News: Dutch idea falls flat as Rotherham Council scraps another cycle scheme

A multimillion pound scheme to support active travel for pedestrians and cyclists and improve traffic flows at a busy Rotherham roundabout has been scrapped by the local council.

Rothbiz reported in 2024 that Rotherham Council was working up an improvement scheme at Ickles roundabout at Templeborough.

£7.5m was identified through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), a government funding stream administered by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).

£1.05m of development funding was released and Rotherham Council began a tender proccess for a specialist transport consultant to determine whether a Dutch style signalised crossroads with at-grade pedestrian and cycle crossings could be accommodated at the Ickles roundabout with an acceptable impact on traffic.

Dutch-style junctions, or protected junctions, separate people travelling on foot, by cycle, and in vehicles. This approach reduces the likelihood of conflicts and simplifies the operation of the junction into fewer stages, resulting in a more efficient traffic flow.

The roundabout, which currently utilises underpasses for pedestrians and cyclists, is on the route of the Sheffield Road Cycleways project which has delivered over 2km of new cycle routes on the A6178 Sheffield Road and Westgate between the town centre and the borough boundary at Tinsley. The route provides a near seamless connection for cycling from beyond Meadowhall through to the Broom area.

Now an update to the council's cabinet confirms that a Dutch style scheme is not going ahead.

The cabinet paper states: "There is no beneficial scheme at Ickles Roundabout at this time on which the development funding could be usefully spent."

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The authority wants to reallocate a proportion of the funding "as this is no longer required to develop this project on account of its reduced scope."

The council's cabinet is being asked to approve a reallocation of £490,000 to the Rotherham Gateway Station project.

Rothbiz revealed last year that discussions were taking place over the pause of a number of proposed transport schemes in Rotherham in order to redeploy funding to the Mainline Station scheme,

The paper adds: "The Station at Rotherham Gateway is now a key priority for the Council. The mainline and tram-train station will be a catalyst for growth, improving local, regional, and national rail connectivity for all communities and businesses across the Borough, creating employment, and supporting the development of high-quality new homes. Therefore, it is recommended that the funding is transferred to support this scheme."

The move follows on from proposals being scrapped for a £10.7m cycle lane and roundabout scheme for Stag Roundabout and Wickersley / Broom Road.

This issue of cycle lanes was discussed at a full council meeting this week with a petition presented by opposition councillors, and backed by 3,600 signatures, called for a review of CRSTS Active Travel schemes, a reallocation of funding to focus on road safety, and a review of the council's Active Travel Strategy.

The vote was carried and the ruling Labour councillors agreed to accept the calls from the petition and talked of greater flexibilities now afforded the CRSTS.

The CRSTS programme requires that all current schemes be in contract before the end of this financial year, with SYMCA recently identifying a risk that schemes that are currently in development will not meet this timeline. Programme spend to date is £254m and SYMCA say that "available mitigations mean that the programme is forecast to be fully committed." The final year of CRSTS is set to be included in SYMCA's new £1.3 billion Integrated Settlement.

Images: Google Maps / RMBC

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News: Plans emerge for Morphy Richard's former Rotherham site

Early stage plans show how a large vacant industrial unit in the north of Rotherham could be brought back into use.

The Swinton Works on Talbot Road in Swinton, Rotherham was home to appliance manufacturer, Morphy Richards since 1966. When production moved overseas, the 293,659 sq ft building remained as a HQ and warehouse facility until operations moved to a modern unit nearby.

Now discussions have begun between a prospective new tenant and Rotherham Council about using the 7.45 hectare site as a vehicle dismantling and parts recovery operation.

Motorspot Ltd has made a Screening Opinion Request to determine whether the proposed development constitutes Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) development and therefore requires an environmental statement with a planning application.

The request explains that the proposal is for a: "change of use of the existing site to a vehicle dismantling, depollution, recycling and parts recovery facility (sui generis).

The site was formerly occupied by industrial and commercial uses and contains existing buildings, hardstanding and associated infrastructure. The proposals seek to utilise the existing site and buildings, together with the retention and regularisation of minor site improvements including hardstanding repairs, drainage improvements and alterations to an existing shutter door. No significant redevelopment works are proposed."

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Activity would include vehicle reception and inspection, vehicle storage, the depollution of end-of-life vehicles (removing all hazardous fluids, materials, and components before a vehicle is dismantled), vehicle dismantling, parts recovery and storage, scrap processing, the storage of processed materials and the distribution and export of recycled materials and recovered parts.

Operating hours are proposes as 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 3pm on Saturdays.

The request states that: "potential effects relating to noise, drainage, surface water runoff, contamination and ecology are capable of being effectively managed through operational controls, existing and improved site drainage infrastructure, pollution-control measures and any recommendations arising from the supporting technical assessments."

The applicant has already undertaken drainage improvements for the protection of the water environment and a Flood Risk Assessment is being commissioned. The site suffered flooding in 2000 and 2007.

The entire site extends to 29 acres and was previously up for sale for £16m.

Motorspot website

Images: CPP

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News: Equans acquires Mway Communications

Equans UK & Ireland has announced the strategic acquisition of Mway Communications (Mway), a leading specialist in highways technology and communications infrastructure based in Rotherham.

In the UK & Ireland, Equans is a provider of sustainable facilities management and regeneration, and cutting-edge energy and digital services

Based on Meadowbank Industrial Estate, Mway serves National Highways and Tier 1 contractors throughout the UK's Strategic Road Network (SRN), delivering critical technology and engineering solutions that underpin National Highways three key imperatives - safety, customer & delivery. The company employs 100 people and generates an annual turnover of £26m.

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This acquisition enhances Equans’ UK offering, advancing its growth strategy by expanding expertise in connected infrastructure, operational technology, and communications networks. Mway’s comprehensive portfolio – including technology deployment, electrical engineering, street lighting, traffic signals, inductive loop installation, and highways civil works – complements Equans’ end-to-end capabilities across digital infrastructure, energy systems, engineering, and asset management.

Equans welcomes the Mway leadership team, led by Stephen Crawford, Managing Director, and Lee Day, Relationship Director as part of the acquisition.

James Graham, Divisional CEO, Equans UK & Ireland, commented: " Mway Communications has built an excellent reputation as a trusted delivery partner across the UK's Strategic Road Network. Their deep sector knowledge and proven customer partnerships make them excellent in their operation. We are delighted to welcome Stephen, Lee and the wider Mway team to Equans."

Stephen Crawford, Managing Director, Mway Communications, added: "Our focus has always been on delivering high-quality, dependable solutions, while building long-term relationships with our customers. Joining Equans unlocks new scale, capabilities, and growth opportunities while preserving the expertise and values that define Mway. We are excited about the future and look forward to working with our new colleagues across the Equans group.”

Equans website
Mway website

Images: Equans

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News: Caprinos gets green light to open in Rotherham

A young successful UK pizza chain with a rapid popularity growth in the market has secured planning permission for a new outlet in Rotherham, reports Visit Rotherham.

A vacant unit on College Street in Rotherham town centre would be brought back into use.

As reported by Rothbiz, an application was submitted to Rotherham Council last month on behalf of Caprinos Pizza, an award-winning brand that offers Italian American cuisine with menu items suitable for adults, children, and to share with family and friends.

Offering "joy in each slice," Caprinos is one of very few pizza brands offering a Halal menu across all of its branches.

Visit Rotherham reports on the approval of the plans which are for a change of use for the 980 sq ft unit from a café restaurant to a restaurant and hot food takeaway (sui generis).

The application, drawn up by planning consultants, Mason and Marlowe, stated: "The property was a restaurant called Jo & Anna’s Zapiekarnia, with a menu that includes burgers, fries, pasta and steak dishes, plus Sunday dinners and English breakfasts. The new owner is Caprinos Pizza. The proposal is for a change of use from café restaurant to a restaurant and hot food takeaway."

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Rotherham Council's Public Health department raised concerns regarding the cumulative impact of additional hot food takeaway provision within an area identified as having a "Very High Food Environment Risk Level and the highest concentration of hot food takeaways within the borough."

However, planners recognised the town centre location and existing café restaurant use of the premises. Planners at Rotherham Council concluded that "the proposal would not result in unacceptable harm to neighbouring amenity and would support the continued vitality and viability of the town centre."

From a single store in Didcot in 2014, Caprinos Pizza now operates over 120 stores across the UK, with additional locations in Ireland and Pakistan. The Rotherham move is part of plans to open 20 new UK stores in 2026 and reach 200 UK outlets by 2030.

The chain’s range of pizzas, includes the Asian Classic Mix with tandoori chicken, Vegetarian Supreme, and Caprinos Special featuring tandoori chicken and spicy beef.

The menu also includes sides and salads, loaded fries, wraps, desserts, and milkshakes. Recent new additions to the pizza menu include the Firecracker and La Espanola.

The last national pizza chain to open in Rotherham town centre was Papa John's in 2018, but the Wellgate site was one of 43 "underperforming" UK stores that closed in 2024.

Caprinos Pizza website

Images: Caprinos Pizza / Smiths

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News: More pub conversions in Rotherham

Time appears to have been called at a number of vacant pubs in Rotherham, with a range of planning proposals coming forward to bring them back into use.

At Swinton, the Sportsman Inn, that has been vacant for six years, has seen plans approved to change the use of ground floor of the existing public house to a convenience retail store.

The approval comes after a previous refusal for plans for the Fitzwilliam Street pub building that has a mock Tudor external appearance. A number of highway safety concerns and parking issues were raised.

Dispite objections, the planning board at Rotherham Council voted to approve plans that would create a 1,744 sq ft retail unit.

Opening hours would be restricted to 7am to 10pm Mondays to Saturdays and between 7am to 9pm on Sundays.

Measures are also set to be taken to prevent customers from using the front area of the site as off-road parking. This proposal has also wholly removed the customer car park, and the proposed car parking facilities at the rear are now not intended to be used by customers, but by occupants of the first floor residential accommodation and staff only, which will be secured via a planning condition.

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At West Melton, the former Queens pub has secured planning approval to be converted into two retail units on ground floor with two flats above.

The planner's report states that previous plans were refused and dismissed at appeal, adding that "the ground floor of the pub has recently been converted to a hot food takeaway, with three flats to the first floor area. This work was unauthorised."

Previous plans were for three flats and this proposal is for one two bedroom flat and one one bedroom flat which now meet the minimum internal space standards.

At Parkgate, plans have been submitted for the vacant Travellers pub on Broad Street.

The plans involve the conversion of the 3,485 sq ft pub building into seven flats over two floors.

The freehold of the property was recently sold by agents from a guide price of £225,000.

Images: Everard Cole

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