News: More government cash for Rotherham Gateway Station

Further funding is set to come down the line to support the multimillion pound Rotherham Gateway Station regeneration scheme.

Housing schemes around the Parkgate site, and the wider Bassingthorpe development nearby, are set to benfit.

The board at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has signed off on its priorities for new government funding to support housing, regeneration and employment growth in priority urban locations.

South Yorkshire has been allocated £85m from the City Densification Fund, an £800m government funding programme launched in Spring 2026 to help regional mayors unlock stalled urban housing and commercial developments.

Sheffield Moorfoot, Sheffield Station Campus and Rotherham Gateway have been identified as the initial priorities for the cash.

Integrated with a new tram-train stop, the Rotherham Gateway Station at Parkgate would bring faster rail connections. A new mainline rail station at Forge Way would deliver faster links to Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds, and Doncaster, unlocking wider regional and national connectivity. The aim is for journey times to Leeds to be cut from 60 minutes to 30 minutes and to be 75 minutes to Birmingham.

With opening pencilled in for "late 2030," the four-phase masterplan for the £300m scheme sets out that it could bring 1,000 highly-skilled jobs and support more than £1bn of private investment.

A paper to the SYMCA board states: "Following engagement with local authorities, Homes England and other delivery partners, a programme of work has been undertaken to identify eligible investment opportunities. In line with Government guidance, the City Densification Fund is intended to support development within city centres and locations associated with Northern Powerhouse Rail investment where viability barriers are preventing delivery. Candidate schemes were assessed against an agreed framework covering strategic fit, deliverability, additionality, leverage and phasing.

"Further development, due diligence and business case work is required before individual funding commitments can be considered through SYMCA's assurance framework."

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The report also seeks board approval on utilising the £118m for the region from the National Housing Delivery Fund (NHDF), a £21 billion fund that provides capital funding for infrastructure and land to support the government’s ambition to build 1.5 million new homes.

A pipeline initially identified 184 sites with potential for 32,000 new homes but this has been refined to 15 proposed "mini programmes."

Rotherham schemes making the list include "Rotherham Gateway," "Rotherham Town Centre Sites & Bassingthorpe Farm" and an "Affordable Housing Programme" for the borough.

With the programme already starting in April 2026, Strategic Business Cases (SBCs) will now been drawn up before individual schemes in these areas can come forward for funding.

Rothbiz reported last year that two "catalyst sites" in Rotherham were identified to spearhead the government's historic £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme - Bassingthorpe Farm and Rotherham town centre. For South Yorkshire, an indicative spend, subject to suitable bids, was set out at £700m.

The Government recently updated national planning rules so that there is a default "yes" for homes within reasonable walking distance of well-connected stations, alongside new minimum expectations for how much housing should be built in these areas.

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News: Rotherham development site brought to market

Keyland Developments has launched to market a site in Rotherham with planning consent in place for 333,000 sq ft of employment space.

Rothbiz reported in 2024 on the sister-company of Yorkshire Water securing outline planning permission for the transformation of a plot of unused land at Aldwarke into a new industrial park, which they say would be big enough to create over 800 new jobs.

Proposals are for B2/B8 industrial and distribution accommodation over 15 units ranging from 4,000 to 75,000 sq ft. The new development has an estimated GVA of £28m.

Close to the site of the proposed new mainline station at Parkgate, the 24.4 acre site opposite to the steelworks on Aldwarke Lane is partially developed and is currently occupied by engineered earth mounds and hard standing areas - previously used for drying sewage sludge. It sits next to the Waste Water Treatment Works and River Don.

Joe Boothman, Land & Development Manager at Keyland Developments, said: "Having secured outline planning consent with our proposals for a scheme that exceeds current policy requirements for biodiversity net gain, we are looking forward to securing a purchaser with an aligning commitment to sustainable development in order to revitalise the land.

"The new development will have a positive economic impact with significant job creation and the ability to support growing local businesses with new space requirements, as well as attracting those looking to relocate and bring new investment into the area."

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Dan Walker, Director at GV & Co, added: "The small to mid-size industrial market in South Yorkshire is presently strong with good demand from occupiers seeking space under 100,000 sq ft. This site with its frontage to Aldwarke Lane and proximity to the motorway network and Rotherham Town Centre presents an excellent opportunity for a new industrial/logistics and warehousing development to capitalise on demand."

The land was opencast until 1983, with underground workings ending in 1957 and was allocated for employment use in Rotherham's local plan.

An indicative proposed masterplan shows units ranging from 4,000 sq ft to 75,000 sq ft and designs show a 30% split for B2 and 70% for B8.

The plans, drawn up by Sheppard Planning and KPP Architects, stated that, when fully operational, the development could generate between 402 jobs and 859 jobs.

The site may be included in the emerging plans for the Don Valley Corridor, which stretches from Sheffield City Centre through the Lower Don Valley to the steelworks site at Aldwarke.

Keyland Developments website

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News: McLaren Automotive to invest £42m at Rotherham site

McLaren Automotive is set to expand its base in Rotherham as part a £500m investment programme to expand its UK manufacturing, engineering and operations, enabling it to accelerate the development of its next generation of models.

It follows on from a £21.3m expansion project at Rolls-Royce's Advanced Blade Casting Facility (ABCF) nearby.

Opened in 2018 on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, the McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) has established itself as a world-leader in lightweight carbon fibre construction for the automotive industry.

That initial £50m investment, backed by £12m from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), is now set to be followed up by a £42m investment to go towards expanding the centre to expand McLaren's capabilities further for in-house production of lightweight chassis structures and advanced composite components.

60 people where employed in the first years of operation which was expected to rise to over 200 when in full production mode.

It is now expected that the workforce would triple by 2034.

McLaren said that the programme will create at least 1,000 new direct and indirect jobs across McLaren's UK operations by 2032, while safeguarding existing roles. McLaren Automotive’s manufacturing workforce is set to double in the UK, supported by new apprenticeships to develop the next generation of talent.

The investment forms part of a larger commitment from McLaren Automotive shareholder L’IMAD, a sovereign investor of the Government of Abu Dhabi, and reinforces McLaren’s commitment to Britain.

The investment will enable McLaren Automotive to expand its production capability, increasing vehicle output to ensure the next generation of McLaren Automotive cars are built in Britain including a newly confirmed performance SUV. This will be made possible by a new vehicle assembly facility planned in the UK.

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For the first time in its history, McLaren Automotive’s future powertrains will be designed and built in-house, starting with two new engines and transmissions.

Jassem Al Zaabi, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of L’IMAD, said: “Over the past 20 months, L’IMAD has worked closely with McLaren Automotive’s management team, supporting the business in sharpening its strategic direction and positioning itself for long-term growth. This investment reflects our confidence in its potential and our commitment to backing the business through its next chapter, building on the heritage, engineering excellence, and distinctive brand that has defined McLaren for more than six decades."

Nick Collins, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Group Holdings and McLaren Automotive said: “This investment gives us the platform to grow, develop and build on what makes us distinctive, while investing in the people, technologies and products that will keep us competitive for decades to come."

Andy Burnham, UK Prime Minister said: “McLaren Automotive is doubling down on Britain, keeping the design, the engineering and the building of every future car here, and taking on a thousand more people to do it. Their investment will create high-quality apprenticeships, jobs and drive growth far beyond their factory gates. It is how you get skilled work, decent wages and pride back into a place. It’s this kind of partnership between government and business that will help us reindustrialise communities and make every part of Britain better off. I want young people to see that and know there is a future for them in making things, wherever they grew up."

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard called the investment "a huge vote of confidence in the people, skills and economy of South Yorkshire." He added: Companies like McLaren are not short of options when they consider where to spend their money. Which region in the world wouldn’t want to host a company like that? They chose South Yorkshire.

"That isn’t an accident. It reflects the strength of our workforce, our universities and colleges, our supply chain and the partnerships bringing them together.

"It also comes at an important moment for the UK. Reindustrialisation needs places with the capability and ambition to build the technologies of the future. South Yorkshire is demonstrating what that future can look like."

Rothbiz reported last month on McLaren's plans for a temporary storage area that would provide the current 75,000 sq ft purpose built unit with an extra 7,265sq ft in order to create additional operational capacity "to address an immediate operational need arising from existing activities whilst allowing sufficient time for the design, funding, and delivery of a permanent building solution within the locality as part of the wider / longer term site operations strategy."

In March the master developer for the AMP, Harworth, sold the McLaren unit that it built for the supercar manufacturer.

Harworth recently confirmed that it had agreed a straight 15-year lease on a 180,000 sq ft advanced manufacturing facility for an existing occupier at the AMP.

McLaren website

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News: Revenues up but Xeros suffers delays with appliance manufacturers

Xeros Technology Group plc, the Rotherham-based creator of technologies that reduce the impact of clothing on the planet, has reported good operational progress across its key divisions in its latest financial results, despite wider appliance industry headwinds extending commercial timelines.

The AIM-listed group is taking greater ownership for the creation of its own washing platform to counteract delays.

Based at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, Xeros recently published its unaudited interim results for the six months ended June 30 2026.

The results show group revenue increased by 67.7% to £0.1m, driven by income recorded across all of the group's technology areas (a first for the business). Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before tax) loss remained static at £1.6m, while administrative expenses decreased slightly to £1.8m due to tight cost management.

Xeros reported net cash of £3.5m in the preiod (£2.8m at the end of August 2026) and remains debt-free following working capital movements in respect of 2025.

Operational highlights included the retail launch of its XF3 external microplastic filter, which is now on sale in Germany via MediaMarkt, with a UK retail launch through Russell Hobbs expected imminently. Further launches are anticipated across major Nordic and US retailers.

In denim finishing, Xeros' partner Yilmak - the world’s largest denim processing machine manufacturer - achieved its goal of initial machine placements in Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, with further orders placed for Sri Lanka and India.

In its Laundry Care division, the firm reported continued progress with a major global washing machine brand under a previously announced breakthrough agreement. Xeros has also initiated an additional go-to-market strategy to launch Xeros-designed washing machine platforms by 2028, which it estimates could represent a £25m revenue opportunity.

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However, the company noted that macro-economic pressures and lower-cost Asian competition facing major European and US appliance manufacturers are extending partner programme timelines beyond its control.

As a result, early revenues previously anticipated in the second half of 2026 are now expected to shift into the first half of 2027.

The announcement discusses a project named "WM2.0" which has begun negotiations ahead of the anticipated appointment of one or two manufacturers in China. The project sees Xeros take greater ownership and responsibility for the creation of a fully functioning washing platform to counteract delays felt whilst working with manufacturers that licence Xeros' technology.

Neil Austin CEO at Xeros, said: "The Group has made good operational progress. Our external microplastic pollution filter (XF3), is now on sale in Germany through MediaMarkt; our denim processing partner, Yilmak, which is the world's largest denim processing machine manufacturer, has facilitated strategic machine placements across key denim manufacturing hubs; the breakthrough agreement for our Xeros laundry care washing machine with one of the world's largest washing machine brands continues to progress well.

"Whilst we have a few months delay in activation, we also have firmer foundations for growth with additional placements in Denim Finishing and distributors for XF3 lined up.

"The Board and I remain excited by the interest levels in, and potential for, Xeros's Technology."

The focus for the management team is distribution.

Speaking in a Q&A for investors, Austin added: "We need product which is ready and is in market, and we need that product to be as distributed as widely with high quality partnerships as we possibly can. If we do that, we give this business the very best opportunity to be able to establish those foundations.

"I'm extremely pleased with the progress that the business has been able to make and equally the things that I can see which we can't talk about just yet, which we know are coming as well. So we never take these things for granted. We are very careful when it comes to the use of the cash that we've got.

"I can say to you that in terms of the work that the business has done, we are establishing those foundations which are critical to be able to get us to the position that, as I said, the management team, the board ... will agree with, not least as well as investors, want us to get to."

Xeros website

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News: Rotherham bar and restaurant closes, changes planned

Another popular venue in Rotherham has announced that changes are on the menu, reports Visit Rotherham.

Rothbiz reported last month that The Garrison at Wickersley was set for a "small transformation" later this year.

Now Visit Rotherham reports on changes at The Olive Lounge, which is located on the same road as The Garrison.

Operators have also announced closure for a full refurbishment and have hinted that "something new is coming soon."

The venue serves authentic homemade tapas with quality wines, beers and original cocktails and the W Bars Team have announced at the end of 2025 that they had taken over The Olive Lounge.

The team are part of the same group that operates the W Italian Restaurant on Bawtry Road.

A post on social media states: "After more than ten years, The Olive Lounge is getting ready to close this chapter.

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"Thank you to everyone who has supported The Olive Lounge and been part of the journey. A full refurbishment is coming next, along with a completely new look, style and experience.

"Something new is coming soon."

The final day as The Olive Lounge was September 13.

Rothbiz reported recently that The Olive Lounge had seen its planning permission for an extension turned down by Rotherham Council.

Plans show a single storey glass extension to the front facing Bawtry Road that would take the venue from 2,799 sq ft to 3,552 sq ft.

Planners objected to the appearance of the proposed extension concluding that it would be "a prominent addition which would materially affect the appearance and character of the host property and form an incongruous feature that would have a detrimental impact on the existing street scene."

In response, a new application has been submitted.

The latest plans are for a similar glazed front extension that would take the venue to 3,400 sq ft. The main difference between the two proposals is that the latest planned extension doesn't reach and follow the footpath boundary to the front of the property.

Olive Lounge website

Images: Google Maps

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