News: Redevelopment planned for Phoenix Hotel

The former Phoenix Hotel in Rotherham town centre looks set for a new lease of life.

A planning application has been submitted to convert the imposing former hotel building on College Road into offices with a café on the ground floor.

The 4,200 sq ft, 3-storey building opposite Rotherham Central railway station is in a very poor state of repair and the plans state that it will be completely refurbished to a high standard and will also involve the demolition of outbuildings and rear extension.

The renamed "College House" development will create nine offices aimed at small to medium sized businesses, such as lettings agents and solicitors.

Plans state that: "The proposed development will bring, what is now a derelict building on a major access corridor into the centre of Rotherham, back into use.

"The proposed alterations will improve the building aesthetics on all elevations which will benefit and improve the quality of the immediate area. The proposals will help to reinforce the physical regeneration of Rotherham town centre which is undergoing major redevelopment."

The application is from the owners of the building, the PDR Group, a successful company specialising in electrical engineering who are based in nearby Central Business Park.

The building was put up for auction as a development opportunity by Mark Jenkinson Auctioneers in May, with a guide price of £75,000. It was sold before the auction for £110,000.

The building is thought to have been constructed some time between 1871 and 1881 with the rear extension built in approximately 1950. The wall cladding to the ground storey is to be removed and it is hoped that the original stone beneath can be reinstated. The original green-painted stone detailing could also be exposed and repaired.

Images: Mark Jenkinson Auctioneers