News: New plans for burnt out buildings site in Rotherham town centre

New plans are being developed for the vacant plot created when two prominent burnt out buildings were demolished in Rotherham town centre.

Early proposals also provide a further hint that a new theatre is planned for the Leisure & Cultural Quarter extending from Forge Island.

The Corporation Street site is one of five where social impact developer Capital&Centric, is supporting Rotherham Council's aim of attracting new uses, services, residential and leisure opportunities and moving away from the traditional retail market.

Rothbiz revealed earlier this year that the Manchester company, a specialist in unlocking and transforming "unloved" brownfield sites into vibrant, design-led neighbourhoods, had been awarded a Rotherham contract that could reach up to £100m in value.

Pre-development work and feasibility studies will help to create full business cases for the five council-owned brownfield sites.

At Corporation Street, the council had to go through a lengthy CPO process for the buildings that made up 3-7 Corporation Street and that were a long-standing eyesore in Rotherham. Having acquired the properties, the authority was ultimately unable to realise a previously approved £6m mixed-use scheme, despite external funds to pay for demolition and help fill a viability gap.

Capital&Centric has worked with consultants, Urbana, and architects, FaulknerBrown, on a new mixed use proposal that includes commercial / office space and ten, three bedroom homes.

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A set of two blocks are shown on the vacant site fronting Corporation Street with ground floor space envisaged as a mix of café, restaurant and retail space. A range of duplex apartments, designed to be home to between two and six people, are shown on the upper floor with a courtyard open space created to the rear.

The plans state: "The proposals represent a significant opportunity to deliver commercial-led regeneration across an important brownfield site within Rotherham Town Centre.

"The proposed development represents a positive and policy-compliant regeneration opportunity within Rotherham Town Centre. It would make effective use of previously developed land, deliver new commercial and residential floorspace, strengthen active frontages and contribute towards a broader and more balanced mix of uses and homes across the wider regeneration programme."

A council cabinet report from earlier this year stated that the scheme, like the Snail Yard scheme nearby, is not considered viable without some form of public sector funding and the council is working with Capital&Centric to find gap funding.

The name given to the development by Capital&Centric is the "Theatre" site.

Rothbiz revealed in 2023 that a new theatre was included in the authority's place-based investment strategy following hints that a new theatre could be located in the Corporation Street area of town.

Rotherham Council has also purchased the former Wilko's store and the vacated former Regal Cinema / Mecca Bingo on Corporation Street for regeneration purposes.

Capital&Centric website

Images: Capital&Centric / FaulknerBrown

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News: Peel takes off Haworth from London Stock Exchange

Peel Holdings has confirmed plans to delist Harworth Group, the Rotherham-based regenerator of land and property for sustainable development and investment, that it is acquiring.

It follows on from wholesale board changes.

Rothbiz reported last month that the board of Harworth, had recommended a best and final takeover offer from major shareholder Peel Holdings, valuing the company at £631.7m.

Created from what was UK Coal, Harworth Group grew to own, develop, and manage a portfolio of over 15,000 acres of strategic land over 100 sites located throughout the North of England and Midlands, and made it on to the FTSE 250, the domestic-focused mid-cap stock index comprising the 101st to 350th largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Manchester's The Peel Group is a long-term investor in Harworth, having held various ownership interests in Harworth over a number of years. The Peel Holdings directors believe that Harworth's assets would be best owned, managed and developed under the full control of Peel Holdings.

Peel's earlier bid document said it would de-list the business from the stock exchange, stating that "Harworth’s stock market listing no longer serves its purpose". It added that "public market listing is of limited benefit," restricted by the largest three shareholders owning approximately 75.8%. of Harworth's share capital. Peel's documents also added that share trading showed a "very low and declining share liquidity" with Harworth not raising equity in nine years.

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With Peel now acquiring over 75% of the shares, an application has been submitted to delist from the Stock Exchange. Following the delisting and cancellation, it is intended that Harworth will be re-registered as a private limited company as soon as practicable.

Harworth recently moved into a new headquarters near to the Advanced Manufacturing Park in its flagship Waverley development in Rotherham. Peel earlier said that it had "not yet determined whether any changes will be made to the location of Harworth's headquarters or headquarters functions, or to the locations of Harworth's other fixed places of business." Any changes would be considered as part of a review into Harworth's assets.

Peel's earlier document also said it would de-list the business from the stock exchange and on jobs, the announcement said: "Following the Offer becoming or being declared unconditional, BidCo expects to review overlapping functions across the Harworth Group, including senior management, corporate, operational, finance, human resources, compliance and other support functions.

"Based on BidCo's preliminary assessment, the Offer is expected to result in a significant headcount reduction and synergies from overlapping functions and the elimination of costs associated with Harworth's status as a listed company. BidCo has not yet determined the number of roles likely to be affected, the timing of any reductions or the specific functions or locations in which any reductions may occur and will provide further information to affected employees in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements."

Peel is expected to review Harworth's fixed asset base, including its strategic land bank and investment portfolio, and then intends to accelerate the disposal of selected assets.

At the start of October, the directors of Harworth all resigned. This included Alastair Lyons (Chair), Lynda Shillaw (Director and Chief Executive), Kitty Patmore (Director and Chief Financial Officer), Angela Bromfield (Senior Independent Non-Executive Director), Patrick O'Donnell Bourke (Independent Non-Executive Director), Lisa Scenna (Independent Non-Executive Director), Marzia Zafar (Independent Non-Executive Director), Phil Redding (Independent Non-Executive Director), Tony Quinlan (Independent Non-Executive Director) and Martyn Bowes (Non-Executive Director).

Steven Underwood, Graeme Charnock, John Peter Whittaker, Ian Ball and Mark Whitworth, representatives of the Peel Group, were appointed as directors in their place.

Harworth wbsite
Peel website

Images: Knigh Frank

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News: Public funding set to be used to buy land for South Yorkshire Airport City project

South Yorkshire’s Mayor and leaders are set to approve a landmark deal to bring Doncaster Sheffield Airport and adjacent land into public ownership.

Rothbiz reported last year on a South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Board (SYMCA) decision to reopen the airport when it approved a £160m (£159.52m) funding package.

However, during negotiations with landowners, Peel, it was found that clauses in a proposed lease would impact upon the viability of the project. Specifically a solution to a turnover rent clause that was satisfactory for all parties could not be found.

Discussions continued and a change in stance from Peel combined with the potential use of devolved powers led to talks over the freehold purchase of the airport site and the adjacent Gateway East development land.

The SYMCA board is now being asked to essentially use funding that was approved to pay for the lease of the land, to instead cover the borrowing costs for purchasing around 1,000 acres from Peel.

Papers explain that borrowing is profiled to be repaid over a thirty-year period compared to a 125-year lease, with public control of the land offering the opportunity to "achieve the strategic ambition by reinstating the airport whilst at the same time developing the Gateway East land."

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No figures have been made public yet and, whilst bosses say that acquisition borrowing can be largely matched to grant funding, they identify a risk that FlyDoncaster Ltd, the 100% Doncaster Council-owned private limited company running the operation, will need to generate the cashflows required to repay the credit facility extended to it by SYMCA.

Another major risk to the project remains a potential legal challenge from other regional airports regarding the use of public money.

South Yorkshire's Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “I’m delighted to say that subject to formal approval of the MCA Board next week and then Peel, we’ve agreed a deal that means we’re taking Doncaster Sheffield Airport and adjacent Innovation Quarter employment land into public ownership. This is a deal that puts the future of DSA back in our hands and finally gives one of the biggest and best growth opportunities in South Yorkshire the platform for long-term success that it needs and deserves.

“Four years ago, we were told that our airport would be closing. But alongside [Mayor of Doncaster] Ros Jones, I said I would do anything I could to save DSA, and I meant it.

“Which is why after months of negotiations and the growing flexibility afforded to us by the government’s devolution agenda, today we can announce that we have come to an agreement for SYMCA to buy the airport and Innovation Quarter employment land from Peel.

“Subject to the agreement of the MCA Board next week, the airport and surrounding Innovation Quarter employment land will be owned and controlled by us, for us; the people of South Yorkshire. This deal means our future will be in our own hands again.

“When the airport closed, almost everything was against us; the owners did not want to sell, we had no legal powers to intervene or stop the airport from closing, and no backing from the government at the time. Today, the future for DSA is bright, with the airport back in our hands, the sky’s the limit.”

Chancellor John Healey, who is also MP for or Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, added: "This is concrete proof of the benefits of shifting power out of Whitehall and into the hands of the people who best know their local economies: our mayors and local leaders.”

“Local and regional jobs, innovation, opportunities and hope for communities and families across South Yorkshire, including in Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, will all flow from the hard work, determination and partnership which has delivered this outcome.”

“This is precisely the good growth in every postcode that the Government has made its central mission.”

FlyDoncaster Ltd website

Images: FlyDoncaster Ltd

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News: Yorkshire Water well underway with work on multimillion pound projects in Rotherham

Yorkshire Water has begun work on 27 projects to reduce sewer discharges into watercourses - an investment of £73.5m in the Rotherham area.

A £4.75m scheme at Clifton Park is creating a combined sewer overflow (CSO) to reduce storm overflow discharges into the river Don.

Construction partner, M Group has begun work on a new 345m³ underground storage tank in a field beneath Clifton Park. The tank will store 345,000 litres of excess wastewater during periods of heavy rainfall, before returning it back into waterways once it has been treated.

On completion, the upgrade is expected to reduce annual storm overflow discharges from Clifton Park CSO by around 72%, cutting the annual average from 37 to fewer than ten per year.

A further £1.25m project to separate surface water from the wastewater network is planned at nearby Herringthorpe Playing Fields, helping to reduce the amount of rainfall entering and overloading the sewer system.

The project is expected to take around 18 months to complete.

Vikki Overend, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “We know that reducing storm discharges and maintaining healthy waterways are important to our local communities which is why we're continuing to invest in projects that reduce storm overflow discharges and improve the resilience of our wastewater network.

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"This investment at Clifton Park will help us capture and store excess flows during heavy rainfall, significantly reducing the use of the storm overflow and supporting our efforts to improve the health of the river Don."

Work got underway in the summer at Lord Street in Clifton on a £2.3m scheme on a new 80m³ storm tank at empty allotments plots, with new pipework and an overhaul of the existing combined sewer overflow chamber.

Contract partners, Ward & Burke, are also underway with work at Scrooby Street combined sewer overflow (CSO) in Greasbrough, where Yorkshire Water is constructing a new 1,550m³ storm attenuation tank.

The £4.3m project here will provide additional capacity within the sewer network during periods of intense rainfall, helping to reduce storm overflow discharges into Greasbrough Dike and ultimately the River Don. The scheme will take up to 14 months to complete.

At Treeton, a £2.6m investment is being made to reduce sewage discharges from the Treeton Mill Lane combined sewer overflow (CSO). A pipe nest was installed to increase capacity within the network with contractors M Group returning to the area to complete work to build a new combined sewer overflow and decommission redundant parts of the network.

Yorkshire Water is delivering its largest ever environmental investment programme, with £8.3bn set to be invested across the region over the next five years to upgrade infrastructure and improve services.

Yorkshire Water website

Images: Tom Austen

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News: £9.5m vision shows Millmoor reborn

Plans have been revealed for an ambitious £9.5m vision for transforming the site of Rotherham United's former home into a new 2,000-capacity stadium, national women's football centre of excellence and community sports village.

Rothbiz reported first earlier this week that early stage discussions had taken place over the future use of Millmoor, the historic stadium that is currently being demolished.

Now Rotherham United Women FC has revealed its initial vision for the famous site following discussions with owners the Ron Hull Group and meetings with representatives of Rotherham Council.

The proposals would see football return to Millmoor, which was home to Rotherham United for more than a century before the men's team departed in 2008.

At the heart of the plans is a national centre of excellence dedicated to girls' and women's football, with facilities designed to attract players, coaches and sporting organisations from across the UK and potentially further afield.

The club believes the site could become a major destination for women's football development, offering opportunities from grassroots participation through to elite performance, alongside facilities that the entire community can enjoy.

The initial £9.5m vision includes a 2,000-capacity football stadium – a new home for Rotherham United Women, featuring a 3G playing surface, spectator facilities, hospitality and potential for future expansion.

A national centre of excellence for girls' and women's football – specialist coaching, player development, sports science, fitness and education, with ambitions to attract talent from across the country.

Other facilities could include padel courts, a health and fitness hub, community and multi-sport facilities and a tribute to Millmoor's heritage.

The club said that the aim is to create a destination that is busy seven days a week, bringing together elite sport, grassroots participation, education, recreation and community activity as well as acting as a catalyst for wider regeneration in Masbrough.

Phil Smith, co-owner of Rotherham United Women FC, said: "We see an opportunity to create something genuinely significant here, not just for Rotherham but for women's football nationally.

"The ambition isn't simply to build a new stadium. It's to explore a dedicated centre of excellence that could attract players, coaches and sporting organisations from across the country, while creating facilities that schools, families and the wider community can benefit from.

"Millmoor has an incredible history, and there's an opportunity to give it a new purpose for generations to come.

"We've had constructive initial discussions with the Ron Hull Group and representatives of the Council. There's a considerable amount of work ahead, but we believe the potential deserves to be explored properly."

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Rotherham United Women will launch a two-week public consultation on Monday October 26, asking residents, supporters, schools, sporting organisations, charities and businesses what they want from the site.

The consultation will explore demand for the proposed facilities, identify what the community feels is missing and invite ideas that have not yet been considered.

Scott Thorpe, co-owner of Rotherham United Women FC, said: "For nearly 20 years we've talked about what Rotherham lost when football left Millmoor. Maybe it's time we started talking about what Rotherham could gain.

"Imagine a new stadium, kids training on the pitches, families playing padel and young footballers travelling from all over the country because Rotherham has become somewhere they aspire to play.

"Why shouldn't we have something like that here?

"But this can't just be about what Phil and I think. We've got our ideas, and now we want to hear everyone else's.

"If you're a parent, a teacher, a local business, a sports club or someone who simply wants to see Rotherham thrive, we want you involved.

"We're not pretending this is a done deal. There are plenty of hurdles to overcome, but you've got to have ambition."

Rotherham United Women website

Images: RUWFC

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