Regeneration plans unveiled for town centre
Scheme aims to reinvigorate Rotherham
AMBITIOUS PLANS to completely transform a South Yorkshire town centre have been unveiled, with proposals including a vibrant leisure quarter, green outdoor spaces and a revamped waterfront.
It is hoped the new masterplan will encourage more people to live, visit and work in Rotherham in a bid to reinvigorate the town, which is home to more than 270,000 people.
The raft of proposals would see Forge Island developed into a major leisure destination, including a new cinema, hotel and potentially a theatre.
There are also plans to build more than 350 high-quality riverside homes and upgrade streets and outdoor spaces, as well as open up Rotherham outdoor market and refurbish the bus station and multi-storey car park.
It will also incorporate the new £10.5m state-of-the-art university centre at Doncaster Gate, which is set to open in September 2018 in an effort to address the skills gap.
Rotherham Council’s Cabinet member for jobs and the local economy, Coun Denise Lelliott, said: “The masterplan contains a series of proposals and plans which brings to life how the town is moving forwards, utilising its river and canal, its open spaces and its feature buildings. At the heart of the plan is to create a much-improved visitor experience with more to do and to see.”
The masterplan has been developed by design company WYG Group and Lambert Smith Hampton, who have spent the last nine months consulting with local businesses and organisations to produce the plans. The company’s project director Andrew Clarke says the plans have already attracted the attention of a number of developers and investors. “Our challenge now is to translate that interest into built development on the ground and to do so quickly,” he said.
Rotherham Council’s strategic director of regeneration and environment Damien Wilson added: “The plan brings ambition but also a pragmatic approach, which will require the council, private sector and investors to work closely together.
“The council’s role will be to enable the transformation of the town centre, by drawing in external funding, providing planning certainty and working with potential investors.”
The town’s Growth Plan – which is jointly owned between Rotherham Council and the Local Strategic Partnership – commits to growing the borough’s economy and infrastructure by generating 10,000 new privatesector jobs and creating 750 new businesses, as well as focusing on a number of key projects.