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New Future for Former Colliery site unveiled
22/02/05
An emerging regeneration masterplan for the former Silverdale Colliery
site in North Staffordshire was unveiled last week to the local community
supported by a visit from Chancellor Gordon Brown who was in the region.
The plans for the site are being spearheaded by English Partnerships,
the Government’s national regeneration agency, in partnership with
Newcastle under Lyme Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council.
In November 2004 English Partnerships secured £13m funding from
the government for the regeneration plans through its National Coalfields
Programme.
Once the feedback has been gained from the local community, the proposed
plan will be further developed and then submitted to the local planning
authority for outline planning permission.
David Charmbury, English Partnerships Regeneration Manager, West Midlands
commented:
"We have been encouraged by the level of support and interest that
the plans have received from the community with over 400 people visiting
the exhibitions and submitting valuable feedback over the last two weeks.
Together, we have reached an important stage in planning for the future
of the Silverdale Colliery and it is vital that local people continue to
be involved in shaping the future of these plans. The plan aims to bring
the best possible future for the area, benefiting the current and future
community, whilst meeting a wide range of local needs and aspirations."
The Silverdale colliery closed in 1998 with the loss of over 1,000 local
jobs and has remained disused ever since, symbolising the difficulties faced
by the village which has developed around it since the 18th century.
Initial studies and local consultation began in 2000 when a number of
different options for the future of the area were discussed. Over the last
four years various workshops and exhibitions have taken place with the local
community to ascertain local aspirations and needs and balance them with
the technical and environmental aspects of the site.
Simon Grundy, Principal Planner, White Young Green Planning said:
"We are currently in the process of drawing together the supporting
information for the outline application. The feedback we have received at
the public exhibition will help us to address the wider community interests
that the proposals will influence. Technical and environmental issues including
flood risk, wildlife habitats and, in particular, the extensive groundworks
which will be required will be comprehensively addressed in an Environmental
Statement.
Whilst it is clear that there will be many positive outcomes from the
development as a whole we need to ensure that local people are engaged in
the process of bringing the regeneration proposals forward."
Paul Sheppard, Associate Director of Taylor Young, the site’s masterplanners
said:
"The Silverdale Colliery Masterplan brings together local community
aspirations, physical and economic regeneration objectives. It will help
to breathe new life into the area, through landscape restoration, new and
improved infrastructure, housing, employment, community uses and recreation.
We shall be working with the local community and a wide range of stakeholders
to bring this important site back into safe, active and sustainable use
as an integral part of the surrounding areas.
Notes to Editors:
English Partnerships is the Government’s national regeneration agency.
Our aim is to deliver high quality, sustainable growth in England.
We do this by developing our portfolio of strategic sites and acting as
the Government’s specialist advisor on brownfield land. We also ensure
that surplus public sector assets are used to support wider Government objectives,
especially those contained in the Sustainable Communities Plan.
English Partnerships helps to create communities where people can afford
to live and want to live, and supports the urban renaissance by improving
the quality of our towns and cities. Information on projects and programmes
can be found at www.englishpartnerships.co.uk.
The £386.5 million National Coalfields Programme is assisting coalfield
communities throughout England to recover from the decline of the coal industry
by creating new employment, homes, leisure facilities and open space. It
works closely with Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), the Coalfields
Communities Campaign, local authorities and many other groups to help rebuild
fragile economies. It now covers more than 100 sites across some 4,000 hectares.
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