Fresh attempt to protect Berryhill Fields as call made to build Hanley houses
Local leaders in Stoke-on-Trent should have more powers to purchase land for regeneration, an MP has argued. Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell made the case for improved compulsory purchase powers during a Westminster Hall debate on town centres.
Mr Snell said there are sites across the Stoke-on-Trent which are 'ripe for development', but owned by people 'who have no interest in my city', such as shell companies and corporations. The Labour MP claimed that if Stoke-on-Trent City Council had similar land assembly powers as Homes England it could do a lot more to regenerate the city and help meet the government's housing targets.
Mr Snell also called for the government to work with the council on a new delivery vehicle to bring forward city centre regeneration plans. He said such a partnership would demonstrate to businesses in Stoke-on-Trent that 'we are taking this seriously', following the failure of successive master plans over the decades.
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Mr Snell said: "We look to the government not to solve our problems for us — I want to be clear to the minister that I am not here with a begging bowl to ask for handouts; I firmly believe that the future of our city has to be driven by our city — but for them to join us in a new partnership by putting the governmental shoulder behind our municipal wheel.
"If we are able to forge a new partnership for the city centre, we will meet the housing demand. We can more than meet the demands placed on us by government, and then some, if we have the land consolidation powers that Homes England executes, and if we had a self-replenishing fund for the pump-priming work, and could look at remediation of brownfield sites."
Mr Snell suggested that these powers could be used specifically to develop more homes in Hanley, following the success of the Clayworks scheme, which would make it easier to protect greenfield sites such as Berryhill Fields.
Matthew Pennycook, minister for housing and planning, who recently met with Mr Snell and council leaders in Stoke-on-Trent, said the government supported the regeneration of town centres in Stoke-on-Trent, and noted the progress that had been made with the Smithfield development in Hanley, as well as the 'significant' investment from Home England in recent years.
He said the planning and infrastructure bill, which would be coming forward later this year, would support 'more effective land assembly for development in the public interest'.
Mr Pennycook said: "I know that in many parts of the country — Stoke is a great example of this — fragmented and complex land ownership can be a real barrier to development. This government have a brownfield-first approach to development. In all instances where it is possible, we want to see brownfield development prioritised and accelerated, and we are making a number of changes to ensure that is the case."