A total of 302 homes were built on greenfield sites in Stoke-on-Trent last year – nearly two-thirds of all new homes in the city.

Stoke-on-Trent saw 489 new homes completed in 2023/24, down on 548 in the previous year.

But 62 per cent of the new homes were built on greenfield land in Stoke-on-Trent, with only 187 constructed on brownfield sites. This is in stark contrast to the last few years, with brownfield sites usually accounting for the vast majority of residential developments in Stoke-on-Trent – 94 per cent of new homes in the city were built on previously developed land in 2020/21.

The number, and location, of new homes built in the Potteries are among the key findings of the latest annual monitoring report from planning services at Stoke-on-Trent City Council. Planning policy officer Brittany Yates, who presented the report to the planning committee, explained that last year's increase in greenfield development was mainly due to a small number of major schemes.

But she also noted that, as of the end of 2023/24, there were 1,328 new homes under construction in Stoke-on-Trent, a significant increase on the 880 which were being built at the same point in 2022/23.

Ms Yates said: "There's been a significant shift this year in the location of new housing, with the majority of housing being completed on greenfield land. This is largely owing to the completions on greenfield sites such as Caverswall Lane and Trentham Fields.

"We have a considerably higher number of housing units which were under construction at the time of monitoring. Key sites are continuing to build out, as well as new sites that have got underway, such as the former Stoke police station and the Goods Yard."

Planning committee chair Dan Jellyman expressed disappointment at the shift towards greenfield development last year. He said: "I think it's quite sad that to see the number of homes being built on green fields, when there are still a number of brownfield sites out there which have yet to be developed.

"We have just refused a scheme on a brownfield site because we didn't have enough information, so the responsibility is as much on the owners of these sites to come up with suitable plans and applications that do get approved, but also for officers to get on with the job and get them out of the door. There could have been more net completions this year if a number of applications had been approved, which have been stuck in the planning process for far too long, and maybe then we could have saved more greenfield sites."

Three-bedroom houses were again the most common type of home built in Stoke-on-Trent last year, accounting for 223 completions, compared to just 90 new flats. And there was a big increase in the number of bedrooms in new houses in multiple occupation – 116 compared to 54 in the previous year. Fifty-five of the new homes were classed as affordable, down on 178 in 2022/23.

The report says that the reduction in house-building last year 'likely reflects economic conditions within the current housing market'. But it suggests that next year's figures should show an increase, due to the number of homes currently under construction.

In terms of employment developments, Stoke-on-Trent saw a total of 20,122 square metres floorspace completed in 2023/24. But the city had a net reduction of 4,705 square metres, due to changes of uses and the 'reconfiguration' of sites, such as 200 Scotia Road in Burslem, resulting in net reductions in floorspace.

The findings of the annual monitoring report will feed into Stoke-on-Trent's new local plan, which the council is in the process of drawing up.

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