An extra £1.5 million of funding for public realm and regeneration work in a town centre has been agreed by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The city council's total investment for Tunstall this financial year is now around £10 million, which is set to go towards further improvements to the town centre and Tower Square Conservation Area.

Residents will be asked for their views on how the investment will be spent - which is expected to include better shop frontages, reducing empty units, and new planting and play area schemes.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, Cabinet Member for Growth, Regeneration and Transport, said: "£10 million going into Tunstall this year is investment on a scale the town hasn't seen in a long time - real money for a town centre that's improving, new affordable homes, and safer streets people can see and feel the difference from."

Other Tunstall projects receiving funding this year include £4 million from Community Regeneration Partnership Funds for town centre public realm improvements, up to £225,000 for Designing Out Crime works and £3.04 million to develop the former Lily Gertrude Court site.

A £700,000 S106 Affordable Fund grant is also reserved for a future Tunstall Library and Baths site project and the council will work with National Grid to remove and relocate the electrical sub-station inside Tunstall Baths.

The council's Cabinet also agreed to reallocate around £1.6 million of Levelling Up funding, originally earmarked for the Tunstall Library, Baths and Drill Hall development.

It comes after the planning application for the scheme was refused on heritage grounds.

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The council is now redirecting that funding - which has a March 2028 spending deadline - to refurbish 10 council-owned properties on Queen Street in Burslem.

Cllr Gordon-McCusker added: "We won't pretend the Library, Baths and Drill Hall decision isn't a disappointment. But we're not going to let good money sit idle because one scheme couldn't go ahead.

"We've moved it straight into another regeneration project in Burslem, so it stays working for Stoke-on-Trent instead of being handed back to Government. We are making sure Tunstall gets almost exactly the same amount of money under this new arrangement so it doesn't miss out.

"We still want to see a future for the Library and Baths building, and we'll keep working on that. In the meantime, Tunstall gets the investment it's been promised - and residents will have a direct say in how the new funding is spent."