Almost 2,400 jobs have been created across the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone (CVEZ) over the last decade, according to figures released by Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The scheme, which spans across Stoke-on-Trent and extends into Newcastle-under-Lyme, has also brought 75 hectares of brownfield land back into productive use since its launch in 2016.
The three-mile corridor alongside the A500 has delivered 118,000 square metres of employment floorspace and is now generating an estimated £78.5 million in additional net economic output annually, measured as gross value added.
Business Rates Support and Infrastructure Investment
A highly successful Business Rates Discount Scheme has been central to the zone's performance. The scheme was expanded last year and now covers all Stoke-on-Trent-based sites within the 140-hectare zone. Public sector investment in major infrastructure projects, including the Etruria Valley Link Road, has also helped to transform the viability and attractiveness of key sites.
Future Growth Targets
CVEZ is on target to create more than 4,300 jobs by 2031. Stoke-on-Trent City Council and its partners — Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council — forecast that approximately 116 hectares of brownfield land and around 199,000 square metres of employment floorspace will ultimately be delivered over the lifetime of the Enterprise Zone.
The Six Sites
The CVEZ comprises six sites across 140 hectares. These are: Tunstall Arrow (8.8 hectares), Chatterley Valley East (18.2 hectares), Chatterley Valley West (38 hectares), Highgate/Ravensdale (38.3 hectares), Etruria Valley (31.3 hectares), and Cliffe Vale (6.2 hectares). All are located in Stoke-on-Trent except Chatterley Valley West, which is in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council holds overall accountable responsibility for the scheme and works with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council to deliver individual projects.