In July 2010 URBED won a design completion to create a masterplan for Stoke Town and the Spode Works. URBED were one of 6 finalists who had to develop an initial masterplan and present ideas to the Stoke Town Regeneration Board and the public. URBED teamed up with internationally reclaimed Landscape Architects Jan Gehls, ARUP and DTZ to form a consultant team that saw of stiff competition from some of the country’s top Masterplanners and designers. The brief set out the need to find a sustainable future for Stoke Town Centre taking advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of the former Spode Works site as a catalyst for change.
The purpose of the Stoke Town masterplan is to:
The masterplanning process included several rounds of consultation, baseline analysis and the development of options. This project was unique in that part of the commission was to deliver a masterplan for the Former Spode works site, a ceramic factory that had closed in the last 5 years and was a major player in the development of Stoke Town and its heritage.
Despite the difficult economic climate and pressures to knock the factory down and use the land for more commercial factors URBED and its team were able to develop an economically viable option that retained some of the existing buildings and bringing the building back into use in as short a time as possible. This was mainly due to the emphasis on meanwhile uses on the site to allow life back into the area and for a more organic form of development.
The team developed the idea of ‘growing your own urbanism’. This concept focussed not so much on grand plans that risk never happening, but on the process by which the town can develop in a series of more manageable steps. The result in ten or twenty years may be just as dramatic, but the process of change will allow for flexibility, sustainability and for the full involvement of local people and businesses. This approach was central to the competition and remains at the heart of this strategy.
The masterplanning work is being done in three stages:Stage 1 - InvestigationStage 2 - Develop Proposals and ConsultStage 3 - Create and Deliver Masterplan
The masterplanning process was completed in April 2011 and in the 6 months since completion there has been much activity on the Spode Site, with the main hall being cleared and used for the Ceramic Biennale, which has given people an opportunity to appreciate the fantastic site that sits in the centre of Stoke Town.
Stoke Masterplan Report Introduction.pdf, Stoke Masterplan Report part1 Diagnosis.pdf, Stoke Masterplan Report part2 Vision and Options.pdfThis report sets out a vision for Stoke Town as it might be in 20 years time. However, more important it sets out a step by step strategy to achieve this vision starting in a time of weak markets and public sector spending cuts. The overall aim is to grow the regeneration of the area, using its assets and allowing Stoke Town to seize future opportunities. This report is available to download here.
Stoke Masterplan Consultation Report.pdfPublic consultation is a key part of all URBEDs work and during the masterplanning process there have been several specific consultations held. This report outlines the findings of all consultation activities carried out over the project. This report can be downloaded here.
Stoke Town Consultation Board 1.pdf, Stoke Town Consultation Board 2.pdf, Stoke Town Consultation Board 3.pdfOptions for the town have been drawn up following the outcomes of the roundtable workshop and baseline ayalysis. These options can be seen in downloads. These options were put out to a public consultation on a very wintery few days in early December.
2 public consultation days were held on the URBED Routemaster Bus to display the options for Stoke Town and the Spode Works with the bus visiting various locations around Stoke Town and having a presence at the Stoke Town Christmas lights switch on. Both consultation days were very successful, with people braving the snow and freezing conditions to come and view the plans and let us have their views. The event saw over 150 people come and view the plans, with a further number having viewed the plans online, and more at the display in the Stoke Town Local Service Centre, where the plans have been on show for 6 weeks.
Stoke Town Round Table Presentation.pdfThe consultation process was initiated by a roundtable workshop, where key stakeholders were invited to discuss the current key issues and opportunities for Stoke Town and the Spode Works.
The consultation was held on the evening of Tuesday 12th October 2010 at the Kings Hall in Stoke Town. The event was well attended with over 80 attendees, who were split into roundtable groups of approximately 10, each with a facilitator from the
consultant team.
The evening was divided into two sessions, it was started with a introduction by Kevin Bell, the project manager from the client team. This was followed by an introduction to the consultant team by David Rudlin from URBED, which can be downloaded.
