As business expansion continues to eat into the commercial property supply of many towns and cities throughout the UK, projects designed to tackle this issue and fulfil growing demand are becoming increasingly prevalent. Stoke-on-Trent is just one example of this boom in commercial development within regional areas, with the £40 million first phase of a new city centre business district reaching a pivotal milestone.
The two five storey buildings which lie at the heart of the Smithfield development have now been “topped out”, meaning that the Central Business District is well on its way to becoming the thriving urban regeneration specialists, Genr8 Developments, have promised to deliver.
In total, this first phase will bring 210,000 sq ft of office space which will be taken up by Stoke-on-Trent City Council and is due to be completed in spring 2015.
Genr8 Developments partner Mike Smith voiced his excitement at the completion of No1 and No2 Smithfield, saying; “It is fantastic to see the vision for Smithfield coming to fruition.
“Smithfield is an ambitious project which will play a huge part in the regeneration of Stoke-on-Trent – these two buildings represent the high quality standards that the development will continue to deliver over the coming years providing a massive boost to the economic regeneration of the area.
“We look forward to seeing them in occupation over the coming months and to announcing further phases of development in the near future.”
Yet phase one is simply a small part of the overall regeneration ambitions for Smithfield, as upon completion the project in its entirety will bring 1,250,000 sq ft of office space, several retail units and plenty of space for leisure tenants. The details of works to be conducted during phase two are yet to be released, yet further information regarding the timescale of the next steps in the project is expected to be announced in the next few months.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for regeneration, Councillor Ruth Rosenau, was on hand to witness the completion of No1 and No2 Smithfield.
She said; “This is a major milestone in the construction of a very significant development that will breathe new life into our city centre and act as the catalyst for the wider regeneration of Stoke-on-Trent.
“Smithfield shows the world we are open for business – it is a visible sign of the scale of our ambition as we create the right conditions to make this area one of the best places to bring business and investment.”
