Economic Regeneration in Staffordshire

Physical Regeneration

The industrial heritage of Staffordshire has left a considerable legacy of derelict and despoiled land, the majority of which originated from the coal industry, together with military dereliction.  Local partners, together with Staffordshire County Council, have been very successful in reclaiming and servicing derelict sites for economic and other end uses over the years.  More recently, the priority has been the creation of good quality land for employment generating purposes.

Recent successes, such as at Lymedale Business Park (on the site of the former Holditch Colliery) and Lymedale Extension (location of Lymedale Business Centre) shows a high demand for quality sites.  Such has been the scale of the regeneration effort that very few former mining sites remain to be converted from their brownfield past. Silverdale Colliery (the last pit to close in Staffordshire) underwent a major reclamation and regeneration programme to create Silverdale Business Park and Silverdale Enterprise Centre.

However, there are other brownfield sites that remain available for regeneration purposes either for employment, residential or public open space/amenity use. The County Council is continuing to target these sites to provide land of the quality that the property market demands, and for environmental improvements to further improve the image of Staffordshire.

Information on the Forward Programme of regeneration developments can be found below.

Forward Programme

It is now hard to predict future patterns of dereliction in the context of the current economic climate. The possibility of significant industrial closures remains but the historical sources have already been exhausted through extinction or through the operation of Planning Controls that require effective restoration of mining and mineral workings. There is also a considerable challenge in bringing forward a number of sites allocated in development plans, which have remained undeveloped for long periods of time.

To help address this situation the 'Economic Regeneration Forward Programme' (ERFP) was established, this being a platform to enable the identification of potential employment sites throughout Staffordshire.  The programme is divided into two phases; phase one being the identification of potential sites and focuses on establishing dialogue with landowners, prospective partners and funding bodies.  Phase two comprises of a series of feasibility studies to establish the various site potentials.  Through this planned logical approach all parties involved are given time to ascertain the scheme/projects potential before any firm commitments need to be made.

The schemes and projects looked at through the ERFP can range from small to large and be either rural or urban in nature.  Not only does it look at pure site development, but also existing buildings that could be re-employed to fulfil an economic end use, through to tourism related schemes.  They may reside in private or public sector ownership.

This process helps to contribute towards Staffordshire County Council's overall mission of improving the economic, social and environmental well being of the people of Staffordshire.

For further information on the Forward Programme, please contact Rob Fletcher on 01785 276792.

Last Modified: 10/06/2009 12:44:57
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