The Spode factory closed and went into administration in 2008 and in 2010 the site was acquired by Stoke-on-Trent City Council. Since acquisition, the council has brought some buildings back into use as office space and created a series of artist studios which are currently being used by the Association for Cultural Advancement through Visual Art (ACAVA). The council has also undertaken selective demolition of buildings to facilitate the site’s future redevelopment.
In addition to this work, there has also been major investment by Dog and Bone Properties Ltd who have successfully converted buildings to provide a location for The Quarter restaurant, the Potbank Aparthotel, and further affordable office space. In 2021, £10m Government funding was awarded to the Spode site and the council began discussions with Homes England and Historic England on how to progress with sympathetic regeneration.
In consultation with these local partners a brief was drawn up for a consultant to advise on how Spode should be transformed in order to achieve the best outcomes for the site, the wider town of Stoke, its residents and visitors. Mace consultancy were commissioned to deliver this brief and have subsequently drawn up a development and delivery plan for the site’s future historic regeneration.
On the back of this Masterplan Capital and Centric have been appointed as the City Council’s development partner who are to deliver a phased regeneration of the site. The delivery plan put forward options including the refurbishment of particular buildings for creative and technology based uses as well as some demolition and infrastructure works to improve access to the site and encourage movement through it, Capital & Centric are to build from this to also introduce an element of residential onto the site thereby securing addition vibrancy to the proposed uses.
Work has now begun on the delivery of phase one, which includes securing additional resources for the China Halls building, with a site-wide planning application expected to be submitted early 2026.
