Tuesday, June 8, 2021

News: Rotherham awarded £31.6m Town Deal

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Rotherham is on the latest list of successful "town deals" announced by the Government, another big boost to the continued regeneration in and around the town centre.

It comes after a period of uncertaintity over new national regeneration funding and should see £31.6m used to revamp areas of Rotherham town centre as well as Templeborough and Eastwood.

Rotherham's bid was not one of 45 Town Deals across England announced in the Budget 2021 in March but the bid from Rotherham Council and its partners was not sumbit until the end of January.

The Towns Fund was heralded by the Government as a £3.6 billion pot in 2019. Now councils and city regions are being asked to compete for regeneration funding via the Levelling Up Fund and UK Community Renewal Fund.

Bids for Town Deal funds were invited of up to £25m, or up £50m in special circumstances.

Rotherham had outlined around £47.5m of projects including the redevelopment of the remaining Guest & Chrimes site, investment around a potential Mainline Station, redeveloping further sites on Westgate, and a focus on Corporation Street.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said: "We are levelling up towns and cities across the country by building stronger and more resilient local economies, boosting prosperity and opportunity in our communities, and helping them build back better from the pandemic.

"Today I am announcing new town deals in 26 areas, backed by over £610m investment from the Towns Fund. This will support locally-led projects to transform disused buildings and public spaces, deliver new green transport and create new opportunities for people to develop new skills. This is a boost for communities and businesses across England."

Today’s announcement means that 79 Towns Deals have now been agreed - totalling over £2 billion investment in communities across England.

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Rothbiz detailed some of the aspects of the Town Investment Plan last year.

In the town centre, investment is planned for more Riverside housing along with a focus on the key routes into and through the town centre. Improvements would come in the form of "greening," "screening," "revealing," "wayfinding" and active travel. Interventions include wildflower planting, new trees, green walls, lighting, artwork, signage and cycle routes.

At Templeborough, where former steelworks land has already been reclaimed and is now home to commercial developments around Magna, the plan includes ideas that range from expanding the existing business parks to improving links to the town centre and the existing nature reserves.

One idea is to knock down the older buildings fronting Sheffield Road in order to create a new frontage for Magna with an attractive area of public realm (cgi, above). Remaining land, on either side of the road, could be used for commercial, light industrial or training uses.

New cycle links and a new bridge, plus new branding and signage are also in the plans for Templeborough.

At Eastwood, the plan is for new housing, new connections to Parkgate and filling in the underpass at St Ann's to create better, at grade, connections for pedestrians and cyclists.

The latest funding follows on from the Government confirming £12.6m for the borough from the Future High Streets Fund (FHSF).

Images: RMBC / WYG

12 comments:

Anonymous,  June 8, 2021 at 10:53 AM  

Wouldn't waste a penny on Eastwood!

Anonymous,  June 8, 2021 at 12:51 PM  

Me neither, all get there rent paid for free anyway!!!

Anonymous,  June 8, 2021 at 6:00 PM  

How is " Improvements would come in the form of "greening," "screening," "revealing," "wayfinding" and active travel. Interventions include wildflower planting, new trees, green walls, lighting, artwork, signage and cycle routes." going to get more people to visit, live in, spend money in, open new business in Rozzerham ??? Answers on a postcard NOT to the Rubbish Muppet Council ! So another 31.6 million of OUR money goes on what ????

Unknown June 8, 2021 at 8:31 PM  

Waste of money building new houses in Eastwood,who would want to live there its full of cannabis farms and immigrants who just ignore the law and trash the area.Typical of this council they need to concentrate on attracting shops and businesses to the town centre.

Anonymous,  June 8, 2021 at 9:05 PM  

Another offensive comment.. Please remove this

Anonymous,  June 8, 2021 at 9:24 PM  

The only thing to do with Eastwood to be honest is to knock it down and rebuild the whole area get rid of old terraced housing for modern semi detached, give the area an uplift like they did at Dalton.

Anonymous,  June 8, 2021 at 9:50 PM  

Well if Eastwood is as bad as you say then there is clearly a need to improve the area which as we all know will require money, so what you moaning for?

Knock Eastwood down - costs MONEY.
Improve Eastwood - costs MONEY.

Everybody who doesn't live in Eastwood is an expert on what Eastwood is like all of a sudden and know what's best.

Every AREA has it's issues, and yes perhaps Eastwood has more than many, but there ARE decent law abiding residents living in Eastwood and who shouldn't be and don't deserve to be tarred with the same brush by these so called experts on Eastwood.

Anonymous,  June 8, 2021 at 10:12 PM  

Rotherham has now become a trash town, get shut of the human trash and you are in with a chance of making Rotherham a decent place to live, I know w by at I am talking about as I have lived here for 70 years I remember when Rotherham was a fantastic place to live shop and socialise

Mr me June 9, 2021 at 12:38 PM  

Not offensive ,just truthfull facts.Steange how some people find truth a problem!

Anonymous,  June 9, 2021 at 12:41 PM  

Some of the comments on here are an embarrassing, but sadly typical of some Rotherham residents!

It has been fashionable for too many years to slate Rotherham town centre and this is usually done by people that have not visited for years and hence contributed in some-way to its decline.

This deal is positive news, but you would not think it was by some of the comments on here!

Rotherham town centre does need investment, but unless the people of Rotherham change their attitude towards it, then it will struggle reach fully it’s potential.

Anonymous,  June 9, 2021 at 10:42 PM  

Yes, it's very strange how some people find the truth a problem - just as some people find been told things are different to what they think a problem too.

Doesn't matter whether you've lived here 70 years or 2 years, if you continually think of Rotherham in a negative tone and it will never improve.

As the previous commenter said, Rotherham can be great again with the investment(s) been made, however, it's needs it's town folk to get the behind the investments and/or schemes and the town as a whole before anything will change,


Anonymous,  July 1, 2021 at 12:08 AM  

I own an investment rental property in Eastwood. Its a nightmare trying to find decent tenants and the council is always pursuing Landlords for more money and never the anti social tenants. The labour councillors are a complete waste of space, they never help the grafters, only the spongers. Please buy my property Rotherham council. I am happy to sell it to you for £45k to £55k. Once you have compulsorily purchased all the terraced properties in Eastwood, then you can knock them down and start afresh on your town centre masterplan to make Rotherham the high tech hub of South Yorkshire.

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