Nearly 5,000 homes could be built across Stoke-on-Trent as part of a council scheme – if enough grant funding is secured.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is working with Homes England on its Housing Development Pipeline, which could see 4,857 homes built across 23 sites.

While some of these schemes are already being delivered, 1,946 homes are proposed for 'challenging sites', which will need grant funding to go ahead. The council, which owns some but not all of the sites, is now planning to work with developers and Homes England to bring forward all of the schemes over the coming years.

Stoke-on-Trent has been set an increased housebuilding target of 948 a year by the government – around twice the current rate of delivery. But council leaders say that regardless of this target, the city has a desperate need for more housing.

At their meeting on Tuesday, cabinet members approved the pipeline and granted authority to officers to apply for any necessary grants and explore options for private investment.

Cllr Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing, said: "The pipeline is the exciting bit.

"Developers are waiting on the sidelines to see where we're going and what we're doing. This is about bringing developments forward to benefit the people of Stoke-on-Trent.

"We'll always get some people complaining that we're taking their view away. But the facts are that we have a massive housing crisis – just over 3,000 people on the council house waiting list and a massive shortage of housing, from one bedroom to four bedroom.

"This is about the future, it's about ensuring our children and grandchildren have somewhere to live that's decent."

Cllr Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for regeneration, added: "This is really exciting for the city. There are some schemes here that we've been waiting far too long for, in my opinion, so I'm really pleased we're bringing them forward.

"As we all know, there's a housing crisis in the city – a lack of housing and a lack of affordable housing. Yes, there's a target from the government to build houses, but we need to do what's right for the people of the city.

"It's not about targets, it's that there are people who have to put their entire lives on hold, families not being able to settle down because there isn't the housing they need in their community."

The schemes included in the pipeline are split into four delivery programmes, reflecting how close they are to being built.

'Sites in delivery', which include the recently completed Goods Yard in Stoke, will see 650 new homes provided across four sites.

The Booth Street scheme in Shelton, which is expected to get underway early next year, is among six 'Priority Pipeline' sites. A £31 million scheme to build 117 council homes on the former Brookhouse Green Primary School site in Bentilee is also included in this programme.

The former Edensor High School in Longton is one of six council-owned sites included in the residential disposals programme, with delivery dates yet to be confirmed.

And there are seven 'Challenging Sites' that require grant funding. These include Pyenest Street in Shelton and council-owned farmland at Packmoor, which is currently subject to a separate – and controversial – masterplanning exercise.

Here is the full list of sites included in the pipeline:

Sites in delivery 

Goods Yard, Stoke

Chatterley Court, Chell Heath

Scotia Road, Burslem

Bournes Bank, Burslem

Priority pipeline sites 

Booth Street, Stoke

Former Doris Robinson Court, Meir

Former Brookhouse Green Primary School, Bentilee

Bucknall New Road, Hanley

Former Lily Gertrude Simister Court, Tunstall

Former Olympus factory, Regent Road and Raymond Street sites in Shelton

Residential disposals programme 

Bell House and Barker House, Blurton

Former Edensor High School, Longton

Former Berry Hill High School, Bucknall

Former Mitchell High School, Bucknall

Land at Redhills Road, Birches Head

Magdalen Road, Blurton

Challenging sites that require grant funding 

Pyenest Street, Shelton

Council-owned land at Packmoor

Former Crown Works, Longton

Etruscan Square, Hanley

Former Tuscan Works, Longton

Former Wade Heath Pottery, Burslem