Home / Environment / Derelict Factory Demolition After 10-Year Fire Scar
Derelict Factory Demolition After 10-Year Fire Scar
28 Jul
Summary
- Former factory buildings to be demolished after a decade-old fire.
- Site was considered one of the top three environmental risks nationally.
- Former MP secured over £10m for the extensive site clearance.
Two derelict former factory buildings on Garner Street in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, have received demolition permission following a successful application. These buildings were the site of a devastating fire more than a decade ago, and were once described as one of the country's top three environmental risks.
Jo Gideon, former MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, advocated for the site's clearance, calling it her biggest environmental challenge. She secured over £10 million in funding, describing it as a proud achievement. The factory, which ceased production in 1990, had been filled with industrial material in bales, posing a significant fire risk due to unknown contents.
Council officers noted the buildings' poor state of repair and negative visual impact. The demolition will be a carefully controlled, phased process to minimize disruption. This clearance is part of a larger initiative to redevelop brownfield land within the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone, aiming to bring the site back into active use.
