Area Regeneration Frameworks (ARFs)
RENEW North Staffordshire is committed to achieving best practice in spatial planning.
To help achieve this, RENEW North Staffordshire commissioned a series of area regeneration frameworks in 2006.
An area regeneration framework (ARF) is a housing market-focused, high-level masterplan that sets out a vision for the future regeneration of an area. ARFs cover large areas and aim to promote good quality design and support sustainable communities and neighbourhoods. They consider both physical and non-physical issues.
The main reasons for preparing an ARF are:
- to provide essential information on new housing numbers and working assumptions to underpin the RENEW Business Plan submission
- to provide key regeneration and development information, options and visioning to support preparation of the Inner Urban Core Area Action Plan being prepared by Stoke-on-Trent City Council
- to provide a platform for discussion and negotiations with communities and stakeholders regarding activities, projects infrastructure and services to deliver sustainable neighbourhoods and communities. Discussions have progressed well with education, health and neighbourhood management on the range of interventions
What issues does an ARF look at?
The kind of issues that an ARF covers include:
- community cohesion - establishing strong, confident and safe neighbourhoods
- housing mix, price, tenure, market values and current and future need
- open space - the quality, quantity, accessibility and maintenance
- public realm - the design and layout of public space
- community uses, including schools and welfare services
- employment - for those living within the area and those commuting to it
- transport - including access into and within the area and the impact on marketability
Which areas in the RENEW programme are covered by ARFs and who produced them?
An overarching ARF report has been produced, which looks at the whole RENEW pathfinder area and provides a useful summary, including the key issues for each of the RENEW areas.
Individual ARFs have been produced for following areas:
- ARF North - Middleport, Burslem, Etruria Valley Area of Major Intervention (AMI) along with Burslem Park and Smallthorne general renewal areas (GRAs)
- City Centre North West - this ARF was prepared by DTZ and Taylor Young
- ARF South - Birches Head GRA, Northwood, City Waterside, University Quarter, Stoke North and South Shelton
- Knutton and Cross Heath, including Silverdale and Chesterton
- Meir
Community Consultation
Engaging local residents is a key part of the RENEW programme. In the ARF areas, the consultants, along with RENEW, undertake considerable community consultation in line with RENEW's Communications Strategy. The consultation varied from area to area, and included exhibitions and workshops with schools and community groups.
What does the ARF say about these areas?
The ARFs set out some general guiding principles and key outputs for the future development of areas. The key principles and outputs are:
ARF North (Middleport, Burslem, Etruria Valley, Burslem Park and Smallthorn)
Guiding principles
- Burslem town centre - a revitalised Burslem town centre at the heart of the area
- Southern fringes - Improved commercial area south of Burslem town centre with improved links to the city centre
- Middleport and Longport - major new housing area, with residential led redevelopment of former industrial land to provide a step change in the housing offer in the area
- Improved linkages - including improved links to open space, and new road infrastructure improving connectivity to the A500 and North / South Links and easing congestion in the area
- Improved public realm and public spaces across the area, but with an emphasis on existing open spaces
- Burslem Park / Smallthorne - emphasis on minor improvements to these relatively popular, sustainable areas
Key outputs
- Acquisition and demolition of 237 terraced properties in the Slater Street area
- Development of 1,156 new homes, concentrated on former industrial sites in Middleport and in the areas surrounding Burslem town centre. This new housing will complement existing housing developments at Sadler's Park and Hadderidge Gardens
- Potential mixed use redevelopment of a number of existing employment sites, providing the potential for higher value employment uses
- A new link road linking Middleport, Burslem, Etruria Valley, Festival Park and the A500 at the Wolstanton Roundabout
- Improvements to Grange and Middleport parks and creation of a new canalside open space between the canal and the A500
- Identification of a number of areas where further investigation is required - this includes older employment areas adjacent to Trubshawe Cross, the Etruria Valley, and land adjacent to Port Vale FC as well as the residential areas of Port Street and Maddock Street / Travers Street and Shirley Street
City Centre North West (Cobridge)
Guiding principles
- New residential development at a key gateway to the City Centre
- Improved linkages to Central Forest Park to the East
- Improved linkages to employment areas to the North of the area
- Masterplanning to guide the continued development of Festival Park, and older residential and employment areas
Key outputs
- Acquisition and demolition of 60 of the existing properties within the masterplan area
- Development of 250 new homes (up to 2020) at a range of densities, with the majority developed for sale, rather than for rent
- Neighbourhood improvements to properties along Sneyd Street and on the key gateway of Waterloo Road
- Improvements to the road infrastructure through the area, including widening of Waterloo Road, Elder Road and improvements to the busy junction of the A50 and A53
- Environmental improvements to the entrance to Central Forest Park and improvements to cycle and pedestrian links to the park
- Development of a masterplan for the Portland Street area
ARF South (Birches Head, Northwood, City Centre South, South Shelton and Stoke)
Guiding principles
- City approaches - mixed use, employment led redevelopment in the 'shatterzone' around the ring road, capitalising on the planned major investment into Hanley (the city centre)
- The University Boulevard - a high quality route linking Stoke station, the university and the city centre
- City Waterside and North Shelton - high quality residential led development of former industrial areas, with canal side settings, offering a significantly improved housing offer for the city
- University Quarter - a new education-focused quarter of the city, centered on Staffordshire University and Stoke College, with new facilities in an attractive public realm setting
- Stoke - sustainable redevelopment and improvements to Stoke town centre and surrounding neighbourhoods that complements, rather than competes with, the regeneration of the city centre
- Canalside park - a high quality canal side green corridor, providing an attractive route through and across the area and linking existing areas of green space to new developments
Key outputs
- Acquisition of vacant land and redundant industrial / commercial premises to enable them to be redeveloped for higher value residential and mixed uses
- Potential remodeling of homes in Ashford Street and Seaford Street in South Shelton, through a programme of 2-into-1 conversions
- Development of 2,235 new homes, over and above those already built or with planning permission on the sites listed above. These new homes would be concentrated in but not limited to the areas of City Waterside and City Waterside West and in mixed use sites around the edge of Stoke-on-Trent City Centre
- Creation of a 'University Quarter' with new educational buildings, and facilities within an enhanced and improved public realm
- Major improvements to key routes and gateways across the area, including University Boulevard, a high quality and attractive route linking Stoke station, the university and Hanley
- Streetscape improvements to key routes and residential streets across the area
- Creation of a new canal side park and green corridor running through the area as part of a package of green corridor improvements
- Gateway improvements and improvements to parks and open spaces across the area
Knutton and Cross Heath, including Chesterton and Silverdale
Guiding principles
- Neighbourhood Housing Areas: new housing at Silverdale Colliery, Knutton village centre and Cross Heath with improvements to existing stock in Parksite, Chesterton and Crackley Bank - distinguish between new housing and improved housing
- Local Employment Areas: specifically Lymedale employment area and Newcastle town centre
- Improved green edge: towards the western edge of the villages, bordering Apedale Country Park and the 'green vein' of the 'Wammy' cutting through the ARF
- Enhanced linkages to green space: specifically Apedale Country Park and Community Forest
- Enhanced linkages: to Newcastle town centre and to existing employment areas in Lymedale and Stoke-on-Trent city centre
Key outputs
- Relatively limited acquisition and demolition
- Neighbourhood improvements to areas containing 912 properties, with the vast majority of these properties owned by Aspire Housing on the Lower Milehouse, Beasley Avenue, Cross Heath, Cotswold, Parksite and Saints / Moran estates. Twenty private sector properties are identified for neighbourhood improvements
- Development of 280 new homes, on two sites close to Knutton village centre. This is in addition to new homes being provided on a number of existing housing development sites across Knutton, Cross Heath and Silverdale
- Improvement to open space at the 'Wammy' in the heart of the area, alongside improvements to the Douglas Road area and Silverdale Colliery (as part of wider development proposals)
- Creation of an environmental corridor through the 'Wammy', providing enhanced links between Newcastle town centre and the Apedale Country Park and Heritage Centre
Meir
Guiding principles
- The retention and strengthening of the existing community through the identification of a shared vision that progressively regenerates the area as a popular and sustainable neighbourhood
- The provision of a range of quality mixed tenure housing to help establish a more balanced and sustainable community
- The refurbishment of retained housing along key routes and interface areas to improve the existing housing stock and assist with decanting
- The creation of a clear and legible urban structure with hierarchy of routes
- The creation of a hierarchy of quality open space to include a new park, play areas and better access to the open countryside
- The improved access to existing shops, services and centres of employment
- The implementation of a comprehensive programme of complementary initiatives to reduce worklessness, crime and anti social behaviour and improve the skills and overall well-being of local people
- The introduction of best practice thinking as regards design and environmental sustainability to maximise the quality of any new development and minimise its impact on the environment
Key outputs
- Prepare development brief for the Phase 1 (Meadow Place) development area
- Complete the land assembly and acquisition programme, to include the voluntary acquisition of properties within the Phase 1 area
- Subject to the success of acquisition programme, demolish acquired properties and prepare sites ready for redevelopment
- Acquire and demolish commercial properties
- Prepare detailed scheme and negotiate full planning approval for Phase 1 area, creating between 120-150 new residential units
- Agree design for new road link between the Square and Brookwood Drive
Detailed masterplanning
The ARFs offer a strategic overview - the next stage of the regeneration process is to prepare detailed masterplans for areas. Information on masterplanning can found here.
