Spode Works gets the green light for game-changing regeneration

Capital&Centric and Stoke-on-Trent City Council have secured the go-ahead to transform the iconic Spode Works into a landmark destination, breathing new life into this historic pottery factory.

Spode Works, covering around 10 acres in the heart of Stoke town centre, is a warren of buildings, kilns and workshops that tells the story of centuries of craftsmanship. The site includes multiple Grade II listed buildings – around 11 of them – that showcase classic industrial architecture and the evolution of the pottery works.

The council’s cabinet has signed off on the partnership, setting the stage for a major overhaul that will blend these historic structures with bold new architecture. The plans will see Spode Works reimagined as a buzzing neighbourhood of homes, creative workspaces and vibrant public spaces, building on the site’s emerging CreaTech (creative technology) community.

For over two centuries, Spode Works was at the heart of the UK’s ceramics industry. Its fine bone china and underglaze blue transfer printing put Stoke-on-Trent on the global map. Now, the ambition is to honour that legacy, repurposing the site’s heritage for the next generation of digital design, gaming, animation and other creative industries.

Capital&Centric is already working on detailed plans and will be consulting with locals later this year.

Tom Wilmot, Joint Managing Director of Capital&Centric, said: “Spode Works is a testament to Stoke-on-Trent’s proud industrial past and a huge opportunity to shape its future. We’re not just restoring bricks and mortar – we’re creating a landmark neighbourhood that taps into the city’s creative energy. This will be a catalyst for attracting new people, new ideas and new investment into the area.”

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, regeneration and infrastructure at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “The regeneration of the Spode site will provide the opportunity for businesses and organisations to operate from a unique location, in the heart of the city.

"It will create employment and economic benefits, which will help to ensure the long-term survival of this site and bring with it the potential of attracting further external funding that otherwise would not have been possible.

“Capital & Centric has a long track record of delivering regeneration projects and is already working closely with the council to deliver Goods Yard, next to the railway station. We are pleased that they are committed to working with us in the future to develop another important heritage site in the city.”

The partnership builds on Capital&Centric’s track record of delivering award-winning regeneration of historic sites, including the soon-to-open Goods Yard neighbourhood in Stoke-on-Trent – a £63 million transformation of a derelict warehouse into 174 homes and community spaces.

Currently investing £3 million a week across eight live construction sites, Capital&Centric is driving regeneration in towns and cities nationwide – from Wolverhampton to Gateshead and Sheffield. The developer recently announced its biggest project to date: creating a whole new town in Cambridgeshire plus 2,000 homes. The town is called Northstowe, the UK’s latest new town.