Council leaders hope to drum up interest in building more than 1,300 new homes in Stoke-on-Trent at a major property event.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council wants to appoint a development partner to invest in the Etruscan Square project in Hanley and other residential schemes near the city centre.

Officials will be attending the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) in Leeds later this month to set out their vision to developers and invite expressions of interest. The council has published a new prospectus ahead of the event, which focuses primarily on Etruscan Square but also includes details for three other sites which could also form part of the long-term development partnership – Bucknall New Road, Pyenest Street and North Shelton.

Etruscan Square – on the former site of Hanley Shopping Centre and the old bus station – has planning permission for up to 292 homes, and has been allocated £20 million of government levelling up cash. But Labour council leaders, after taking control of the authority last year, shelved plans for a multi-storey car park to replace the demolished Meigh Street facility, and tore up the wider masterplan for the site, which included proposals for an indoor arena.

Etruscan Square has planning permission for up to 292 homes (Pete Stonier).

They are currently considering new options for Etruscan Square, but say they need a private sector partner to invest in the scheme to reduce the development costs for taxpayers. UKREiif, which takes place from May 21 to 23, is expected to have more than 12,000 attendees, including 250 local authorities, 1,000 investors and 500 developers.

According to the UKREiif website, the event will give the public sector the opportunity to 'profile future investment opportunities to investors, developers, and occupiers from around the globe'.

Here is what the council's prospectus says about each of the four development sites being pitched to developers at UKREiif:

Etruscan Square 

• 7.12 acres
• A 'significant city centre mixed use opportunity', with residential, office and retail, on the site of the old bus station and shopping centre.
• The council says it wants to create a new community in the city centre 'enabling residents to live, work and play in a transformed urban landscape'.

The council says it wants to create a new community in the city centre (Nub News).

Bucknall New Road

• 4.9 hectares
• 'An excellent opportunity to deliver a larger development package' on a housing estate next to Etruscan Square.
• The prospectus says that the council currently only has authority to demolish and redevelop part of the site, but there could eventually be space for around 538 new homes in various phases.

Pyenest Street

• 2.16 hectares
• The site in Shelton 'the ability to offer much needed improvement to the area along with capitalising on the canal's rich history' while creating 'aspirational housing'.
• Two costed schemes to build up to 213 homes have been proposed. One could include commercial space on the A5006 frontage with residential above, while the other would be 'purely residential', including back-to-back properties lining the canal and potentially a senior living apartment block. The scheme is expected to cost around £54 million.

North Shelton

• 1.28 hectares
• The prospectus says there is an opportunity to deliver up to 300 homes in North Shelton, with three sites currently in the 'development mix': the Regent Centre offices, a storage yard on Raymond Street, and the former Olympus factory. North Shelton is located 'on a key strategic link' between the railway station, university and city centre.

Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing, regeneration and planning at the city council, said: "We're delighted to be attending UKREiiF this year and pleased to be able to offer a number of unique and exciting opportunities for residential development in Stoke-on-Trent. The main focus is on Etruscan Square and, due to its high-profile, city centre location, we expect a lot of interest.

"We're looking to bring on board the experience of a place-focussed regeneration developer or consortium and are keen to enter a long-term agreement able to address a portfolio of development sites. It's our mission to provide the best housing and employment opportunities for people in Stoke-on-Trent and we are committed to ensuring the development of Etruscan Square is delivered with our local residents in mind."

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