Staffordshire, 4 December 2024– Hitachi Energy has announced plans to invest in a new Operational Campus in Staffordshire that will create and retain hundreds of jobs for the local area. The company will move out of its current office in Stone, which has served as its UK HQ for the past 28 years, if planning permission is granted to repurpose the old site into new homes.
To enable the move to the new campus, plans have been submitted to Staffordshire Borough Council for the former site to be replaced by over 100 homes, 40 percent of which would be affordable housing. Repurposing the old site has been described as key to facilitating the company’s move to the new campus, with the decision returning to the council’s planning committee in 2025.
While some residents have raised objections to the demolition of part of the buildings on the current Stone site, Historic England’s 2022 report found that the site did not meet the criteria to be listed a heritage asset even though the factory does have some local interest due to its history of shoe-manufacturing. That said, the buildings on the current site cannot be modernized due to excessive costs, meaning Hitachi Energy’s plans for a new Operational Campus nearby hinge on the outcome of planning decisions.
The new facilities would be operational by 2026, and the 400 existing staff based in Stone would be based at the new campus. The plans have been described as a clear commitment to the Midlands, with Hitachi Energy having opened their new local Headquarters in Birmingham earlier this year.
The new campus, consisting of two buildings, is designed to support the future growth of Hitachi Energy´s UK business as they continue to deliver critical energy infrastructure to customers across the country. Additionally, the facility will also have a new dedicated area for technological innovations – a key facet of meeting the UK´s target to decarbonise the power sector by 2030 and reach Net Zero by 2050.
