Staffordshire University interested in Civic Centre move.
No matter how much people dislike the idea of the City Council moving to Hanley the move will go ahead regardless of any demonstrations...
No matter how much people dislike the idea of the City Council moving to Hanley the move will go ahead regardless of any demonstrations, rallies or protests.
The existing town hall and Civic Centre will be bought by Staffordshire University and the likes of Burslem College will occupy the building including other sites that the University has dotted around the city in an attempt to centralize all services.
Comments
Staffs University : "But the
Staffs University :
"But the university today played down speculation that it could take over the 15-acre site in Stoke, which is currently home to Stoke-on-Trent City Council's civic centre, the King's Hall, the former Spode works and Kingsway car park.
Vice-chancellor Michael Gunn said: "We are aware of the site. But we are not involved in any discussions with the council over it.""
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Staffordshire-University-s-pound-90m-plan-4-500/story-17959813-detail/story.html
Bryn, the problem I have with the move of the Civic center is it was meant for businesses to move into, what businesses? We can't even fill the Blue Planet or the Genesis buildings. The other problem is with the road network. It's terrible. A hodge podge of car parks, snarled up single lane entry into the Hanley from the A500 from both Shelton and Eturia ends. A train station too far away, that you couldn't walk into to work form (not if you want to keep your breif case).
If there was a case for it, with businesses wanting to flood in, then great, I'd back it, but to think that just because we build a shiny new building, businesses will flock to it is just wrong.
As to centralising, yes I get that to. Why can't there be an expansion to the current premises?
MattThe council don't need to
Matt
The council don't need to expand the civic centre. A friend of mine works for the council and estimates about a fifth to maybe one quarter of the building/office spaces in the civic centre are either unused or not fully utilised. Even the council's own staff think it's a joke to build a new building and move everybody to the centre of Hanley. There's plenty of space to accommodate everybody in the existing Stoke buildings. Yes probably car-parking might be an issue but if the council invested in some specific workers buses (like Alton Towers do) then maybe the whole thing would work out cheaper.
I agree that it's probably already a done deal and nothing we can do will ever change that, but I'll still be on the March on Stoke on 23rd February, at least then I can say I tried to change things. And if the whole debacle does go ahead, I quite fancy the Staffordshire Moorlands, or possibly even South Wales
I quite fancy New South
I quite fancy New South Wales...
Matt the only area for growth
Matt the only area for growth in this city is the University no one is interested in bringing new business into Stoke as you have stated just look at Blue Planet and the Genesis buildings. God help us if Vodafone ever pulls the plug on their call centre.
Blue Planet missed a trick by
Blue Planet missed a trick by not including a railway sidings into it's footprint. It's perfectly positioned to take some of its distribution loads out on to the railway. If it had a sidings I wonder if it would have been occupied by now.
I have my reservations about the amount of business the university will bring to Stoke-on-Trent. With the increase in tuition fees (Staffs are charging 7k per year for all courses) then this will lead to a decrease in student numbers. It's quite possible the university will have surplus buildings/land. If they bring the courses and departments from Stafford, that might stem the tide but to the detriment of Stafford and the county town's reliance on student influx. It seems a bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
I can't see the right answer for anything at the moment. I'd love to see things changing round here but only if it's not detrimental to what is already here.
Indeed Stokecitycivicsense,
Indeed Stokecitycivicsense, the continued acceptance by the residents of this City, on how the Council behave is why they continue think they can get away with it. I just learnt that in Telford a Tory controlled Council at the time planned a similar lavish new Civic Centres £30-40million, but after much uproar and protests from both Labour and residents. Labour won back control of the Council and SCRAPPED the lavish Civic and moved into a refurbished office block at cost £5million
Oh yeh joing the March as well a few hours on a Sunny Saturday afternoon could make all the difference, for more info on the march visit http://marchonstoke.blogspot.co.uk/
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