BUSINESS NEWS
Powering a new future for Chatterley Whitfield
It was once at the heart of Stoke-on- Trent’ s industrial economy and now a new vision combining heritage, commercial development, digital infrastructure and minewater energy could give the historic site a very different role in the city’ s future.
Few sites tell the story of Stoke-on-Trent’ s industrial past as powerfully as Chatterley Whitfield.
The former colliery is the most complete surviving deep coal mining site in England, with its collection of historic buildings standing as a reminder of the industry and communities that helped shape the city.
But protecting a complex site of approximately 100 hectares also presents a significant and continuing challenge.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is developing a new vision designed to preserve Chatterley Whitfield’ s heritage while opening parts of the site to commercial investment and active use.
Among the opportunities being explored are a data centre, minewater heat technologies and wider commercial development.
The proposals represent an attempt to create an economically sustainable future for the former colliery, moving away from an approach which relies solely on public funding to preserve and maintain its historic buildings.
Chatterley Whitfield is a Scheduled Monument and contains a number of Grade II and Grade II * listed buildings. It remains on Historic England’ s Heritage at Risk Register.
Under the emerging vision, commercial uses capable of generating income could help fund the restoration and long-term maintenance of those buildings.
One strand of the work will examine the potential for digital and heat-related developments at the site.
This includes exploring whether Chatterley Whitfield could attract data centre investment and whether water held in its former mine workings could provide a source of low-carbon heat.
Council proposals published in September included the allocation of £ 185,000 from its capital contingency fund to support further work and help secure direct investment.
The next stage would include technical studies and engagement with stakeholders, alongside market discussions with potential investors and commercial partners.
The aim is to establish whether the opportunities identified can form the basis of viable developments at scale.
Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure, Planning and Regeneration, said the approach could change how the site is viewed.
“ By bringing heritage together with new commercial uses, we have an opportunity to change the narrative around the site – turning it from a potential risk and liability into a genuine asset for the city.
“ This vision gives us a way forward that can protect what makes Chatterley Whitfield so important while creating new opportunities for investment and bringing the site back into active use.”
The commercial proposals would sit alongside plans to make more of Chatterley Whitfield’ s heritage and natural environment accessible to the public.
That combination is central to the vision. Rather than treating conservation, public access and economic development as separate ambitions, the council is exploring whether they can support one another.
If a viable commercial case can be established, Chatterley Whitfield could offer an unusual proposition for investors: a site bringing together energy, technology, commercial opportunity and one of the country’ s most important collections of industrial heritage.
Any development would need to respond to the significance and complexity of the site. The technical studies and market engagement will therefore be crucial in establishing what is achievable and how new uses could sit alongside its protected buildings.
The potential use of minewater also gives the proposals a symbolic connection between Chatterley Whitfield’ s past and its future.
The workings which once supported coal production could become part of a new approach to low-carbon energy, while digital infrastructure could introduce an entirely different type of economic activity to the site.
Councillor Gordon-McCusker added:“ Chatterley Whitfield helped power Stoke-on-Trent’ s industrial past. Through heritage, innovation and clean energy, this vision could see it play a part in powering our future too.”
The proposals remain at an exploratory stage, with further studies and commercial discussions needed to test their viability.
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