Developer St Modwen has acquired the remaining 46 acres of land at St Modwen Park Stoke Central – previously known as Etruria Valley – from Tata Steel.
The deal marks the conclusion of an agreement struck between the two parties nearly 25 years ago, and brings to an end around 180 years of iron and steelmaking activity on the site.
It will allow St Modwen to bring forward an additional 800,000 sq ft of land for industrial and logistics premises.
St Modwen had been selected by Stoke-on-Trent City Council to regenerate part of the former Shelton iron and steel works site in 1988.
The first 165 acres developed by St Modwen, named Festival Park, created a mixed-use business park in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent. The remainder of the Shelton works site continued to be used as a major rolling mill until 2002.
As use of the steel site declined, St Modwen entered into a joint venture with British Steel in 1996 to regenerate a further 30 acres of redundant steelworks land.
After the rolling mill closed in 2002, a second agreement was made for the remaining land on the 125-acre site, as an extension of Festival Park.
The site was originally branded Etruria Valley and is now St Modwen Park Stoke Central. British Steel, which later became Corus, is now part of Tata Steel.
Ian Romano, senior director of development at St Modwen, said: “Acquiring the final 46 acres from Tata Steel is significant as it’s the culmination of decades of work bringing disused land back to use.
“The closure of the steelworks in 1978 was a huge blow to thousands of families in Stoke-on-Trent, but through strategic regeneration and working closely with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, we’ve been able to create a vibrant development that has attracted businesses to the region, creating thousands of employment opportunities across a number of sectors.
“We are continuing to push forward our regeneration work in the region, with a focus on industrial and logistics space. We are committed to attracting further inward investment and creating more employment opportunities for the people of Stoke-on-Trent.”
Festival Park and St Modwen Park Stoke Central now measure nearly 290 acres in total.
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