Stoke - on -Trent, parts of Newcastle-Under-Lyme and part of Biddulph.(Staffordshire Moorlands)
Work in 2004-06 will concentrate on 15 neighbourhoods.
Hanley
Neighbourhoods in the south of Hanley – including Lichfield Street, Botteslow Street and Cliff Vale areas – will see major change over the coming years. The long-term aim is to create an area of high quality city centre housing for existing residents and to attract new people to live in the area.
Existing clearance areas will be completed and the land made available will be combined with other industrial land to make sites large enough for new high quality housing, including modern city centre canalside apartments and conversion of historic buildings. We will renovate houses in areas with a long-term future with work such as new roofs, new windows, doors, guttering and boundary walls.
Some houses in this area have suffered for years from subsidence caused by poor ground conditions caused by houses having been built on pottery waste and over mine shafts. Some streets have been demolished previously as a result, leaving pockets of disused land. We will survey the whole area, including Northwood, to assess the long-term impact of the ground conditions.
Surveys will be carried out on some houses in the Bucknall New Road and Botteslow Street area. Residents affected have already been invited to exhibitions to explain what is happening.
We will work with communities to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, to provide new green space and links to parks and Hanley. A new school, playing field and wildlife garden will be built on the Imperial Pottery site off Eastwood Road.
Middleport
The vision for Middleport is to become the “heritage” suburb of Burslem by making the most of historic buildings, the canal and surrounding open space.
Housing with a long-term future will be renovated and the environment will be improved. The long-term aim is to “reconnect” Middleport to Burslem by relocating the industrial buildings in the Furlong Lane area and building housing there instead.
We will survey the whole area to assess the long-term impact of the ground conditions caused by building on pottery waste and over mine shafts.
Burslem Park, Birches Head and Normacot
These areas have many older houses that would benefit from renovation, but they do not yet have many empty homes. We will renovate blocks of housing or whole streets with work such as new roofs, new windows, doors, guttering and boundary walls. At the same time we will improve the surrounding area. This could be by surfacing rear alleys, putting up gates to rear alleys and tidying up open space with tree planting or public art.
We will buy houses in some streets and renovate them in order to make them available to people from Hanley, Middleport and Meir who have to move because of clearance in those areas.
Around 50 properties in each of these three areas will be renovated by April next year. They include parts of Chell Street, Barthomley Road and Cromwell Street in Birches Head, parts of Chaplin Road in Normacot and parts of Park Road in Burslem. These streets have been chosen because they are the main entrance points to these areas, but more streets will be included in future years.
Knutton and Cross Heath (including Lower Milehouse)
The long-term aim is to create better housing choice by reducing the number of housing association properties and encouraging new house building. We will make it easier to get around by foot and car, access to open space will be improved and local shops and services will be supported. In Cross Heath we will make it easier to get to Newcastle town centre, while in Knutton we will create a “village” feel by supporting the High Street and improving access to the countryside.
Work in the first two years will concentrate on surveys to identify where improvements are needed, buying land for future new housing, environmental improvements and working with the community on longer-term changes.
Meir
The long-term aim in Meir is to create better housing choice by providing a wider mix of housing for people to rent or buy. We will make it easier to get around by foot and car, access to open space will be improved and local shops and services will be supported.
Community architects have been appointed by Meir residents to help plan changes to the area. Work in the next two years will concentrate on surveys to identify where improvements are needed while working with the community on longer-term changes.
The long-term aim in Coalville is to ensure all properties are mortgageable and to provide a better mix of rented and owner-occupied houses. We will do this by taking action against poor landlords, rebuilding concrete-built houses and creating new green space.
The Coalville Partnership has been speaking to residents for many months about the best way to improve the area. Community architects have helped draw up a new masterplan, together with residents.
We will continue to buy houses under existing clearance areas in Lilac Close, Lynn Street and Selby Street. We will begin a new compulsory purchase order to buy other houses identified in the masterplan. Residents affected will be helped to move with grants and loans.
Chesterton
The aim in Chesterton is to renovate housing where it is in poor condition and to improve the shopping area.
In the next two years privately-owned housing will be surveyed to see what work needs to be done. It is also planned to improve the environment in housing areas.
Newcastle town centre
Central areas of Newcastle have some of the most expensive housing in North Staffordshire, but there are also pockets of terraced housing in poor condition and housing association properties where tenants often move on.
We will identify blocks of housing for renovation with work such as new roofs, new windows, doors, guttering and boundary walls. We will buy land for redevelopment with new high-quality housing and we will improve the surrounding area. This could be by surfacing rear alleys, putting up gates to rear alleys and tidying up open space with tree planting or public art.
Galleys Bank and Biddulph East
Like Coalville parts of these areas have concrete houses that are unmortgageable and many properties owned by unsuitable private landlords. Work in the first two years will concentrate on working with local communities on how they want to see these estates improved. We will also survey properties to assess what work needs to be done and may buy properties from private landlords. These will then be either renovated or, in a minority of cases, demolished. This depends on overall plans for the area.
Abbey Hulton
We will complete work that has already begun to create a new community garden in Abbey Hulton. We will also help complete a community centre that offers space for adult learning and community meetings.
Bentilee
We will work with community groups and other local organisations to find ways to improve the estate environment and layout.
03.12.2004 - ODPM turned down the RENEW's attempt to secure an Urban Development Corporation (UDC). They propose to demolish 14500 homes over the next ten years.
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