The dawning of the next phase
Green light for £45 million Stoke-on-Trent development

Planners have given the go-ahead to a £45 million flagship warehouse scheme in the Midlands that will create more than 800 new jobs and become a test-bed for sustainable, industrial development.

ProLogis Park Sideway, in Stoke-on-Trent, is a major, regeneration project earmarked for one of the city's key employment sites. It will also showcase innovative, environmental technologies and sustainable warehouse design features that are already attracting national, and international, interest.

The scheme is being undertaken by ProLogis Developments, in partnership with regional development agency Advantage West Midlands (AWM). Half of the 64-acre site is being developed as warehousing, while the remainder has been set aside for the creation of special wildlife habitats and an ecological corridor.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council's Planning Committee gave its approval to the development on Wednesday (Sep 27th).

Councillors heard how the project would regenerate a substantial tract of derelict land to create hundreds of new jobs while, at the same time, pioneer environmentally-sustainable buildings. They were also told that the scheme had not received a single objection from local residents, following a 2-day public consultation earlier this year.

Around 640,000 sq ft of warehousing will be speculatively constructed in two phases, on 32 acres of the former, unlicensed, landfill site, next to the A500, and close to Junction 15 of the M6. The warehousing will comprise two large buildings totalling just over 500,000 sq ft, together with ten, smaller industrial units totalling 105,000 sq ft.

The proposed buildings will incorporate state-of-the-art, energy-saving features, including: Triple-glazed northlights to provide increased natural daylight and reduce electricity; air tight buildings to reduce heat loss to a level well above the standard British Regulation requirements; solar air heating systems in the offices; low energy light fittings; photovoltaic panels; and sustainable, urban drainage systems, to harvest rainwater from roofs, for irrigation and grey water usage. Independent experts will test the efficiency of these measures, some of which will be unique to Sideway.

The remaining half of the site will be turned into new, ecological habitats, including a wetland habitat and an ecological corridor along the Chitlings Brook. There will be extensive tree planting and the creation of new woodland habitat, plus a feature landform, and footpaths, for staff and local people to use as an educational and recreational resource.

Chitlings Brook, which currently runs through the centre of the development site, will be re-aligned around the edge of the buildings, and transformed from a polluted ditch into a clean-flowing, ecological corridor to attract back the wildlife. In addition, a new wetland habitat will be created for small amphibians, in particular, for the Great Crested Newt, which is a protected species.

ProLogis is making a £50,000 donation to provide a brand-new bus service for the area, and a similar amount for the commissioning of a piece of public art for the roundabout leading into the site. The Solihull company is also paying £10,000 towards the cost of a green travel plan it has submitted, which includes persuading staff to leave their cars at home, and use other methods of transport, including cycling in to work.

Remediation of the former colliery site was managed by AWM, and funded by English Partnerships, the UK Regeneration Agency. Construction is expected to start in March, with completion anticipated for late 2007.

David Green, project leader with ProLogis's planning consultants, Turley Associates, of Birmingham, said: "This is a showcase project that will become an icon for sustainable industrial development, and it is already attracting national and international interest.

"We held two pre-application public consultation evenings in February and March this year, having leafleted more than 4,000 households, and it is a credit to the way the scheme has been designed that, despite being a major application for 650,000 sq ft of industrial and distribution space, there has not been a single objection from local residents."

He added:

"The close-working relationship between ProLogis, Advantage West Midlands, the consultancy team and the planning officers of Stoke-on-Trent has paved the way for the regeneration of this part of North Staffordshire."

Alan Sarjant, of ProLogis, said:

"We are delighted that this very important, and innovative, scheme has been given approval. As well as the many new jobs Sideway will create, the development will also provide a test-bed for environmental technologies and sustainable warehouse design features, using new initiatives and technologies ProLogis has already implemented elsewhere in its global operations. "

Stuart Kirkwood, Director of Development at Advantage West Midlands, said:

“This flagship project is a powerful example of how AWM is working with partners to bring a project demonstrating ground breaking environmental features to the region.

“Not only will it be a benchmark development for the rest of Europe’s commercial property industry to follow, it will also bring valuable new investment and new, skilled jobs to communities in greatest need.”