A fantastic new development for Hanley costing £250million will be open for business in 2013!Building work will start on the East West centre in 2010. This much needed project will create 2000 essential jobs for the people of our city but will see the end of The Coachmakers Arms (pictured) which will be demolished to make way for the new centre. The regulars of this popular watering hole has fought it's closure and have campaigned hard and have a large petition calling for the pub to be left on it's present site. In my opinion it is essential that this development goes ahead without further delay and it that means that a single public house closes to make way for a three level department store a host of cafes and restaurants, a further 70 shops, a hotel, a multi screen cinema, a new bus station and a large multi-storey car park, then so be it! I do have sympathy for the Coachmakers regulars but feel that we as a city can't halt progress for the sake of a few people who would soon find alternative drinking venues.
This development is also vital for bringing in construction jobs during a period where there is much uncertainty in the building trade. It is essential for our council to ensure that local building workers are recruited by the developers.
Realis managing director Duncan Mathieson, said: "With the quality of our plans we are talking about high street names which are not in a city very much 'under-shopped' at the moment.
"We are very excited. It is a great time for us to lodge this planning application.
"We said in June that this was our goal and some people were concerned given the financial situation.
"But we have stuck to our word, we are committed to this scheme and have done it on time."
Stoke on Trent City Council are now working on linking this exciting development to the existing Potteries Shopping Centre by developing an area of public land and encouraging independent shops and restaurants to open.
This vision and regeneration is vital to the prosperity of our city, facilities like this are needed to attract shoppers and visitors to Stoke and to help us to be competitive with the likes of Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield.
This maybe a controversial statement, but I believe it is true, that regeneration like this would not be possible if this city were run by the likes of the BNP. I do not say this to be antagonistic to this parties supporters, I have said on many occasions that I believe it would be a massive stumbling block for our city if big blue chip companies were forced to negotiate with a party that have extreme policies.
Do you think this development is a good thing for our city? What do you think of the regulars of the Coachmakers campaign?
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8 comments:
Tony or others,
I know it's off subject, but could we have a thread please to debate last night's BBC Question Time which was in Stoke-on-Trent for only the second time in it's history?
I have some views and observations which I'd like to share.
Thanks
Nicky is going to do an in depth blog on QT but i have blogged a few personal thoughts
You know what they should do with the regeneration of Hanley?
They should wait until the BNP have a mayor, and then we'll do something spectacular. The problem with this lot you have now?
No imagination!
Well, it looks very much like the end of the line for the Coachmakers, its a real pity but it can not stand in the way of this. Its not just the shopping area being changed there, that puss filled boil on the ass of the city,and I'am talking about Mark Meredith hear, Hanley bus station and it regeneration depends on this. As anyone seen the pictours on the Sentinals site, I kid you not, it looks like the Mars city in Total Recall, glass roof, the lot. Its saying it sould be compleat by 2013, I think I might open a book on long it will take, and indeed how meny millions the work goes over bugget this time. Mr. Ian Norris, have you got an ideer, you are good at this kind of thing.
Craig, "something spectacular"- you mean like getting rid of all the immigrants!! CANT WAIT!!
No idiot, I meant a building project.
Craig, I'm hurt, we are mean't to be on the same side!
Warren, I agree, its sad for the Coachmaker's, but sometimes, we have to step back, and see what positives can come out of it. I had heard they had been offered, to rebuild the pub, into the redevelopment, using old type brick. How true this is I don't know?
Can't wait, a bus station with working toilets again!!
It's great to see, a cinema building on there. This will be much better. Pop on the bus, watch the film, pop on the bus home. No more travelling to festival park (dirty grotty toilets), or newcastle.
More shops, restaurants, happy days, but will it be FREE parking, like Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham? Probably not. Oh well, you can't have everything can you.
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