£14m funding announced for second phase of Chatterley Whitfield redevelopment

Press release from English Partnerships - 22 August 2005

National regeneration agency English Partnerships has announced £14m funding, through the National Coalfields Programme, to transform some 50 ha of spoil heaps on the former Chatterley Whitfield colliery site, Stoke-on-Trent, into picturesque parkland.

The £14m will be spent on reclaiming the former colliery - which is located on the A527 linking Tunstall to Biddulph - to provide an improved amenity for the local community, and also essential re-profiling of a 900 m culvert, which is at risk of future collapse.

The culvert, part of Ford Green Brook that forms the western boundary of the site and is a significant tributary of the River Trent, has been substantially altered over the operational lifetime of the colliery and could become unstable. The culvert will be removed and the brook redirected.

In addition, the existing watercourse has undercut the adjacent bank of the tip areas, making it potentially unsafe and requiring necessary grading works.

Chatterley Whitfield is unique in the National Coalfields Programme as it features the best surviving collection of historic pithead buildings and structures in England. As a result of this, the site was designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by English Heritage in 1993.

More than £4.6m of funding – including £2.6m from English Partnerships and £1.8m from the European Regional Development Fund - has already been approved for the first phase of works. This is being spent on building a new roundabout at the access to the site, creating an improved access road to the core of the site and refurbishing two former colliery buildings for community and training uses.

Neil Mortimer, Head of Coalfields for English Partnerships, said, “The site represents a particular challenge to the regeneration skills of English Partnerships, working with an active partnership of agencies, local organisations and a strong commitment from historic bodies.

“As such, this site requires a long-term managed approach whereby the initial phases of investment will create the setting for change and stimulate further market interest, giving Chatterley Whitfield increasing momentum and a carefully planned but sustainable future.”

Sir Neil Cossons, Chairman of English Heritage, said, “Today’s announcement of £14m from the government is a massive boost to the regeneration of Chatterley Whitfield and brings us an important step closer to ensuring a vital future for the colliery, one of the most important industrial heritage sites at risk in the country.

“Much has already been done to secure the site’s historic buildings and many are now being used and enjoyed by the local community. This new phase of funding means that work can now start on regenerating the surrounding industrial landscape, which in turn should attract further investment. Chatterley Whitfield has long been recognised as an historic and cultural asset but with continued care and imagination it can once again become a vibrant resource for the local community and generations to come.”

Joan Walley MP for Stoke-on-Trent North who has been instrumental in establishing the local partnership with English Heritage said, “This further substantial funding for Chatterley Whitfield, approved by the Deputy Prime Minister, is a real cause for celebration. It leads us to the next stage of the mammoth task to reclaim the Chatterley Whitfield colliery site. It will bring benefits to the entire community and enhance the other regeneration improvements underway in North Staffordshire”.

Stoke-on-Trent’s elected Mayor Mark Meredith said, “The reuse of the site will contribute to the work of the adjoining area through improvements to the local environment and provision of a new focal point for economic regeneration through the productive reuse of listed buildings.

“It is anticipated that, when complete, the scheme will provide for a mix of commercial employment, training and education opportunities for local residents.”

Chatterley Whitfield was added to English Partnerships’ National Coalfields Programme in 2002.