Project Brief: Create a new mixed-tenure waterside community next to the historic Caldon Canal. The proposals look to provide well designed and managed housing for a range of purchasers and end-users, with a principal focus on first-time-buyers and graduate retention.  The core principle of the project is to create an exceptional environment for people to live in. There are over 20 different types of residential units, which are intended to be inclusive and appeal to people from a range of backgrounds, lifestyles, age groups and levels of mobility, thus maximising community benefits and minimising the risk of dominance by one particular group. Through a combination of affordability and by attracting a large percentage of owner occupiers, the project is likely to underpin the growth of a sustainable community within the area.

The project acknowledges a rich local heritage; this part of Stoke-on-Trent was developed around the pottery industries of the 18th and early 19th century. The site is the former Ridgway Bedford Earthenware Works, which was situated between Stoke and Hanley, overlooking the Etruria Valley. The intention is to use the natural topography of the site by forming a series of pedestrianised green spaces from Bedford Road down to the Canal and create a new ‘green edge’ along its frontage. The scheme provides access to car parking spaces, but residents will be positively encouraged to reduce car journeys, through a green transportation plan for a ‘walking and cycling neighbourhood’. The plan will be delivered by the Management Company for the site and will include subscription to a car share service.

The proposed buildings are arranged in a series of separate blocks which enclose different types of open space, including hard and soft landscaped areas. They look out towards the Canal and will be designed in conjunction with landscape consultant Exterior Architecture. The blocks range from 4 to 8 storeys, with a taller element strategically placed on the corner of Shearer Street and the canal, to act as a vertical marker for the scheme.