Technology is helping people resist the gravitational pull of big cities. Surely this is a key part of ‘levelling up’ the country
In the shadow of the old Spode pottery works, in Stoke-on-Trent, something is stirring. Royals once dined off the fine china plates manufactured here, but the factory itself closed well over a decade ago, when its parent company went bust in the banking crash. Now, where it once stood, a very different way of working is taking shape.
The Potbank site includes a cafe, a hotel and flexible office spaces built for a more rootless, hot-desking, post-pandemic culture emerging as “the world of work changes to embrace working from home”, according to Jeff Nash, director of the company that owns the scheme.
Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist
