St Modwen to hold public exhibition to unveil plans for Royal Doulton site

St. Modwen, which owns the former Royal Doulton site at Nile Street, Burslem is unveiling its plans for the future of the site at a public exhibition in Burslem Town Centre on Friday September 14.

The plans which have been the subject of extensive discussions with Stoke-on-Trent City Council are now being presented to the public to invite their comments as part of the process of bringing about the regeneration of this major site.

The proposal is for a mixed use development, retaining Royal Doulton¹s principal historic building at the main entrance from Nile Street and with a redevelopment of the remainder of the site. The original building will be restored and the courtyard at the main entrance recreated with new buildings in a compatible style as a major Business Enterprise Centre aimed specifically at providing workspace for small and medium sized companies.

The existing building, together with the new Enterprise Centre buildings will provide a total of about 70,000 sq ft in three-storey buildings and it is anticipated that this will provide the home for more than 50 businesses.

The courtyard will be recreated with high quality landscaping, and visitor and employee car parking.

The remainder of the 11.5 acre site will be developed for housing in support of the regeneration of the Burslem Town Centre area. About 140 homes, very much aimed at family accommodation are to be built.

One of the key elements of the scheme is a new public walkway and cycleway through the centre of the site from Nile Street to the Burslem Greenway at the rear and thereby connecting to Burslem Park. This will provide a much needed link between the green space and the town centre.

Mike Herbert, Regional Director of St. Modwen , commented: ³I am very pleased that we are now able to exhibit our exciting proposals for the former Doulton site and invite the public¹s comments. We would expect that the new Enterprise Centre will provide jobs for around 400 people and the new homes would provide a further boost to regenerate the economy of Burslem Town Centre.

³The public exhibition is part of building up the picture to support planning applications for the regeneration of the site and subject to the outcome of the exhibition, applications will be submitted within the next month. We hope that consents can be granted towards the end of the year enabling the redevelopment to take place.

³This consultation exercise is part of St. Modwen¹s established Community, Environmental and Social Responsibility policy, which includes a commitment

to consultation at an early stage of all major projects led directly by

St. Modwen staff.

The public exhibition is being held between 2pm and 6pm on Friday, September

14 at Burslem School of Art, Queen Street, Burslem.

Note to Editors

St. Modwen¹s Community Environmental and Social Responsibility policy is set out in its 2006 Annual Report available for download on St. Modwen¹s web page www.stmodwen.co.uk . Either review the report online and look under the section of Community or download the report in total and see pages 32 to 41 inclusive.

For further information contact Mike Herbert (01782 281844). Issued by Paul Raymer of Howle Chapman Raymer (0121 236 7771).