Nine council-owned sites in Stoke-on-Trent – including a former golf course – are set to be declared 'surplus'.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council considers the parcels of land 'surplus to current operational requirements', meaning they could be sold, transferred or repurposed.

The list includes the 49-hectare Goldenhill Golf Course, which closed down in 2011 and has since been subjected to fly-tipping, nuisance off-road bikers and traveller encampments. Other sites on the list include the Excelsior Works, in Cliffe Vale, the former Ball Green Youth Centre, and several areas of public open space.

Council leaders insist that being declared surplus does not automatically mean that a site will be sold off. But the cash-strapped authority is under pressure to raise funds through asset sales and reduce the amount it spends on maintaining and securing sites it does not need.

The council is inviting members of the public to give their views on the sites (Nub News).

The council is inviting members of the public to give their views on the sites, and says this feedback will be considered before any decisions are taken.

Councillor Alastair Watson, cabinet member for financial sustainability and corporate services, said: "Surplus does not mean sold. It simply means that these sites are surplus to current operational requirements. If anyone has any views on the sites I would urge them to get in touch.

"The council has a social value protocol, and that will be taken into consideration when we decide what to do with these sites. We will look at these sites carefully and methodically to ensure that we get the best deal for the city."

These are the nine sites set to be declared surplus:

• Excelsior Works, Garner Street, Cliffe Vale. A 5.6 hectare site, located along the 'A500 employment line'.
• Land at Ladywell Road, Tunstall. A 333 square metre site, currently leased to a gym and used as a car park.
• Land at Maunders Road, Milton. Approximately 807 square metres of land that is used as a garage site.
• Land at Old Town Road, Hanley. Approximately 659 square metres of public open space.
• Land at Park Hall Road, Weston Coyney. Approximately 917 square metres of pubic open space.
• Land next to former Edensor High School. Additional land next to the former school site 'to meet housing development planning conditions'.
• Former Ball Green Youth Centre. A 5.1 hectare site.
• Former Goldenhill Golf Course. Unused former golf course, 48.7 hectares in size.
• Land off Canal Lane, Burslem. Around 5.1 hectares of public open space.

The council was going to sell Goldenhill Golf Course in 2019 but the deal fell through (Google).

Cabinet members will be asked to rubberstamp the decision to declare the sites surplus at their meeting on Tuesday. Delegated authority will be granted to officers, in consultation with Mr Watson, to decide what to do with each site, after considering any feedback.

According to the report to cabinet, the council currently owns 500 buildings and sites, which incurs 'significant financial cost to the council' which is 'neither sustainable nor fundable in the future'. The report says the purpose of declaring the sites surplus is 'to enable alternative uses to come forward'.

As well as being sold off, this could mean a community asset transfer, commercial leasing or redevelopment by the council, among other options.

The council was set to sell off Goldenhill Golf Course for £205,000 in 2019, but the deal fell through. In 2022, the council demolished the old clubhouse, which had become a magnet for anti-social behaviour.

Tom Simpson, secretary of Sandyford and Goldenhill Residents' Association, does not think there are many viable options for the site. He said: "Ideally, we'd like to see someone bring the site back into use as a golf course. If it's in use, then that will mean that the owner will pay to maintain and secure it.

"I don't think the land is suitable for housing, because of issues like drainage."

Anyone who would like to express views on any of the surplus sites should email [email protected].

------------

READ MORE: Enjoy much more than just a new retirement apartment in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter email HERE - just click the 'SIGN UP' button.

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stoke Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our city.

Please consider following Stoke Nub News on Facebook or Twitter.