Plans to transform two town centre sites into new communities have been submitted to Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council by Capital&Centric.
The developer plans breathe new life into a vacant brownfield site at Ryecroft and the 1960s York Place Shopping centre, creating new neighbourhoods with much needed new homes, business spaces and open space.
John Moffat, Joint Managing Director at Capital&Centric, said: “Our ambition is to take unloved spaces in key town centre locations and bring them back to life. In the same way that we’re revamping Midway car park, our plans for Astley Place will retain and repurpose the existing buildings, stripping them back to their bare bones and revealing their charm.
“With Rye Park, we’re completely starting from scratch but that gives us a great opportunity to deliver something creative; a new neighbourhood brimming with much needed family homes, apartments, workspaces and a hotel. The new urban park will be a real draw for the town centre, with tons of green space to hang out and perfect for pop up events.”
Astley Place will see the shopping centre re-booted as a new heart of the town centre, with over 50 new apartments, improved spaces to shop and a new music venue.
The once forgotten Ryecroft site – now known as “Rye Park” – will be reimagined into a verdant neighbourhood, featuring a mix of family homes and apartments, as well as a stunning new urban park creating a gateway into the town and a place for the community to dwell and enjoy the green space.
The submitted plans for Rye Park include 171 3-4 bed family homes and new build apartments, a new urban park for community use. Whilst Astley Place will see 52 apartments (41 one-bed, 11 two-bed) , 13,000 sq ft retail space which will target independent businesses and 34 cycle storage spaces.
Simon Tagg, Newcastle Under Lyme Council Leader, said: “The way people use high streets has undoubtedly changed over the years for a number of reasons. I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to attract significant, once-in-a-lifetime funding from the Government to renew and reshape Newcastle town centre into a beating heart of economic, social and community life via three ambitious regeneration schemes, which will enable greater diversification, whilst still incorporating retail.”
These two developments follow the submission of “Carpark” in 2024, which was a makeover of Midway Car Park into 114 new homes and is part of a joined up plan to reimagine key town centre spaces in Newcastle-under-Lyme. The plan has attracted £35m of investment from the Government’s Future High Street Fund and Town Deal Fund due to authority-led bids.
