News: Free parking in Rotherham town centre to continue

Rotherham Council is set to continue to offer one hour’s free parking in council-run car parks in Rotherham town centre.

Charges have also been frozen for another year.

Rothbiz reported last year on the authority introducing a scheme aiming to "support local businesses, boost footfall, and encourage residents to shop locally."

£50,000 was outlined in the 2024/25 council budget for the scheme and that appears to have been carried over into the 2025/26 financial year.

The latest budget was agreed by the council last week and documents show that a price freeze is proposed "to encourage visitors to the town centre at Drummond Street, Wellgate North, Wellgate Multi Storey, Douglas Street, Unity Place, Westgate, Clifton Hall, and Scala, ahead of the major developments planned in future years."

Also mentioned in the budget documents, the first hour free initiative is designed to encourage visitors to the town centre by using the same car parks Monday to Friday inclusive.

Free parking is already offered in the town centre at all Council Off-Street car parks all day on Saturdays and Sundays, and on street after 6pm, and there is no indication that this will end.

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Last month, a new parking system came into effect at the Forge Island leisure development in Rotherham town centre. Parking concessions have been extended to customers of all businesses located within Forge Island providing four hours of free parking.

The first hour free is also in operation for people parking on Forge Island but not using the businesses, however, longer free parking is not available on Forge Island on Saturdays and Sundays.

At the popular Clifton Park, on the edge of Rotherham town centre, parking charges remain, with some set to increase. Council budget documents show that parking for up to 1 hour at Clifton Park is going up 10p to £1.70 all year round.

In the summer (July 15 to September 8), up to 2 hours will be £3, up to 3 hours will be £4, up to 4 hours will rise 20p to £5.70, up to 5 hours will be £7, and all day parking at Clifton Park will be £8.50, up 30p on last summer's prices.

Out of season, parking at Clifton Park will cost £2.90 for up to 2 hours (up 10p), £3.90 for up to 3 hours (up 10p), £4.90 for up to 4 hours (up 20p), £6 for up to 5 hours and £7 to park all day.

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News: Beatson Clark welcomes key additions

Leading glass packaging manufacturer Beatson Clark has strengthened its sales and marketing team with three new appointments.

Beatson Clark, which has been making glass bottles and jars in Rotherham since 1751, specialises in providing glass packaging solutions for niche brands in the food, drink and pharmaceutical markets worldwide.

Gary Steen has joined the company as Sales & Marketing Director, Craig Crooks has taken the role of Key Account Manager (UK), and Emma McCartney is Beatson Clark’s new in-house Digital Marketing Specialist.

These three new appointments each bring a wealth of experience and ideas and will bolster Beatson Clark’s sales and marketing efforts as the company looks to grow and expand into new sectors in 2026.

Having worked in the glass industry for 32 years, Gary Steen has got lots of fresh ideas to bring to the team.

“It’s a competitive market, but we’re still seeing plenty of exciting opportunities, especially in amber,” he said.

“With over three decades in the glass industry, I’m really enjoying using my experience to help us focus on where we can grow. Our on-site decoration plant is a big part of that too; it gives us a real edge as we expand what we offer in the spirits and cosmetics sectors.”

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Craig Crooks has worked in the glass industry for over eight years. His new role is to maintain and grow Beatson Clark’s existing customer base across the UK, developing relationships and exploring new opportunities.

“It’s been great so far,” said Craig. “The people here are fantastic: warm, welcoming, very experienced and up for a challenge. Everybody’s working towards the same goal, which is brilliant to be part of.”

Craig says the long heritage of Beatson Clark and its status as the UK’s only independent glass packaging manufacturer are both clear advantages offering stability and experience in the current uncertain climate.

“I like the culture and the history of Beatson Clark and the fact that we’re an independent in an increasingly corporate industry,” he said. “It means we can offer the personal touch and be more agile and responsive, which some of the more corporate manufacturers find hard to do.”

Digital Marketing Specialist Emma McCartney has a degree in English literature and a master's in creative writing, and she’s combining those skills with her digital expertise to enhance Beatson Clark’s visibility in the marketplace.

She’s gained experience in a number of marketing roles since graduating from Newcastle University in 2021.

“I’m interested in glass from a personal point of view – at home I mostly store food in glass, and I appreciate the health and environmental impacts, so it aligns with my values.

“I’ve been here for three months and already I’ve been building out a robust digital marketing strategy and working with the team on developing our 2026 marketing calendar across all marketing segments.

“My aim is to grow our digital presence, develop our brand story and as my role progresses, I hope to build on the professional relationships I’ve made so far.”

Beatson Clark website

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News: Community united at stadium to launch "Rotherham Day"

A new annual celebration designed to showcase the very best of Rotherham is gathering momentum, with businesses, schools, charities and community leaders recently coming together at the AESSEAL New York Stadium to launch the town’s first official Rotherham Day.

Planned for Friday September 18, the initiative aims to bring the town together in a celebration of civic pride while recognising the people, organisations and businesses that help make Rotherham what it is today.

The idea is being spearheaded by local figure John Breckin, widely known as “Mr Rotherham”, alongside local businessman Scott Thorpe, founder of TMG Mortgage Network, and David Walker, Rotherham's School Games Organiser, with added support from a growing coalition of business and community groups and organisations across the borough.

Organisers say the day will focus on celebrating the town’s achievements, inspiring the next generation and strengthening the sense of pride among residents.

Events planned for the day include schools across the borough wearing red to show their support for the town, the continuation of the hugely successful Children’s Capital of Culture baton relay, a run to help support all local charities, which will then look to become a half marathon and full marathon to put the town on the map, and community events highlighting local charities, volunteers and businesses.

There are also plans for creative projects in schools, including a poetry initiative led by Year 9 students celebrating what Rotherham means to them with a book to published.

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Organisers say the ambition is for Rotherham Day to become a long-term tradition that grows year on year.

Scott Thorpe said the goal was simple: “Rotherham has incredible people, successful businesses and a strong community spirit. This day is about bringing that together and putting the town firmly on the map, with blue chip companies now on board, we are convinced we can now put Rotherham Firmly on the map.

“We want people to celebrate where they’re from, recognise the achievements around them and create something that future generations can be proud of.”

John Breckin added: “There’s already fantastic work happening across Rotherham every day. Rotherham Day is about connecting all of that and creating a moment where the whole town comes together.

“If we can inspire young people, celebrate our volunteers and remind everyone what makes this place special, then we’ve achieved something important.”

Organisers hope the initiative will grow into a major annual event for the town, attracting widespread participation from schools, businesses and community groups.

Phil Smith, Non-Executive Director at Rotherham United, was at the launch event and talked about his start in life in Rotherham and his journey to the upper echelons in the global financial sector. He is convinced that the local community working together to talk up the town will encourage investors to take a closer look.

Rotherham Day could be the start, as Thorpe adds: "This isn’t just a celebration, it’s a statement: Rotherham is proud, ambitious and ready to put itself back on the map."

Anyone interested in supporting or getting involved with Rotherham Day can contact the organisers to find out more about upcoming plans and opportunities to take part.

Rotherham Day Linktree

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News: Updated plans submitted for £12m Rotherham regeneration scheme

A new planning application has been submitted for a multimillion pound regeneration scheme in a Rotherham town where demolition recently got underway.

The revamp of Dinnington market, approved in 2024, includes clearing derelict buildings, creating a new town square, and developing purpose-built commercial units to diversify the local offer.

The project, backed by £11m in Government funding, aims to improve the outdoor market, pedestrian routes, and public spaces - creating a healthier, safer, and more sustainable environment for residents, visitors, and businesses.

Revised plans are now being prepared for units on Laughton Road.

The Council now intends to fully demolish and rebuild the buildings rather than refurbish them to "deliver a safer, higher‑quality and future‑proofed space for businesses that will also better meet the needs of the community."

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The scheme has also been designed to include an outdoor market presence in an improved location and environment, one with demountable stalls which is designed to limit the prevalence of anti-social behaviour and provide dedicated welfare and storage facilities.

In the original plans, commercial units, the indoor market, a burnt-out building, the Dinnington Colliery Band building, and the fixed outdoor market stalls were proposed for demolition.

New plans are for the demolition of the existing retail units at 46-56 Laughton Road and the proposed replacement being a two storey building consisting of six retail units.

The design mirrors the existing approved scheme and will now provide two, two storey pitched roof buildings fronting Laughton Road on either side of a new public square where the market will take place, surrounded by commercial units.

If approved, it would mean that 4,300 sq ft of ageing commercial space would be replaced by new build commercial space totalling 4,900 sq ft. This has the potential to take employment numbers from 8 to 12 full time equivalent jobs in this area of the scheme.

Cllr. John Williams, Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy, said: "As part of the plans, we've now revised some of our original plans. So rather than refurbishing the existing buildings on Laughton Road, we are now actually going to be demolishing these. We've done some further survey works and realised they are in a worse condition than we thought. So rather than trying to refurbish them, we are now going to demolish and replace them with some brnad new, purpose built buildings to support the wider regeneration of Dinnington High Street."

Last month, appointed contractors, Ron Hull Demolition, demolished the former florists and dance studio on Laughton Road, which were destroyed by fire.

The Government has confirmed that the spending on the project can be extended from 2026 to 2028. A tender process to appoint a main contractor will begin shortly, with work expected to begin on site in the summer.

There are proposals to temporarily relocate the market while redevelopment works take place.

Rotherham Council website

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News: Plans progress for takeaway expansion after Rotherham Council loses appeal

Operators of a doughnut shop in Rotherham are progressing plans to convert it into a hot food takeaway after it successfully secured planning permission on appeal. Rotherham Council planners earlier concluded that it would "fail to promote a healthier community."

Rothbiz reported last year on proposed changes to a wider regeneration scheme close to Mushroom Roundabout at Aldwarke, where the seperate drive thru unit has been occupied by Dunkin’ Donuts on Sycamore Road.

Sheffield-based franchise specialists, QFM Group, applied in 2024 to make changes at the unit, admitting that Dunkin' had not traded optimally since moving in.

However, Rotherham Council refused the change of use application that would enable a hot food takeaway to operate in the unit instead.

Refusing the application, planners pointed to the proximity of High Greave Junior School, 500 metres away on foot, and the Hutton Park campus of Rotherham Aspire Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) at 650 metres.

Rotherham Council has a supplementary planning document that restricts hot food takeaways within 800 metres of a school or college, unless it is in within a defined town or district centre. Planners acknowledged that there is already a Taco Bell on the site but concluded that the proposal was in direct conflict with its adopted planning policies.

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An appeal followed and last year an inspector overturned the decision, stating that the site "is not an unacceptable location for the proposal with regards to promoting a healthier community."

The inspector's decision explains that the national planning framework "states that local planning authorities should refuse applications for hot food takeaways and fast food outlets within walking distance of schools and other places where children and young people congregate, unless the location is within a designated town centre; or in locations where there is evidence that a concentration of such uses is having an adverse impact on local health, pollution or anti-social-behaviour."

The inspector recognised that the policies of both nearby schools prohibit pupils from leaving the school premises during the school day without express permission and that there is already easy access to a number of existing fast-food takeaways in the immediate area.

The inspector added: "Whilst I note that there are already a number of hot food takeaways in the local area the Council has not provided any substantive evidence that there is an over concentration of such uses or that they are having an adverse impact on health, pollution or anti-social behaviour in this locality.

"Although it does not provide hot food, the existing restaurant currently provides goods which are high in sugar and therefore do not provide a significantly more healthy alternative to the proposal. Moreover, as there are already a range of fast-food takeaways in the immediate area, the anticipated occupation of one additional unit would not, in my view undermine the overarching aims of the SPD [the council's planning framework] with regards to the creation of a healthier community."

Plans have now been submitted for new Taco Bell signage at the current Dunkin Donuts unit.

Images: Taco Bell / Google Maps

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