How the former Zanzibar building will look   

Long-awaited plans have been drawn up to redevelop   the site of an iconic North Staffordshire nightclub. Aspire Housing bought the old Zanzibar in 2019 and is now is proposing 63 affordable apartments for the land at Marsh Parade.

Two blocks containing a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments are planned for the site. Five enterprise units have also been proposed, which are the subject of a separate planning application. A consultation on the redevelopment plans took place earlier this year. 

An Aspire Housing spokesman said: "The development will provide 63 one and two-bedroom affordable apartments and external amenity space for residents. The apartments will be contained within two, four-storey buildings, which will have pedestrian accesses from Hassell Street and Marsh Parade as well as the internal parking courtyard.

"The enterprise unit element of the proposals consists of five self-contained enterprise units located within a standalone single storey block to the west of the site, fronting on to North Street. These office units will be owned by the borough council, and they will be targeted towards independent, start-up businesses."

The nightclub closed in 2004. Planning permission has previously been granted to redevelop the site into an antiques dealership and restaurant, but it remained derelict until the buildings were demolished in 2021. Newcastle Borough Council is expected to make a decision on the latest scheme in the next few weeks.

Listed below are planning applications published online by councils in North Staffordshire during the past fortnight.  By  Kerry Ashdown, Stoke on Trent Live