Staffordshire University has announced that it is to shut down the business village on Leek Road in Stoke-on-Trent in order to make space for new students. The building currently has 23 tenants who will shortly be seeking alternative accommodation.
Deputy Vice Chancellor, Allan Howells, has issued letters advising the occupiers that they have three months’ notice beginning January.
The property is scheduled to re-open in 2016 as a student services department, along with the university welcoming of another 2,400 students coming from the Stafford campus.
Though it is good news for the University, business owners are assessing the negative impact it will have financially, with one tenant, Neil Dawson, saying that the property has reasonable rents.
A spokesman for the University said that they are currently in talks with the city council to help find alternative premises for the businesses, adding that there are units within the Stafford business village that are available.
Many tenants have been sceptical about the importance of the building to the University, with Managing Director of Kent House, Kevin Holdridge, saying that when the car park was reduced to half its size due to the campus revamp, he knew that they weren’t a priority.
Kent House was situated in Stoke Business Village back in Easter of 2013, but in the August of the same year, moved out.
The new space generated from this expansion will also help other offices to be turned into teaching space.
Story: Chris Grigorovsky
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