Part-built flats and vacant development land to be sold at Hanley auction
A piece of city-centre land in Hanley that includes a partly completed block of flats will be sold at auction later this month after building work on the site was halted. The properties lie between the Caldon Canal and Windlass Grove and are being offered with modest guide prices that underline the unfinished nature of the plots.
One lot comprises a partly constructed block where work began on six flats but was never completed. That plot will be offered with a minimum guide price of £80,000. An adjacent parcel of land, which benefits from long-standing planning permission dating back to 2006 for seven four‑bedroom houses, carries a guide price of £100,000.
"The site was part of a wider regeneration scheme on the former Eagle Pottery site which was completed by Redrow Homes in 2006/07."
The auction is scheduled to take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel on Festival Park, beginning at 6.30pm on Monday 26 October.
What the lots include and the planning background
Details published in the auction particulars connect the land to a larger regeneration project on the former Eagle Pottery site, pointing to earlier work completed in 2006/07 by Redrow Homes. The planning permission for the second plot has remained on the records since 2006, a reminder of how long small brownfield sites can sit underused in the city.
| Plot | Description | Guide price |
|---|---|---|
| Plot 1 | Part-built block with base works for six flats, between Caldon Canal and Windlass Grove | £80,000 |
| Plot 2 | Vacant land with planning permission (2006) for seven four-bedroom houses | £100,000 |
Local implications and context
The appearance of partially completed developments in a city centre location carries several practical and reputational implications for Stoke-on-Trent. Unfinished sites can attract antisocial behaviour and reduce confidence among residents and investors, while also representing missed opportunities for housing and regeneration in a city that has seen pockets of both renewal and long-term vacancy.
Residents living near the Caldon Canal and Windlass Grove will be watching the auction closely. A new owner could either move to complete the flats and deliver the houses permitted in 2006, or seek to revise schemes and repurpose the land — options that would require further planning engagement with Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
- The parcels are centrally located in Hanley and form part of the former Eagle Pottery redevelopment area.
- One plot has previously approved planning consent for seven houses dating from 2006.
- The modest guide prices suggest significant additional investment will be required to finish the works or undertake new construction.
Any purchaser will need to factor in the costs of completing the partially built flats, securing the site and ensuring that construction meets current building regulations. If the new owner proposes a materially different scheme for the land, fresh planning applications and potential local objections could follow.
What comes next
The auction on 26 October will establish the immediate fate of the sites. Bidders may include small developers, investors seeking a long-term land holding, or local builders prepared to bring the properties back into use. Regardless of the outcome, the sale opens the possibility of progress on a site that has lingered unfinished for years.
For residents who have seen regeneration projects start and stall in Stoke-on-Trent, the sale presents both a risk and an opportunity: the risk that the plots again change hands without works restarting; the opportunity that a committed buyer could finish the flats and unlock the potential of the wider Eagle Pottery area.
Details of the plots and the auction are set out in the auction particulars, and the closing bids will be known at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel on Festival Park on the evening of Monday 26 October.
