Reporting local life since 1854 40pTuesday, October 16, 2012

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Victim namedin train crashTHE latest victim knockeddown and killed by a trainnear a level crossing has beennamed.

Jason Bryan, of WatersideDrive, Blurton, died near theWedgwood level crossing onWednesday morning.

A post-mortem examinationhas revealed the 41-year-olddied of multiple injuries.

An inquest into Mr Bryan’sdeath has been opened andadjourned by NorthStaffordshire coroner IanSmith.

The latest fatality comesjust days after 69-year-oldretired bus driver TrevorMason, of King Street, Fentonwas also killed by a train atthe level crossing.

Four people have now beenkilled on the same section oftrack since January.

Staffordshire Police are nottreating the deaths ass u s p i c i o u s.

Homeless killbirds for foodTHIEVES left a trail of bloodafter they stole birds from acity smallholding.

Owner Sharon Ellis-Dalesuspects the six ducks, fivechickens and one goose werestolen by homeless people forfo o d .

It is believed the offendersslit the birds’ t h ro at s.

Mrs Ellis-Dale says she hasbeen left devastated by the‘m a s s a c re ’.See Page 3

BUSINESS PARKEXPANSION ROW

Developer says new scheme will take firms away from city centre

BY ALEX CAMPBELLalex.campbell@thesentinel.co.uk

A ROW has broken out between citycouncil officials and the private firmhired to build its controversial new £40million civic centre – over plans for arival business park less than two milesaw ay.

Developer Genr8 claims one of Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s flagship regen-eration schemes will sign up bu s i n e s s e swhich could move into Hanley’s pro-posed Central Business District(CBD).

The authority wants to attractdozens of companies to EtruriaValley by working with developerSt Modwen on a multi-millionpound expansion designed to cre-ate hundreds of jobs.

But Manchester-based Genr8 has

lodged an objection to the scheme overfears it will provide too much com-petition for the CBD.

Genr8 Developments partner JohnEarly said: “The Etruria Valley devel-opment close to Hanley city centre ispromoting out-of-town office develop-ment. It will always be detrimental tothe regeneration of the city centre.”

Genr8 is to build the new civic officeson the site of the former Unity House aspart of the CBD, which is expected to

deliver a total of six office blocks,two hotels, cafes and restaurants.

The authority is relocatingfrom Stoke to kick-start the pro-

ject in the hope other privatefirms will follow.

Council planners are expectedto approve the Etruria Valley busi-ness park plan at a planning meet-

ing today.But campaigners who

have collected thousands of signaturesprotesting at the Hanley switch todayraised concerns over the Genr8 dispute.

Save Our Stoke campaigner GrahamBarrett, aged 61, of Honeywall, said:“We keep being told that everything isgoing according to plan but when youget to the truth of the matter there issquabbling, objections and a wholecatalogue of problems.

“The senior council officers are earn-ing salaries higher than Governmentministers and it’s time we started askingwhat they are actually doing to earnthem.”

News of the row comes a day after Th eSentinel revealed the council is refusingto release land for the £14 million expan-sion of the Potteries Shopping Centre toprotect the planned £350 million CitySentral development in Hanley.

Property expert Richard Day, a part-ner at Hanley-based estate agents

Daniel and Hulme, left, today called onthe authority to resolve the dispute.

He added: “It’s important thatdevelopers are working together so wecan improve the city as a whole.

“I can understand where Genr8 iscoming from. It is important that, ifwe ’re going to have a CBD, that it iswhere the office offer is going to be.”

But Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Tris-tram Hunt said: “Genr8 should be focus-ing on delivery of the CBD.

“They have enough on their plate, andin the long term the two developmentsare not incompatible.”

Newcastle Borough Council has alsoobjected to the Etruria Valley scheme.

The city council declined to commenton the Genr8 objection.

Should the council keep itsheadquarters in Stoke? Email us atletters@thesentinel.co.uk

PAIR OFLOS E R S !Mum and daughter

shed four stone:See Page 18

THREEAND EASYFOR VALE

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SCARY STUFF!SEE

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Picture:Mark Scott