'It's very expensive to redevelop brownfield sites'

Councillors defend spending £31m on 117 homes in Bentilee

- Forename Surname [e-mail]

COUNCIL leaders have defended spending £31 million building homes on a former school site, saying developing brownfield land will always be more expensive.

As reported by The Sentinel, Stoke-on-Trent City Council plans to build 117 flats, houses and bungalows, all for social rent, on the former site of Brookhouse Green Primary School in Bentilee, which closed 19 years ago.

Construction costs were originally estimated at £18 million when plans were first submitted in 2022, but the total cost of the project has since ballooned to £31.1 million. Design changes to meet new fire safety standards and compliance with building regulations are among the reasons for the cost increase given in a council report.