News: Rotherham markets redevelopment plans back on the table
Rotherham Council is to look again at redeveloping the markets complex in Rotherham town centre, in order to take advantage of Tesco's imminent move across town.
The Centenary Markets Complex requires redevelopment and funding has been secured to carry out design and feasibility work on both the indoor and outdoor sections to establish how best to bring forward this redevelopment.
A report to the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Regeneration and Development to secure £25,000 stated that "options for the redevelopment of the outdoor tented market have been devised (pictured) and cost estimates to deliver the works are in the order of £4m. Further work is now required to understand which refurbishment scheme (and associated costs) is most appropriate for the indoor market."
The designs and costs will then be used in future bids to the council's capital programme and other external funding sources to secure delivery of the project.
In 2008, developers TCN UK secured a five year exclusivity agreement with the council to develop 101,722 sq m of vacant land following the disposal of council buildings which also included the markets site. That agreement has come to an end with the £40m Tesco development brought forward on the site of the former civic offices. In the same way that TCN secured funding for the Tesco development, funding for the market development was to come from the private sector.
Ways of financing the projects will be one of the issues covered by the feasibility work and in the report, Simeon Leach, regeneration manager at Rotherham Council, said: "Given the costs associated with the redevelopment of the outdoor tented market and the lack of funding currently available to deliver this scheme, work is required to devise a programme of small scale improvements to enhance the entrances to, and exterior of, the Markets Complex in the short term. This is necessary to try and ensure the markets complex benefits from the adjacent Tesco investment.
"As the project progresses, a redeveloped markets complex should encourage new businesses to set up in the markets complex and ensure existing traders continue to operate in a vibrant and viable business environment safeguarding existing businesses in the town centre."
Previous plans drawn up through the Rotherham Renaissance design stages even showed a new car park with bowling alley, cinema and food court above, on the site of the covered outside market.
The £25,000 has been approved from the council's Rotherham Economic Regeneration Fund (RERF) in the same way that funding was secured to fund site investigations on Forge Island, the land Tesco is vacating, to asses the site for a cinema and possible new theatre development.
Opened in March 1971, the Centenary Market Complex was built to replace the street market and old Victorian market hall situated on Corporation Street. In 1998 the new roof was completed, covering 3,500 sq m of outdoor market.
A major footfall attractor for the town, the markets currently draw in around 85,000 visits per week. Proposals have been considered by councillors this week for an Asian themed "bazaar type" market to be held under license on the outdoor covered market each Thursday.
The redevelopment of Sheffield's markets is well underway, with the move across from the Castle area to a purpose built, £17.5m Market Hall on The Moor. The revised £125m Barnsley Markets Project includes a new market hall as part of larger regeneration plans.
Rotherham Council website
Images: RMBC / TCN UK
The Centenary Markets Complex requires redevelopment and funding has been secured to carry out design and feasibility work on both the indoor and outdoor sections to establish how best to bring forward this redevelopment.
A report to the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Regeneration and Development to secure £25,000 stated that "options for the redevelopment of the outdoor tented market have been devised (pictured) and cost estimates to deliver the works are in the order of £4m. Further work is now required to understand which refurbishment scheme (and associated costs) is most appropriate for the indoor market."
The designs and costs will then be used in future bids to the council's capital programme and other external funding sources to secure delivery of the project.
In 2008, developers TCN UK secured a five year exclusivity agreement with the council to develop 101,722 sq m of vacant land following the disposal of council buildings which also included the markets site. That agreement has come to an end with the £40m Tesco development brought forward on the site of the former civic offices. In the same way that TCN secured funding for the Tesco development, funding for the market development was to come from the private sector.
Ways of financing the projects will be one of the issues covered by the feasibility work and in the report, Simeon Leach, regeneration manager at Rotherham Council, said: "Given the costs associated with the redevelopment of the outdoor tented market and the lack of funding currently available to deliver this scheme, work is required to devise a programme of small scale improvements to enhance the entrances to, and exterior of, the Markets Complex in the short term. This is necessary to try and ensure the markets complex benefits from the adjacent Tesco investment.
"As the project progresses, a redeveloped markets complex should encourage new businesses to set up in the markets complex and ensure existing traders continue to operate in a vibrant and viable business environment safeguarding existing businesses in the town centre."
Previous plans drawn up through the Rotherham Renaissance design stages even showed a new car park with bowling alley, cinema and food court above, on the site of the covered outside market.
The £25,000 has been approved from the council's Rotherham Economic Regeneration Fund (RERF) in the same way that funding was secured to fund site investigations on Forge Island, the land Tesco is vacating, to asses the site for a cinema and possible new theatre development.
Opened in March 1971, the Centenary Market Complex was built to replace the street market and old Victorian market hall situated on Corporation Street. In 1998 the new roof was completed, covering 3,500 sq m of outdoor market.
A major footfall attractor for the town, the markets currently draw in around 85,000 visits per week. Proposals have been considered by councillors this week for an Asian themed "bazaar type" market to be held under license on the outdoor covered market each Thursday.
The redevelopment of Sheffield's markets is well underway, with the move across from the Castle area to a purpose built, £17.5m Market Hall on The Moor. The revised £125m Barnsley Markets Project includes a new market hall as part of larger regeneration plans.
Rotherham Council website
Images: RMBC / TCN UK
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