News: Rotherham markets revamp goes over budget again - reaches £46m

With the first phase due to open in a matter of months, the cost of completing a long-awaited revamp of the markets in Rotherham town centre has risen again and is now at £46.84m, more than double original estimates.

An increase in demolition costs, inflationary increases linked to delays with extended periods of clarifications and amendments, and "an overestimation of project readiness" when the contract was awarded are being highlighted in a series of challenges in the delivery of the project.

The council's chief executive is commissioning an investigation into the project, which, for town centre schemes, is second only to the £47m Forge Island development in terms of total investment.

The redevelopment of the Drummond Street site also includes a modern central library, a new community hub, improved public spaces, and links to the town centre and college. The renovations will build upon the existing mix of shops and services with the addition of a new food hub and dining area on the first floor. Flexible space is also being created which can be used for exhibitions and events when required.

Henry Boot began works at the end of 2023 and have since made progress on the construction which has a total contract price of £36m.

Second only to the £47m Forge Island development in terms of town centre investment, the revamp was originally scheduled to finish in December 2025 but this was pushed back to 2027. When government funding was originally confirmed, the estimated cost of the project was £22m.

Having secured a further £6.5m from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) last year, Rotherham Council's cabinet is being asked to approve an allocation from various council funding pots to fill a funding gap following an increase in the total budget from £40.894m to £46.844m.

£200,000 is set to come from the Local Regeneration Fund (LRF) surplus, £1.66m from the council's Town Centre Investment Fund and £4m from the authority's Capital Contingency Fund.

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A cabinet paper states: "Over the course of the project’s development, a number of challenges have arisen which has rendered the achievement of this scope undeliverable for the current agreed budget. Further, the delivery of the Outdoor Covered Market and Library has continued, in line with the agreed contract, resulting in insufficient budget to complete the project to the agreed scope.

"The Chief Executive of the Council will commission an investigation into how these challenges have arisen and what lessons can be learnt."

On delivery, the council admits that it tendered and entered into a contract before key assumptions had been confirmed, "resulting in an overestimation of project readiness. At contract award, the design and specification were insufficiently developed to be construction-ready, with undue reliance on value engineering assumptions and provisional sums. Contingency was underestimated, and an excessive level of risk was transferred to the Council."

A lack of detail on the council's specifications required further definition following the award of the tender, with the paper stating that: "This was in part due to a lack of stakeholder engagement early in the scheme." Extended periods of clarifications and amendments to layouts and servicing caused delays and increased contractor costs.

Outstanding design work required the appointment of additional design expertise, leading to significant delays and rising costs. "The volume of design work, clarification and consolidation between numerous design teams led to further delay and cost," the paper added.

When the design was completed, value engineering opportunities were anticipated to bring down costs but these assumptions did not happen.

The project also included unconfirmed budgets against which actual costs would be attributed as the project progressed. The risk of any cost increase in these provisional sums was accepted by the Council and contingency was insufficient.

Costs were also increased by Health & Safety and Compliance, as the council was unable to carry out invasive surveys before the contract was awarded. A "significant presence of RAAC and of asbestos" in the building, which opened in 1971, was previously blamed for cost rises.

The paper also sets out that, on governance and resourcing: "Fundamental aspects were lacking at crucial stages of the project, which led to uncertainty in decision-making and meant the scheme was not prioritised for oversight, management and resource in a way that properly reflects its multi-faceted nature and scale."

Also included in the report is the latest contractor programme which indicates the completion of various parts of the scheme:

• New Market Hall: June 2026
• Library: Autumn 2026
• Public Realm: Spring 2027
• Market Gardens: June 2026
• Library: December 2026
• Market Square: Spring 2027
• Indoor Market: Autumn 2027

Images of how the new Rotherham markets might look inside when complete, were published last year.

Images: Henry Boot Construction / LinkedIn

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News: Further funding for new houses on brownfield land in Rotherham

More than 3,700 new high-quality homes are being built on brownfield land across South Yorkshire, thanks to £65m from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s (SYMCA) Brownfield Housing Fund (BHF).

After six years of operation, the fund is supporting 45 developments - unlocking land, funding infrastructure, accelerating construction, and enabling homes that simply wouldn’t have been built without SYMCA’s backing.

The fund has a focus on supporting work including early infrastructure, site clearance, decontamination and installation of the necessary utilities – and has included the building of more than 700 social and affordable homes.

In Rotherham, the most recent awards included £640,000 for the redevelopment of the former Fosters Garden Centre site in Thrybergh. Approved plans from Avant Homes incorporates the erection of 25 dwellings with the conversion of the former agricultural buildings and listed building into an additional seven dwellings in a town house arrangement.

At Waverley in Rotherham, Yorkshire's largest brownfield development, £1.55m was awarded for one of the last remaining plots. Brought forward by Strata, the £8.44m project involves 177 dwellings on a plot of land known as Plot 4 or Waverley Railside.

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South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “We know we need more homes to offer the strong foundations our families and communities deserve across South Yorkshire.

“Through our Brownfield Housing Fund we’re creating thousands of better homes. I want developments that attract investment, create spaces for new businesses and offer more affordable housing – and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

“Transforming derelict sites and bringing buildings that reflect our heritage back into use opens up new opportunities to unleash our communities’ full potential.

“We’re rebuilding the pride, purpose and prosperity of South Yorkshire -making sure thousands more people can get on the property ladder, so even more can stay near and go far.”

Environmentally friendly homes have been at the heart of the BHF to help reduce energy bills and minimise negative environmental impacts, with 2,400 of the homes having solar panels and 1,400 homes having heat pumps installed.

Nine schemes of around 1,000 homes also have Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems to help reduce the impacts of surface water flooding, with other schemes adopting more traditional drainage schemes to reduce flood risk.

SYMCA has recently secured a further £118m from April this year from the National Housing Development Fund, to continue supporting the development of new housing across South Yorkshire.

SYMCA website

Images: Avant

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News: Sheffield and Rotherham Councils set to commit £800,000 to Don Valley Corridor

Sheffield and Rotherham Councils are both committing £400,000 each towards the development of a flagship place-based regeneration programme for South Yorkshire based around the Don Valley Corridor.

Rothbiz reported first last month that the region's first Mayoral Development Zone (MDZ) is proposed for a unified corridor for innovation, industry and neighbourhood renewal stretching from Sheffield city centre to the site of the proposed Rotherham Gateway Station.

Bringing together the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) with Rotherham Council and Sheffield Council "creates a single front door for Government, agencies and private markets."

Cabinet approval has been secured in Rotherham for the council to commit £400,000 of its Gainshare revenue allocation for the scheme and Sheffield Council is expected to match Rotherham's £400,000.

Gainshare funding refers to the money committed to South Yorkshire through the Devolution Deal agreed by the MCA, South Yorkshire local authorities and government.

The money will go "toward programme resourcing and feasibility work for priority projects for the first three years of the programme."

Linked to the South Yorkshire Investment Zone, the programme will address transport issues (including the proposed new mainline and tram train stop at Parkgate), flood resilience and brownfield land which has been held back by contamination, low land values and viability constraints.

Investment Zone status provides South Yorkshire with up to £160m over ten years which can be used to offer investors, developers and start-ups a combination of targeted support and financial interventions to start, scale up and relocate their businesses.

Rotherham Council has already begun recruiting for a Don Valley Corridor Service Manager, who is expected to head up a new team delivering both the Don Valley Corridor partnership and Rotherham Gateway.

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Rothbiz has previously set out the Rotherham schemes that will fall under the Don Valley Corridor, including the new mainline station, further industrial space at Templeborough and new housing at Bassingthorpe and in the town centre.

Headline figures are that, through coordinated development, the 30 year transformation will enable over 18,000 jobs and 10,500 new homes with a £1.3bn uplift in GVA.

SYMCA papers set out that the authorities will use its existing statutory powers, "in particular, its strategic economic development powers and regeneration powers, its own resources and relationships with government, infrastructure providers and the private sector, as part of an integrated place-based programme. This will provide confidence both to the market, government and the wider public sector."

The paper adds that "there is shared commitment between SYMCA, RMBC and SCC to resource the programme collectively as a shared endeavour, including programme development capacity."

A Rotherham Council paper calls it "a nationally significant regeneration programme with a dedicated governance structure, programme leadership, and a coordinated approach to funding, delivery, and investment. Without coordination, opportunities scatter across isolated projects. With it, investors see credibility, residents see genuine opportunity, and places see sustained improvement rather than episodic development."

External funding is set to come from gainshare and other devolved funding pots, including funds that support renewal, housing and infrastructure. Nationally, the programme will be positioned to engage with institutions such as Homes England and the National Wealth Fund.

The Government has already committed to providing the South Yorkshire Mayor with access to "£85m new money to support jobs and development, including in the Don Valley Corridor and Sheffield Innovation spine."

The Government's recently announced £2.3bn City Investment Fund will bring together different types of finance, deployed flexibly to accelerate projects, expand city-centre housing and office markets, and support major regeneration schemes across the North. It is expected to be used in "developing projects in the Don Valley Corridor, Sheffield city centre Innovation Spine, and Rotherham Town Centre."

A Rotherham Council paper adds: "SYMCA are currently identifying potential funding partners and exploring potential co-investment models. This approach is intended to raise the profile of Don Valley Corridor onto a national stage to leverage both public and private funding, maximising the impact and reach of the regional investment through Gainshare funding."

Don Valley Corridor website

Images: RMBC / SYMCA

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News: Mixed use plans for former Rotherham pub

A new set of plans have been submitted that would bring back to life a vacant pub on the edge of Rotherham town centre, reports Visit Rotherham.

Updated following earlier approved plans, they include a restaurant, a café and a small Bed & Breakfast (B&B).

Back in 2011, plans were approved to convert the rear of the vacant Crinoline Bridge Inn on Rawmarsh Road into a café/sandwich shop, with the main pub operating as a tile shop.

Rothbiz reported in 2024 that an application was submitted for a change of use from a tile shop to a restaurant, including the erection of a commercial unit with additional rear corridor access and the construction of first floor roof terrace.

Pad Thai Cafe has been in operation at the site for a number of years after applicant, Phil Richardson, was advised by Rotherham Council that the introduction of residential use in this location would be "wholly unsuitable and likely to lead to poor amenity for future occupiers."

Now Visit Rotherham reports on the latest plans that replace the previously approved single-restaurant scheme. None of the external alterations approved under the earlier permission are included in this revised submission.

If approved, the conversion would be carried out without external changes. All modifications proposed are internal, relating purely to the reorganisation of the building’s internal layout and operational model.

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Plans show that, on the ground floor, the restaurant will occupy the main frontage of the building, accessed from Rawmarsh Road. It will provide indoor dining and bar facilities. The café will be situated at the rear of the ground floor with its own seated areas and service counter.

The first floor will be internally reconfigured into four ensuite double bedrooms. These will operate as a small-scale B&B. The café will act as the functional hub for the B&B, providing breakfast for guests as well as check-in, key collection and visitor support.

Plans explain that they a create "a coherent and commercially viable mixed-use arrangement that maximises the long-term sustainability of the premises.

"The proposal represents a positive and sustainable re-use of an existing building by introducing three complementary commercial uses. The restaurant and café will provide community-facing food and drink services, while the B&B introduces modest visitor accommodation without the need for external works. This diversification strengthens long-term commercial viability and supports local employment.

"The scheme avoids any visual or physical impact on the surrounding area, maintains adequate parking and access arrangements, and aligns with national and local planning policy promoting sustainable economic growth and mixed-use development."

The Crinoline Bridge Inn, as it was originally known, is thought to have opened in 1849, with the current building at one time showing 1919 above the door.

Images: Google Maps

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News: Newest Rotherham burger joint opens

Visit Rotherham reports on the opening of a Rotherham branch of a popular burger joint in Sheffield that specialises in high-quality 100% Irish Angus smash burgers, 16-hour smoked beef ribs, and loaded munch boxes.

Maison de Burgers has operated on London Road in Sheffield for a number of years and recently secured planning permission to open in a vacant unit on Main Street in Rotherham town centre, adding to the vibrant food scene create in the area.

2 Main Street was previously part the former Tryst / Bar One unit and has been converted into a restaurant.

The grand opening is scheduled for Monday April 27.

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The menus includes juicy chicken burgers, perfectly smashed burgers, delectable wraps, flavorful shakes, succulent brisket, and perfectly cooked ribs.

Burger fans can get 50% off on the opening day to see if Maison de Burgers really does offer the best smash burgers in town!

The new eatery is part of the £10m Westgate Chambers development, which has quickly become a foodie destination in Rotherham with the openings of burger and milkshakes specialist, Munchies, and Cali's - a specialist in chicken burgers, wraps, wings and tenders. The outlets on Main Street were then joined by Dessert Time - the home of indulgent desserts.

Planning permission comes with a condition on opening hours - 10:00 until 23:30 Sundays to Thursdays, and 10:00 until 02:30 (the following day) Fridays and Saturdays. Other conditions relate to the installation of an extraction system.

The developers behind Westgate Chambers, HMP Bespoke Construction Ltd, has recently submitted plans to tweak the new build element of the scheme with the floor plan of the proposed building on Domine Lane reduced in size to avoid building over an adopted sewer.

Maison de Burgers website

Images: Maison de Burgers

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