News: Vistry submits plans for 785 more homes in Rotherham greenbelt

A planning application has been submitted for the largest single development yet for so-called "safeguarded land" in Rotherham.

Rothbiz has reported on a number of recently proposed developments in Rotherham that are for sites in the local plan that were designated as "safeguarded land" rather than sites designated for housing. The 2018 plan set out that they may be needed in the future and taken out of the greenbelt after the end of the plan period in 2028.

Planning consultants are hoping to convince the local planning authority that the land should be used now to address the borough's housing needs.

Rothbiz reported last year that Vistry Group, the company that builds more UK homes than anyone else, had engaged with agents to begin planning enquiries with Rotherham Council on a large parcel of farm land near Dinnington.

Now an application has been submitted for up to 785 dwellings on 26.28 hectares of agricultural land at Oldcotes Road.

Advertisement
Savills listed the site near Throapham for sale as development land. Historically in arable use, it is next to a smaller residential development site to the west which is owned by Harron Homes and is under development.

Rotherham Council is no longer able to demonstrate a Five-Year Land Supply given the changes at a national level that have increased housing targets. The target for new house building per annum in Rotherham has increased from circa 560 dpa (Dwellings Per Annum) to 1,111 dpa.

Savills, the agents for Vistry, said in the plans that "speculative planning applications for residential development in sustainable locations represent the only way to realistically meet this clear need for housing.

"The proposed development will make contributions necessary to mitigate impacts on infrastructure that places it above capacity. This would be in addition to payments required via the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

"Due to the scale of development, there will be a material increase to the use of local services. There are no services where this effects of this would be severe and mitigation measures are possible. Such increases where they exceed the capacity of existing services will be funded through the Section 106 agreement and through the Community Infrastructure Levy."

With two main access points, one via Heathrush Drive onto Oldcotes Road, and one via Leys Lane, plans show a range of house types and sizes with at least 25% affordable housing. The application also includes details of play areas and open space and a SUDS (Sustainable Drainage System) attenuation basin.

Vistry Group website

Images: Vistry / Google Maps

Read more...

News: Lloyds bank to return to Rotherham town centre as Halifax name set to disappear

Less than a month after announcing plans to close another branch in Rotherham as part of plans to close 79 branches across the country, Lloyds Banking Group announced plans that will see the Lloyds name return to the town centre.

Rothbiz reported last month that the Rotherham town centre branch of Lloyds is closing on October 15 2026.

The last closure was the Wickersley branch in 2023 with the group saying that most customers are now using the app, online services or phone banking.

An announcement last month said that Lloyds would become the group’s lead brand in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as the Halifax brand changes to Lloyds.

The rebrand will mean that the Halifax branch at Howard Street, the last branch in the whole Rotherham borough, will become Lloyds.

Advertisement
Halifax and Bank of Scotland have been part of Lloyds Banking Group since 2009. Since early 2025, customers of all brands have been able to manage their accounts across all Lloyds Banking Group branches and customers can already manage all their accounts in a single app or phone call.

There are no immediate changes for customers, and everything will continue to work as it does today.

Existing Halifax customers will start to use the Lloyds app in the coming months and will see their accounts rebranded to Lloyds over time. As part of this change, the Halifax brand will stop opening new accounts.

Jas Singh, CEO, Consumer Relationships, at Lloyds Banking Group, said: "As Halifax changes to Lloyds, our Halifax customers will keep everything they know and love today – the same fantastic app design, the same friendly faces in our branches – even the same sort code and account number. But as Lloyds customers, they’ll get the best innovation and experiences we offer. Our Lloyds customers are already benefiting from a significant investment into propositions like Club Lloyds, Lloyds Premier, Lloyds Ultra and Lloyds Rewards – and now we’re really excited that Halifax customers can bank on Lloyds for more."

The rebrand is expected to take place in 2027.

Lloyds website

Images: Google Maps

Read more...

News: Further uncertainty as Rotherham pub goes up for sale

The future of a pub restaurant in Rotherham is still unclear after its owners put the site up for sale.

Rothbiz reported earlier this year on bosses at Whitbread, the leading hospitality business, putting in place a refocused growth plan in the UK to replace all remaining branded restaurants following a review.

The decision created uncertainty for many of the company's sites including The Brecks in Rotherham which is part of Whitbread's Beefeater portfolio and is connected to Premier Inn Rotherham East, part of the UK's biggest hotel brand that is also owned by Whitbread.

Now Whitbread has appointed expert agents Christie & Co to offload a raft of pub restaurants across the UK, including The Brecks.

Expanding its "Accelerating Growth Plan" Whitbread said that 197 branded restaurants would be replaced "with a more efficient and tailored F&B [Food & Beverage] offering for our guests."

Advertisement
By April Whitbread said that it had already agreed the sale of 51 branded restaurants for £50m and agreed terms for the sale, subject to conditions, on a further 60 sites.

Around 100 remaining properties are being offered for sale as going concerns with trade fixtures and fittings included in the purchase price.

The freehold of The Brecks on Wickersley Road has been given a guide price of £750,000 + VAT.

The particulars for the "Prime Roadside Location" property states that it is an "opportunity to acquire a long-established food-led pub restaurant operating under the recognised Beefeater brand [that] benefits from consistent breakfast, lunch and dinner trade, strong family customer base, established wet and food operation [and] repeat local custom."

It adds that the adjacent hotel-related trade supports breakfast and evening demand for the pub restaurant that has 150 internal and 80 external covers.

The Premier Inn on East Bawtry Road secured planning permission last year for a 4,800 sq ft two storey extension to the east of the current hotel. It would take the total rooms at the site from 62 to 76.

It has been widely reported that all Beefeater pubs will close in September.

Whitbread website

Images: Christie & Co

Read more...

News: Funding boost for £4m AMRC scale-up programme

A £4m project intended to support the development of knowledge and innovation-rich start-ups, spinouts and future scale-up businesses in South Yorkshire, has secured a £2m grant.

Earlier this year, the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) launched AMRC Scale-up, a programme designed to help high-growth deep tech companies scale manufacturing in defence, aerospace and energy. This followed on from FerretWorks - a Yorkshire slant on SkunkWorks - with the approach at the AMRC formed to incubate high risk/high reward ideas.

The AMRC has grown to become a world leader in manufacturing excellence, part of the national High Value Manufacturing Catapult network of research centres. With facilities in Rotherham and Sheffield it has more than 500 highly qualified researchers and engineers working on the manufacturing needs of the future, from composites to castings, additive manufacturing to machining.

The board at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has now approved a £2m grant to build on the 2025/26 pilot year.

Using a total of £4m over the next four years, the project is primarily a revenue-funded business support / innovation programme, delivered through AMRC facilities and partner commercialisation routes. It will operate though FerretWorks and AMRC Start-Up, expanding The AMRC’s reach to support both university-led ventures and external founders, positioning AMRC as a central hub for manufacturing innovation and entrepreneurship.

Advertisement
A SYMCA paper explains: "The programme builds on the success of the SYMCA-funded FerretWorks Start-Up pilot, creating a structured pathway to accelerate innovation, commercialisation, and business growth across South Yorkshire. It provides specialist manufacturing support to ventures emerging from the University of Sheffield Commercialisation Journey, while also attracting high-quality external entrepreneurs through strategic partnerships with organisations such as the Royal Academy of Engineering and Sheffield Technology Parks."

The programme aims to increase IP generation and commercialisation outcomes, attract and retain high-quality founders in South Yorkshire, strengthen the regional innovation ecosystem, support the creation of sustainable, high-growth businesses, and enhance collaboration between academia, industry, and external partners.

The report adds: "Ultimately, the programme will act as a feeder for the next generation of scale-up companies, driving long-term economic growth and delivering tangible societal benefit across the region."

Cllr. Chris Read, leader of Rotherham Council and deputy mayor for South Yorkshire, said: "This bit about how you move from big scale academic activity into wealth-producing, growth-driving, start-up activity is incredibly important, and generally not cracked across the country. It seems to me to be the right sort of space that we [SYMCA] should be in to try an mitigate some of those risks and create those pathways and make that normal behaviour for people.

"We have got this great asset in The AMRC, and being able to maximise the commercial opportunities coming out of that seems to particularly important, so I welcome the scheme."

AMRC website

Images: AMRC

Read more...

News: Demolition for vacant Rotherham shops

Demolition work has begun on a parade of council-owned shops on the edge of Rotherham town centre.

It had been expected that the cleared site will be redeveloped as housing.

Rothbiz reported last year that Rotherham Council had secured planning permission regarding the method of demolition for the vacant parade of shops on Wellgate.

The derelict properties that make up 86 - 102 Wellgate were set to be sold off by the council and were scheduled to go under the hammer with Pugh's online property auction. However, the lot was withdrawn before the auction took place.

Now a contractor has been appointed to demolish the buildings and clear the site.

Local Rotherham firm DSR Demolition Ltd has secured the £162,096 contract and the aim is to complete the work, including all substructures and foundations, by September 2026.

Advertisement
Previous plans stated: "The buildings are no longer fit for purpose and deteriorating in condition. The buildings are proposed to be demolished, and future development of the site will then be considered."

Tender documents state: "The site is to be remediated of all spoil and surfacing leaving evenly graded and secured with solid hoarding security panels until future development of the site is undertaken."

In preparation for the completion of the demolition, Rotherham Council is hoping to secure planning permission for 2.5 metre PVC site hoardings for the perimeter of the 0.19 acre site.

When up for auction the lot was given the guide price of £25,000 and advertised as a redevelopment opportunity with a legal clause stating that the site will be required to be redeveloped for residential purposes only.

Clauses showed that the council would demolish all buildings and clear the site with a three year buy back option proposed so the council could reacquire the site if progress was not made.

Images: Pugh Auctions

Read more...