fuel and material availability as well as the ever-present risk of adverse weather impeding productivity the contracts have been delivered on time and below budget which is a testament to everyone’s hard work and efforts. 

Active City Deal Schemes

1. Stoke-on-Trent District Heat Network (City Deal)

The district heat network is a pioneering programme to bring a network of sustainable, low carbon and low cost heat energy to Stoke-on-Trent.

In 2015, the LEP and Stoke-on-Trent City Council were successful in securing £19.75m of City Deal funding to help to deliver the infrastructure for a low carbon District Heat Network (DHN).  A DHN is a system of underground pipes that will deliver heat via hot water between an energy centre and the buildings connected to the network.

The scheme will harness heat from low carbon sources such as deep geothermal energy and Energy from Waste (EfW) which will be transferred through a system of heat exchangers into the network. The heat energy from the hot water circulating in the network will be delivered to customers through heat exchangers in their premises.

Initially the heat energy will be supplied to larger commercial and public sector premises.

Over time the aim is to connect to a wider variety of premises including blocks of flats and clusters of houses across the city.

Benefits to customers will include:

• No need for traditional boiler(s).
• More efficient energy supply in a directly useable form.
• Reduction on carbon tax.
• Minimal maintenance of the system once installed.
• No risk of carbon monoxide.

In addition to bringing economic, social and environmental benefits the scheme benefits of £76.1m and create up to 229 direct jobs. There will also be 550 indirect safeguarded and created jobs valued at a further £63.5m. 10% cost saving for domestic heat customers. Around 400 houses and 578 flats will be taken out of fuel poverty. Up to 12,526 tonnes of CO² per annum saved thanks to the scheme, valued at £2.7m per annum.

Project update (September 2022):

Interconnector between Priority Works and College Road Works of the network with temporary heat solution to be constructed in early 2023. Gas connection and water main at Squires View has been completed.

Ongoing commercial activity with key customers of buildings with a heat and power offer around University Quarter is in progress. Micro Combined Heat & Power (CHP) now installed for the Civic Centre, Fenton Manor and Dimensions.

Works being carried out to connect the Goods Yard development (moving onto Design RIBA Stage4) and Stoke-on-Trent College, alongside Stoke Town Hall, and development work underway to connect the Minster. Exploring Commercial option with third parties to extend the delivery of the scheme.

2. Keele Smart Energy Network (City Deal)

The University of Keele is the largest campus university in the UK, serviced by its own private utility network to support a wide range of business, academic, residential and leisure users.

This mix of uses, ownership of a private network, an established range of renewable energy sources and the scale of the campus, allied to the university’s expertise in sustainability and green technologies, offers a unique opportunity to develop an at-scale demonstrator for smart energy technologies.

The Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) is the first of its kind in the UK and will provide a wide range of UK-based organisations with the ability to test and evaluate new technologies (as well as processes and business models) in a live, single-owner environment, by connecting the technologies to a smart energy network and assessing their performance in a range of energy demand scenarios.

This will ultimately play a key role in enabling these developers to take their technologies along the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale through to full commercialisation and sale in global markets.

Evidence from a recent market assessment for SEND also highlights an appetite amongst distributed network operators, aggregators and electricity suppliers to work together on the site in order to develop and test software, processes and to understand product roll-out.

The network will have delivered 440 jobs by 2021 (120 construction, 20 permanent, 300 indirect), in addition to saving 8,731 tonnes CO².

Project update (March 2023):

C02 – The SEND system is controlling the Keele renewables and generating CO2 reductions.

•  Q4 1st January 2023 to 31st March 2023, has seen a carbon saving reduction of 1056 tCO2.
• This takes the total to 11,076 tCO2 for the SEND project.

Capital Build – All works are now complete and are in the operational defect liability phase. Siemens continue to provide support during this period and are addressing a small number of remaining snags and any issues arising during the early operational phase. The sites new renewable energy generation assets are fully operational and have now been integrated with and are being controlled by the SEND system. Processes are in place, including access to various system component helpdesks, for raising any problems that occur during the defect liability period.  

SEND RD&I – So far in 2023, the SEND team have welcomed almost 400 visitors for tours of Keele’s sustainable energy infrastructure. There has been a rapid increase in the number of requests for visits in recent months, from a range of organisations and sectors. The reason for many of the visit requests from larger organisations, such as other universities, is because they are looking to implement similar technologies and systems to manage their own energy, and they are seeking independent advice on how to proceed. 

Work to capture the legacy achievements of SEND is continuing. We are in the process of surveying our completed projects, business assists, visitors, researchers and contractors to capture the impact of SEND. This information will be utilised to support future funding opportunities, carbon saving targets, jobs created and provide a baseline for the Summative Assessment Report.

Media and Publicity 

• Securing the REGEN Transforming Energy Award resulted in a variety of social media and online communications.
• The SEND Smart Energy Monthly Tour is promoted utilising Eventbrite.
• Keele SEND are actively delivering tours to business and technical partners where they provide Knowledge Exchange to support their commercial needs.

Local Growth Deal Schemes

1. Stafford Western Access Route (SWAR)

Work is now almost complete on the multi-million-pound Stafford Western Access project which will boost growth and ease congestion in the town centre.

It will enable millions of pounds worth of new housing and business development to take place and improve traffic flow in the town centre, particularly by the railway station.

The new road will link the A34 Foregate Street at Madford Retail Park to the A518 Newport Road Castlefields junction. The road will help improve traffic flow in Gaol Square, Newport Road (east of Kingsway), Station Road, Chell Road, A34 Foregate Street (south of the scheme) and Doxey Road.

The road is being funded by developers and with £16.29million secured by the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Enterprise Partnership through the Government’s Local Growth Fund. It will support the construction of up to 2,350 houses and the creation of 100 jobs.

The scheme will include improved conditions for bus services, pedestrians and cyclists. There will also be environmental benefits through the redevelopment of areas of derelict land and landscaping along the route.

Project update (September 2022):

Pans Drive, the final section of new road from Sainsburys to Madford park, officially opened on 19th November 2021. Please refer to official link https://youtu.be/9euBHaaX9n0.

Whilst all outstanding contract and snagging works were planned to be complete by 31/03/2022, this is now anticipated to be 19/11/22. The 100 total job output forecast is not going to be achieved for this project, since there are not any current plans for employment within any of the Saint Gobain sites.

However, the houses-built output is continuing to be achieved with an additional 79 houses completed between Q1&2 22/23 and a remaining 78 of the original forecast still to be achieved during Q3&4 22/23. The total houses built to date is 373.  

2. Etruria Valley

The scheme will deliver a major new gateway from the A500 into the City Centre, including the construction of new roads and a viaduct spanning the West Coast Main Line railway and Fowlea Brook.

The project will also deliver site-based access roads linking previous phases of development, two new canal bridges and naturalisation of the Fowlea Brook with the construction of internal highway infrastructure from Shelton Boulevard to the new link road. The project will improve the highway in the Etruria Valley area, improve traffic flows, reduce congestion and provide enhanced connectivity to the City Centre, thereby bringing economic and employment growth and environmental improvements. The project received full government approval in February 2020 (a DfT retained scheme).

Project update (January 2023): Stoke-on-Trent City Council celebrated the completion of the Etruria Valley link road by holding an official launch on Wednesday 11 January 2023, with the planned date of opening the road on Monday 23rd January 2023. The event celebrated the ongoing success of the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone and the completion of the Etruria Valley Link Road. 

Learn more: Etruria Valley Link Road and Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone celebrated at major event | Stoke-on-Trent.

 3. City East Link Road

The City East Link Road (CELR) involves a programme of investment, including the construction of a new Stoke-on-Trent highway and junction/corridor improvements.

This wider programme of investment (totalling £86.18 million) supports the delivery of the Midlands Connect Strategy, subject to £64.6m DfT funding (via Midlands Connect) through the Large Local Major Schemes funding programme. A commitment to this wider funding will not be made within the LGF programme period.

The LGF bid has therefore been re-scoped to focus on elements to be directly funded by SSLEP, which includes an LGF allocation, and delivery by 31 March 2021.

The two elements funded by LGF are junction improvements at Joiners Square and improvements to the Bucknall Road Corridor. Scheme completed 27/09/21.   Road layout improvements include 1.5km new/improved road. Housing outputs will be reported in due course.

4. Meaford Business Park

The Local Growth Fund investment has supported the infrastructure works to provide access to a business park, working with a private sector developer.

These works included building a new roundabout on the A34, improvements to Meaford Road, construction of a new roundabout to provide access to the business park and a 350m road to the first development plot.

 

Project update (February 2023):

• SSLEP investment is complete, and the project is now in its outcomes tracking stage. 
• The Make Staffordshire inward investment team continues to work in partnership with St. Modwen to prioritise the marketing of the site which is seen as a priority for the company. An end user agreed terms for the 37,000 sq. ft first unit and 80 jobs were created/safeguarded in April 2019. No additional jobs have been created since. 
• Reserved Matters Application for further development – Units 4 and 5 (units of 50,000 square feet and 22,000 square feet) have been approved by Stafford Borough Council. Application reference 17/27506/REM. 
• Additional Reserved Matters planning applications been made for the remainder of the site and are being assessed by Stafford Borough Council (Application Refs – 22/35950/REM and 22/35956/REM).

5. Cannock and Silverdale Enterprise Centres

Refurbishment and construction of new units to support additional floorspace and employment.

At Cannock Enterprise Centre: refurbishment of Block 3 to provide an additional nine business units totalling 4,636 sq. ft.

At Silverdale Enterprise Centre: provision of new units which will involve modular construction (off-site) to provide 12 workshop units and one welfare unit.

Lettable floorspace: 12 x 320ft2 units = 3,800ft2.  The jobs outputs will be a combination of safeguarded and newly created jobs. The lease terms for the new units will be offered on flexible terms with a minimum period of 1 month.

Project update (September 2022):

• Across the two sites 69 jobs have been created. 
• At Cannock the units are all allocated/let, minor snagging works taking place.  
• At Silverdale, minor planting will be done to complete the site. 
• Schemes completed 10/06/21, ahead of planned dates. 

 

6. Branston Locks, Burton (Phase 1)

The Branston Locks development will see 400 acres of land immediately west of the A38 developed with 2,500 new homes, a range of community facilities and a 50-acre employment site.

It will also include retail, health, leisure and recreational facilities, as well as provision for older people. A new 1,550 place high school has been built by the county council on land nearby – the first in 25 years – and a new primary school will also be built. The total investment in the area could be over £800million and 3,800 jobs could be created.

The road project has been partly funded by the Government’s Local Growth Fund through its Growth Deal with the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership. Nurton Developments has also made a substantial contribution. The project scooped the Best Large Project award at an annual regional Institute of Highway Engineers event.

It has involved a complete realignment of Branston Road to make it suitable for the volume of traffic created by the new development and construction of a new bridge over the Trent and Mersey Canal. The new bridge has already won an award for its engineering design. Pedestrian and cycle access to the future development and canal tow path have also been created.

Project update (February 2023):

Commercial/ Employment: Speculative units totalling 234,000 sq. feet have been constructed and a further totalling 172,000 sq. feet has been taken by Werner Co.  

Residential: The Crest Homes development was submitted for planning in July 22 for 284 units and is currently being determined. The Lovells Home development is seeking minor variation to conditions of the planning permission. Cameron Homes continues to build houses and Taylor Wimpey’s development is now essentially complete. 

 

7. Liberty Park, Lichfield

Funding has supported infrastructure works to open up business park, working with a private sector developer.

The project unlocks a major 10 ha. allocated employment site identified in the City Deal. It is located in the north of Lichfield immediately adjacent to Lichfield Trent Valley Railway Station which lies on both the West Coast Main and Cross City railway lines.

Work included construction of a new access bridge over the West Coast main railway line, a new roundabout on the A5127/A5192 junction, a new roundabout at the junction of Cappers Way and Europa Way, a new pedestrian crossing on Cappers Way and junction improvements on Cappers Way, Europa Way and Burton Old Road.

8. Bericote Four Ashes

9. Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering Skills Hub Phase 2

The AME Hub provides world-class vocational environments with state of the art facilities in local communities linked to key employers, providers, schools and colleges.

This has developed through significant public and private investment in facilities at six spokes, over two phases, requiring a total investment of over £12m of private and public funding.

Each spoke has a lead specialism with world class equipment and train to the latest industry standards. AME Hub Phase 2 completes the final three spokes: South Staffordshire College; Stafford College; and JCB Academy.

The hub provides growth in AME apprenticeships and traineeships. It is also upskilling the current workforce in the sector to improve productivity and upskill and retrain the unemployed and NEET young people in order to gain employment in the sector

The AME hub provides specialist facilities and training to meet employer skills needs. In addition it is promoting careers in the sector and developing a coherent suite of STEM technical vocational and academic progression pathways.

Project latest:

All three AME hub projects are fully completed and operational. The three projects collectively delivered a growth of 300 apprenticeships, 1,165 learners and engaged 222 employers.

Details of the three projects are provided below:

South Staffordshire College

This project has seen the development of the AgiSTEM Academy, operating at the Rodbaston campus (pictured above). This state-of-the-art facility incorporates an advanced mechatronic lab; agricultural engineering and automotive/hybrid engineering workshops and an agritech/precision farming simulation lab.

The facility also includes a performing manufacturing operations(PMO) training/assessment area, CAD/CAM classrooms, multi-occupation construction area and renewables workshop for solar thermal, solar PV, air and ground source heat pump technologies.

 

Newcastle & Stafford Colleges Group

Operating at the Stafford campus, the project has seen the development of a STEM Centre (pictured above), offering science and engineering facilities alongside a Lego innovation centre.

JCB Academy

Operating in Rocester, the project has seen the development of the Dove Engineering Centre, incorporating a engineering science lab, mechatronics training room, CAD training room and metrology lab.

Phase 2 projects have collectively supported 2,931 learners which demonstrated a growth of 1,465 against the learner volumes before the project.

Phase 1 projects have collectively supported 4,500 learners over the last three years and have collectively grown learner numbers by 400 during this period.

 

10. Skills Capital Equipment Fund

LEP funding is being used to create a £5m skills equipment fund (SEF) to allow local employers and training institutions to bid for funding to purchase state of the art equipment and fund minor adaptations to accommodate the equipment.

Find out how the fund has made a difference at South Staffordshire College’s Cannock campus here.

Find out about how the fund has helped enable Staffordshire University to create its Digital Shed here.

This will enable the delivery of high quality and high level training programmes to support the growth in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire’s priority economic sectors.

The investment will enable local employers and training institutions to more readily respond to local training needs that support the need for equipment to up skill and reskill people in the LEP priority sectors

The SEF supports the expansion of a work-based talent pool of skills across the priority sectors by facilitating increased demand in apprenticeships and traineeship opportunities following the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy.

It supports the upskilling of the existing workforce particularly at levels 3 & 4 and the upskilling and retraining the unemployed and NEET young people to meet current opportunities in the priority sectors. The SEF is helping to develop a network of local providers and employers so that they are able to respond to employer training needs through the use of specialist industry standard equipment.

Project latest:

• SEF Round 1 put skills equipment in place for all four projects, with full grant payments made.  Total grant of £1.11m, match of £1.48m.
• SEF Round 1 exceeded expectation, delivering 1,067 apprenticeships (171% of target) and 866 new learners were assisted to a qualification (365% of target).
• SEF Round 2 put skills equipment in place for all three project. Total grant £1.2m, with a match of £1.2m.
• SEF Round 2 results were announced in November 2020 and overall have met or exceeded targets, despite the concerns around the impact of Covid on the Colleges. A total of 299 apprenticeships has been reported (105% of target)and in addition SEF2 has assisted 1,528 learners to a qualification (exceeding the target by 463%).

11. Keele Science & Innovation Park Smart Innovation Hub

The smart innovation facility in Keele University’s Science and Innovation Park is providing incubation and grow-on space for innovation-led SMEs; a Hub for business-university interactions and open innovation; and a home for Keele Managmeent School in the heart of the LEP’s innovation-led business community.

The Hub is helping to redress the low level of start-up and growth rates of high-tech, high-value start-ups and established businesses. It will provide the development of the unique leadership and management skills required to start, grow and sustain high-tech, high growth businesses, based on innovative product and service development and underpinned by research  and development.

In addition it will support an increase in both private and public sector investment in research and development by stimulating businesses investment in R&D to bring it closer to the LEP average.

Project latest:

• Building is fully open and operational.
• Keele Business school now operates from the building.
• Business tenants and co-workers have taken occupancy.
• Job outputs are being reported.

 

12. Keele Innovation Centre No. 5 (IC5)

Completed in 2016, Innovation Centre 5 (IC5) provides high quality office and workshop accommodation for high tech businesses situated at the highly successful Keele University Science and Innovation Park.

The Staffordshire County Council invested £7million to fund and help build IC5 and have worked closely in partnership with Keele University to develop the business park and attract high tech businesses. It is now fully occupied and the building houses more employees than had been anticipated.

Technology businesses and start-ups based at the business park can take advantage of high quality lettable business accommodation; state-of-the-art shared facilities to foster university and business collaboration and a pool of highly educated graduates from which to recruit.

• 162 jobs have been secured.
• https://www.keele.ac.uk/business/scienceandinnovationpark/facilitiesandavailability/innovationcentres/

 

13. Redhill Business Park

Redhill Business Park has been created by Staffordshire County Council and lies north of Stafford on the A34, close to junction 14 of the M6.

It is home to GE (pictured above), Omicron and now Saint Gobain following its relocation from Doxey. Saint Gobain’s new facilities include the company’s new Centre of Excellence, testing and training facilities, customer services department and the impressive new distribution centre.

The new building – Unicorn House – is at the heart of Saint Gobain’s UK business operations providing customer services, an extensive training area and the company’s main distribution centre that will hold UK stock.

Project latest (February 2023): Planning permission has been approved on Plot B1 for a scheme of 12 small industrial units. These units are estimated to provide an additional 50 jobs in addition to the 99 jobs created so far and are forecasted to be achieved in early 2024. 

14. Local Sustainable Transport Package (LSTP)

The scheme is a package of measures to improve and encourage sustainable travel across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

Each project within the package to be delivered through a combination of Growth Deal funds and local contributions.

The chosen schemes within the package are those that closely relate to city/town centre regeneration proposals and provide the greatest opportunity to encourage travel by sustainable transport to existing and future jobs.

Project latest:

Staffordshire: project closed. Outputs achieved are:

• An upgrade to walking and cycling route between Ventura Retail Park, Tamworth town centre and Tamworth rail station
• Refurbishment of Ferry Bridge footbridge in Burton (pictured above)
• Delivery of a Real Time bus Passenger Information (RTPI) system for Staffordshire with roadside information in Tamworth, Burton and Newcastle and serving I54
• Pedestrian and public realm enhancements in Newcastle town centre at the bus station and High Street / Merrial Street junction and cycle route between May Bank and the town centre
• Completion of sections of the National Cycle Network that feed into Stafford and Burton
• Enhanced cycle link between i54 and Bilbrook rail station

Stoke-on-Trent City: Growth Deal 1 programme completed. Outputs achieved to date are:

• Potteries Way/Bucknall Rd junction improvement.
• Lichfield St property acquisition for future junction improvement.
• 301 Waterloo Road property demolished.
• 293 Waterloo Rd property acquisition for future junction improvement.
• Festival Way to A53 Shared Footway/Cycleway Scheme
• Completion of Festival Way to A53 Shared Footway/Cycleway scheme.
• Lordship Lane shared footway/cycleway works are complete as is the programme of disabled dropped access kerbs. 860m of new shared footway/cycleway and 70 dropped kerbs have been installed
• Westons Woods new footway/cycleway works opened in early 2021 and has received an unusually high level of widespread praise from all sectors of the community.

The overall LSTP programme has now completed.

15. Tamworth Enterprise Quarter

Tamworth Enterprise Quarter is a programme consisting of the following components:

• • Refurbishment and enlargement of the Assembly Rooms, a key cultural venue
  • Conversion of the Philip Dix Centre to a Business and Enterprise Centre
  • Redevelopment of the Carnegie Centre as a restaurant
  • Enhancements to the public realm/Tamworth Library

This investment could revitalise each of the above and, collectively, they offer the prospect of playing a major role in the re-inventing of Tamworth. Public sector investment and, specifically, LGF money is critical to making this happen.

The project delivered 39 FTE construction jobs and 98 ongoing jobs. Its value is £1.4 million of construction‐related Gross Value Added and £13.4 million of town centre GVA economic value.

• Business Enterprise Centre facilities fully occupied, utilisation: 25 business tenants, currently employing 92 people; 41 virtual tenants; 4,242 trainees attended training organisation events.
• Assembly Rooms: fully complete and an opening event was held early in 2020; reopening in line with COVID situation. 7 jobs have been created.
• Carnegie Centre – restaurant lease negotiations have completed and refurbishment works are progressing. The last few jobs will be achieved when the restaurant opens.
• Public Realm and Library works have completed.

16. Rugeley Flood Storage Area

The scheme has provided a flood storage area will help to ensure that sites in Rugeley town centre can be redeveloped as per Rugeley Town Centre Area Action Plan.

The plan was adopted in 2014 as part of the Local Plan Part 1 and provides the planning policy for the regeneration and investment in three opportunity sites within the town centre

Flood defences have been completed and the direct outputs have been delivered – reduced risk of flooding.  Jobs/housing outputs from this scheme have not been included in SSLEP forecasts but in the future there is the potential to deliver 330 new jobs; 140 new homes; and additional sports pitches on Hagley Playing fields as part of landscaping (arising from usage of the reduced flood risk land).

17. City Centre Access

This is a programme of access improvements to the Stoke-on-Trent city centre between the strategic road network (A500/A50), the mainline railway station and the city centre.

The scheme includes the remodelling of the main gateway to the city centre so that it can better meet the needs of all users, including vehicles, pedestrians and customers. It will also help to reduce congestion at key pinch points to stimulate economic activity and attract investment.

It aims to improve connectivity and accessibility to the city centre, which will result in regeneration and wider economic benefits. Similarly, the public realm improvements at the gateways to the city will improve its attractiveness.

Project latest:

Completed Schemes (LGF funding)

• Trinity Street
• Thornton and Spencer Roads
• Glebe Street (Phases 1 & 2)
• Station Quarter Phase 2 – improvements to Station/Leek Road footpaths
• Marina Way
• Station Road/Leek Road Junction (new lane). Improvements to the junction of Cobridge Road/Waterloo Road/Elder Road (alternative funding source – Outputs only)

Scheme completed 27/07/21.   Outputs include:

•  1.2km footpath
•   3 sets automated bollards
•   2 sets non-automated bollards
•   2 cycle-friendly Toucan crossing upgrades
•   34 pairs of uncontrolled dropped kerb pedestrian crossings

18. Spode Church Street Phase 2

The works involve the renovation and conversion of predominantly Grade II listed buildings which are currently in a poor state of repair. 

Originally, under the terms of an Agreement for Lease with ACAVA, SOTCC was to undertake renovation works to the exterior of the buildings and services and ACAVA was to convert the interior of the buildings into artists’ studios which would then be licensed to individual ACAVA members.   

ACAVA is unable to progress with the fit-out of the building as Artists’ studios, due to the impact of Covid. However, the restored building will now form part of an accelerated wider scheme (internal fit-out part-funded by Getting Building Fund) to deliver a Gaming Hub.  The Church Street Gaming Hub is a collaboration between Stoke-on-Trent City Council, VX Fiber and Staffordshire University in part of the Spode site. With a strong focus on the more innovative area of game streaming platforms, the hub will provide educational and training support for video game development and programming across the community, offering digital skill opportunities for those upskilling, for school leavers and NEETS, as well as opportunities for graduate internships. 

Encouraging engagement with the central hub through a community hub system, the Innovation Hub will provide opportunities for all areas of the community. As well as an educational and training function, the hub will provide an ideal environment as an incubator for business start-ups. 

Project update (September 2022): 

• Overall works to restore the shell and core are anticipated to be completed end of March 2023. 
• The first 20 jobs to be created will be reported as outputs of the Spode Church Street Phase 2 LGF scheme and the additional jobs will be attributed to the Getting Building Fund programme. 

19. Stoke Flood Alleviation

Phase 1 of a catchment management approach for the River Trent Headwaters which will significantly reduce the risk of flooding to large areas of Stoke town centre, including the Spode site.

The scheme provides the necessary environmental infrastructure to unlock the Spode site for redevelopment and reduce the number of existing properties at flood risk in Stoke Town Centre and removes flood risk downstream of the Spode site thereby directly unlocking additional development sites.  The Environment Agency estimate that the scheme will bring benefits to the area of £62m.

Project update (September 2022):

Designs for all sites have now passed the 80% phase – which means comments have been provided back on those drawings ahead of the 100% design. Considerable detail is developed from the 30% outline design to the 80% designs and this is where we generally see changes in solution often driven by buildability. Designs are at a detailed enough level to enable submission of the Flood Risk Activity. Permit to reduce potential delays in programme. Next Steps October 2022 onwards:   

1 –Decision for Lawful Development Certificate (Oct)
2 – Complete revised OBC and submit for assurance review (Nov)
3 – Complete and submit FBC (Jan)
4 – Costing exercise (Dec)
5 – Mobilize to site (March 2023)
6 – Final structural investigations complete – breaking out concrete edge beam on bridges (Oct).  

 20. Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station Power Upgrade

Local Growth Funding will support power upgrade work at Stoke-on-Trent Station which will enable an improved offering at the station for customers and additional employment through retail outlets.

The existing supply at Stoke-on-Trent station is ‘at capacity’. This lack of electrical capacity prevents further development of the station for retail, service, customer or community use. The core elements of this project are power upgrade to allow for unoccupied space to be let. Additionally, the installation of 100 cycle parking spaces, 70 of which will be heated and lit due to the additional power the upgrade will bring.

LGF funding will deliver the design work. Future High Streets Funding will then deliver implementation of the works.

Project update (September 2022): The BAPA between Avanti West Coast and Network Rail (NR) has been signed by both parties; with Land agreements (supplementary wayleaves) between National Grid and NR are concluded; Long lead items will be delivered to Enerveo in November 2022; and a revised programme has been provided by Enerveo – date of project completion has moved from October 2022 to March 2023, with the risk of slippage into FY24. Due to the project delays 250sqm of commercial floorspace and 12 jobs (retail units) are forecast to be delivered in year 2023/24.

21. Victoria Ground Phase 2

Decontamination of land and civil engineering remediation to allow the completion of 70 homes and the provision of 40 jobs at this Stoke City former home ground. In addition there will be two football pitches laid at the Minister Primary School.

The project supports the completion of the St Modwen Homes Victoria Park housing development.

Project update (September 2022):

• An additional 20 homes have been built between April – September 2022, bringing the overall total to 59 houses of the forecasted total of 70 complete.  Victoria Park, Stoke-on-Trent – St Modwen Homes 
• Furthermore, all roads and footpaths within this project are new, with 310m of new road built. 

 

22. Blythe park extension scheme

Infrastructure works (required to unlock commercial land and second phase housing development). 

Match funding is via a GPF loan/private investment.

Project update (January 2023): The Planning Inspectorate allowed the appeal granting the amending of the S278 design to incorporate T junctions in lieu of roundabouts on 13th January 2023. SSLEP and the developer are working together to revisit any revisions in costings and reviewing existing contractual paperwork, making adjustments were necessary. 

 

23. Lichfield Southern Bypass Phase 3

The Lichfield Southern Bypass, Phase 3 is an essential part of the city’s infrastructure, to support its future growth. 

Completion of Lichfield Southern Bypass will improve connectivity to employment and business markets and reduce traffic congestion and journey times in the city centre.

SSLEP was a minor contributor to this scheme. The majority of funding is provided by GBSLEP and outputs from the scheme will be reported by GBSLEP.

 24. Chatterley Valley West Site Access

Preliminary infrastructure works completed and all Local Growth Fund expenditure has been concluded.

Project update (October 2022): It was agreed in October 2022, via BEIS and at the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone Board meeting, that all job outputs are to now be reported through the Local Growth Deal submissions to BEIS not CVEZ BEIS returns. No job outputs have been reported to date.