News: Support for Parkgate Shopping plans

The public exhibition at Parkgate Shopping identified overwhelming support for the proposed new ASDA Living Store and enhanced Currys PC World Megastore. Hundreds of visitors attended the one-day exhibition and over 98 per cent expressed their support for the proposals.

Representatives from Parkgate owners, British Land, the Parkgate Management team and staff from ASDA Living and Currys who all attended the exhibition were delighted with the response to their plans.

Denis Copeland, Parkgate Shopping Manager, said: "As this was primarily a consultation exercise about our proposals, the number of visitors exceeded our expectations.

"We have received around 400 responses to date, and are still receiving more, and the overwhelming support, in particular for the arrival of ASDA Living onto the Park, shows that we are moving in the right direction."

RMBC is expected to determine the two planning applications to facilitate ASDA Living and Currys in the next couple of months. Denis added: "We hope that the Council's decision will take into account both the significant number of jobs that are going to be created and the overwhelming support of the local community for these proposals."

Initial plans earlier in the year were refused when the the council considered that the proposals would be likely to have a significant impact upon Rotherham town centre. British Land are appealing against the refusal.

Whilst the purpose of the exhibition was to seek shoppers' views on the proposals, over 30 enquiries were made about likely job vacancies and these have now been passed to the retailers.

Peter Ives, Employer Engagement Manager at Rotherham Jobcentre Plus, who visited the exhibition, confirmed that they would be pleased to participate in a jobs fair at Parkgate should the plans be approved.

"The 110 new jobs expected to be created through these two planning applications are very important to the local economy, and with the 100 jobs that the impending arrival of Best Buy are set to create, we will need to move very quickly."

Parkgate Shopping