Plans approved to build up to 114 new homes on Stone’s last link with shoemaking heritage

Stafford Borough Council’s planning committee delayed its decision on the Stonefield Works site – Stone’s last link to its shoemaking heritage – in October after questions were asked about whether part of the historic building could be retained and used in the proposed housing development.

On Wednesday (June 25) the application, put forward by Hitachi Energy UK Limited, returned to the committee. Members voted to approve it, subject to conditions, in line with the planning officer’s recommendation.

The application sought outline consent for demolition of existing buildings at the Oulton Road site and redevelopment to provide up to 114 homes and public open space. More detailed proposals are set to come forward in a reserved matters application at a later date.

At the October meeting ward councillor and Stone historian Philip Leason, who called in the application for consideration by the planning committee, said the frontage of a sister building in Banbridge in Northern Ireland had successfully been converted. But a report to Wednesday’s meeting said that office building at the former Down Shoes factory site, which is listed, had been retained and reused as offices, but not for residential use.

The report added: “The design and internal arrangement of the (Stone) building – it being a narrow, single room depth building, is such that it is likely to make it difficult to design a viable scheme with unit yields being low and conversion costs and future maintenance liabilities being high. The retention would also reduce the quantum of family housing, including affordable, that would be delivered.

“The costs of retaining and converting the building could impact on the viability of the wider development. This could also result in a reduction in the quantum of affordable housing that the scheme is able to deliver, or a reduction in the overall quantum of S106 obligations/financial contributions that Hitachi is able to agree to because of viability issues.”

Tim Evans, who spoke in support of the application at Wednesday’s meeting, said he was familiar with the Bambridge site. He told the committee: “We have explored at length whether the (Stonefield Works) building could be retained per se and were asked to consider whether the central portion of the main building could be retained.

“There are a couple of distinct differences between the two. The first is that the building in Northern Ireland is listed and the developer there was required to retain it.

“Stonefield Works is a non-designated heritage asset and is not afforded the same degree of protection. Secondly, the former offices at Bambridge weren’t converted into housing.”

At the previous meeting Mr Evans said securing planning permission for the redevelopment of Stonefield Works was critical for helping Hitachi fund its proposal to relocate to new purpose-built premises at Beacon Park in Stafford. He added “Those premises will be better suited to current operational need while allowing for retention of the business in the borough.”

Earlier this month Hitachi Energy marked the start of construction of its new Beacon Park site with a groundbreaking ceremony. The new Operational Campus, which will specialise in digital innovation, is set to open next year and create hundreds of jobs, in addition to retaining 400 staff that were based out of the Stone site.

On Wednesday planning committee member Councillor Scott Spencer said he still had concerns about the “wholesale demolition” of the non-designated heritage asset. “It’s a great shame the building can’t be retained”, he added.

But Councillor Bryan Cross. who proposed the application be approved, said: “As much as it’s part of the history of Stone, we’re living in a different century now and things must progress. Changes that have come into the National Planning Policy put more obligation on us to use brownfield sites (for redevelopment).”

Councillor Anne Hobbs said: “It’s really disappointing, but we should pass it really, especially in view of the 40% affordable housing (proposed). We have got a lot of people waiting for homes and we have got to think about them as well.”