New homes for City Waterside
26 August 2010
Four national developers have been shortlisted to design and build around 100 new homes in the Canal Quarter.
The scheme, by RENEW and the Homes and Communities Agency, is part of the City Waterside development and will bring high quality homes to the edge of the city centre attracting new families and residents to the area.
Work on preparing the site for development has already begun which will include the creation of a new public square and water features linking the city centre to the Caldon Canal.
The four short-listed developers are: Westbury Partnerships (on behalf of Persimmon Homes), Rok Building Ltd, Keepmoat Ltd and BDW Trading Ltd (Barratt).
Each of the developers will submit outline proposals for the project with a decision on the preferred team expected later in the year. The chosen developer will then be asked to prepare a detailed plan for the project by early next year. Work is due to start on the first phase of the scheme, which will involve around 90 properties, in Spring 2011.
The project is being funded through RENEW North Staffordshire and the Homes and Communities Agency.
Councillor Mervin Smith, Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for city development (regeneration), said: “It is fantastic to see such an array of celebrated developers in the short-listing for this residential scheme. The new Canal Quarter will provide a mixture of high-class homes in the city centre.
“It will compliment other regeneration projects such as the new bus station, Tesco and the Central Business District. It is good to see significant progress continuing to be made. The location overlooking the historic Caldon canal and within easy reach of city amenities will provide a real draw to residents looking for city living opportunities.”
Paul Spooner, director of the Homes and Communities Agency West Midlands, said: “The level of interest and quality of the shortlist shows there is a good appetite from developers to work in Stoke-on-Trent and we look forward to working with the city council in appointing a preferred partner later this year to support us in delivering the vision for City Waterside and its community.”
The Canal Quarter will provide properties in a contemporary setting. Located by the Caldon Canal the properties will be within easy access of the city centre and its many amenities while providing a stunning setting overlooking the historic canal. A series of fountains and water features are also being created to provide a high class street scene in the development.
