New multimillion-pound station gateway unveiled

Finlay Gordon-McCusker is responsible for Transport, Infrastructure and Regeneration at the council

The councillor who steered the revamp outside Stoke-on-Trent railway station said he was elated with the new gateway and thanked everyone for their patience with the roadworks.

The project was part of a £29m improvement plan, funded by the government's Transforming Cities Fund (TCF), and had been under way for more than a year.

Local businesses have complained about an impact on trade, most notably The Potters Club which closed its restaurant after 74 years of trading.

Finlay Gordon-McCusker, Labour, said he recognised that businesses, locals and commuters would be "really, really pleased that just the chaos of the roadworks is over".

He said of the city's latest feature: "It feels like a proper welcome, fit for a Stokie, and a place that people can be proud of."

The revamped area in front of the station includes wider pavements, pedestrian crossings and larger bus shelters displaying computerised arrival times.

The Josiah Wedgwood statue was relocated to allow for the scheme.

Station Road's redevelopment lasted from May 2024 to August 2025 and included the controversial repositioning of the Josiah Wedgwood statue.

Since work on the ground began in May 2024, Station Road had been significantly disrupted, and at times impassable to traffic.

"Roadworks and disruption is never easy, but I like to think it was short-term pain for long-term gain," Gordon-McCusker told BBC Radio Stoke.

He stated the £40m had been invested into new bus schemes, so passengers could travel to Festival Park, the Bet365 Stadium and Wolstanton Retail Park.

The new layout gives priority to public transport, a move which the councillor hoped would make pedestrians safer.

"When people leave the station they're not dodging cars. It's an easy approach; it's a safe approach," he said.

Bar supervisor Paul Brown said rallying in customers had been 'a struggle' over the last 15 months

Paul Brown who works at Bod, the bar located inside the station, said lengthy roadworks had significantly impacted takings and he was relieved to see the traffic cones being collected.

"Now it's all completed, we're hoping it'll be for the good [of] the business."

He added the project looked good, and backed the restrictions to traffic.

"I'm hoping that with the busgate being put in, it'll help reduce speeding cars that come flying through here," he said.

Gordon-McCusker said: "This is a station that's fit for the future.

"Hopefully it won't need any of this kind of major work done for the rest of my lifetime."