Work to start on demolition of former factory

The vacant Olympus Engineering factory has been earmarked for housing

Work to demolish a former factory to make way for a housing development is set to start next week.

The vacant Olympus Engineering site on College Road in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, which is owned by the city council, was deemed surplus in 2020 and has been earmarked for apartments.

It forms part of the authority's £2.2m government-funded project to build homes and employment sites on brownfield land in the city.

The council said the demolition was due to start ahead of schedule, with work set to get under way on 20 March and last four months.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker said: "For too long, sites like this have sat empty when they should be creating opportunity - opportunity for homes, for jobs and for a stronger community. That changes now."

Detailed plans have yet to be put forward, but the council previously said more than 150 homes could be built in total across the Olympus site and the former Brookhouse Green Primary School in Bentilee, which closed in 2006.