Action taken on almost 100 buildings as council tackles heritage emergency

Stoke on Trent City Council has taken enforcement action on almost 100 heritage buildings as it steps up work to tackle neglected historic properties in private ownership.

Since ramping up action a year ago, the Heritage Enforcement Programme has opened 93 cases targeting some of the city’s most prominent and long-standing problem properties.

The programme uses legal powers where necessary to secure repairs, improvements and the reuse of vacant buildings.

The impact of the work is already being seen across the city, with 20 buildings brought into full compliance and more actions underway at dozens more.

Enforcement action has already delivered significant improvements, including full compliance in Parliament Row – where buildings have been repainted, repaired and restored – and repairs at 10 problem sites in Etruria and Hanley.

In other areas:

• Longton and Meir: 16 legal notices have been issued across 21 sites, with improvements including cleared overgrown sites, tidied frontages and repairs to building exteriors, with more progress expected by summer.
• Tunstall: seven buildings have been repaired, including repainting and general building improvements, with four of the most serious cases now facing prosecution.
• Hartshill and Stoke: multiple sites are improving, including through repainting, repair works and voluntary action by owners without the need for formal notices.
• Burslem: enforcement action is underway across 16 sites, with formal powers already used on key properties and improvements including façade repainting and works to enhance the street scene.

The council has also issued 33 notices relating to untidy land, helping improve the wider street scene and prevent further decline.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure, planning and Regeneration, said: “We’ve been clear that Stoke on Trent faces a heritage emergency. This programme is about tackling that head on.

“We won’t tolerate private owners overseeing the decline of our historic buildings. That’s why we’re taking action now to speed up regeneration, grow the local economy and safeguard our history.”

The programme will now continue as a dedicated heritage enforcement function with an increased focus on formal action and progressing cases through the courts where owners fail to act.