(The planned St. Modwen Park Stoke Central site)
Developer and regeneration specialist, St. Modwen have started construction at their St. Modwen Park Stoke Central site (formerly known as Etruria Valley), with work set to be complete by March 2020. St. Modwen only finalised the purchase of their new land - from Tata Steel - last month, but has been quick to see development underway at the site.
Upon acquiring the 46-acre plot, Ian Romano, a Senior Director at St. Modwen, stated:
“This is the next phase in the regeneration of St. Modwen Park Stoke Central... We have acquired 46-acres of land from Tata Steel which will help us to deliver 800,000sqft of logistics and industrial space, allowing us to build on what we have already built here."
The current phase of construction will see St. Modwen deliver 11 industrial units - ranging in size, from 2,955sqft. to 4,810sqft. The units are set to generate 50 jobs, and are being marketed by property agent, ButtersJohnBee. In addition to the 11 smaller industrial units, St. Modwen plan to build a 43,000 sqft. industrial complex on the same site (which is expected to generate a further 100 jobs).
Over the past three decades, St. Modwen have developed most of the Etruria Valley site - which now extends to nearly 290 acres, and facilitates more than 1.3 million sqft of development (generating over 6,400 jobs).
Prior to the developments, the site was used as a steelworks site - Shelton Works - however, production halted at the site in 1978 (after nearly 140-years of business). The site remained dormant for 10-years, until 1988, before Stoke-on-Trent City Council selected St. Modwen as the developer of Festival Park.
“The closure of the steelworks, in 1978, was a huge blow to thousands of families in Stoke-on-Trent, but through strategic regeneration and working closely with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, we’ve been able to create a vibrant development that has attracted businesses to the region, creating thousands of employment opportunities across a number of sectors.”
Ian Romano added:
“This site is a key site for several reasons – geographically it is easily accessible from the A500 and the M6, it has the power supply, and has access to labour. So it ticks all of the boxes for us... We are committed to attracting further inward investment and creating more employment opportunities for the people of Stoke-on-Trent."
Edited by Josh Heath