News: Rotherham bus depot to be sold off
It looks to be the end of the line for a large vacant bus depot in Rotherham which is being sold, five years after it stopped being used by local bus operator, First.
The Midland Road depot came into the hands of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) as the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), which is responsible for the co-ordination of public transport in South Yorkshire, is being integrated into the MCA.
The MCA's board has this week agreed to sell off the 212,000 sq ft warehouse.
The site consists of aged office accommodation and bus sheds and was constructed over 40 years ago. Following bus de-regulation the site was leased to a number of private operators, generating a financial return that was re-invested into transport activity helping to support the levy.
Sitting empty, it now costs the MCA £160,000 a year in rates and security.
Rothbiz reported in 2016 that First Group was vacating the site, relocating employees to Sheffield and Doncaster.
Since it closed in 2017 it has only been used sporadically as a COVID-19 testing site and for police firearms training.
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A report to the MCA said: "The inability to let the site on the open market reflects the scale and specialist nature of much of the design of the asset, but also the poor state of the infrastructure.
"Over time the vacant site has suffered from vandalism and theft and is now in a seriously dilapidated state exposing the MCA to both reputational and liability risk. The site also continues to be a drain on the revenue budget, with the costs of rates, security, and responsive repairs having to be met.
"Following an internal review it has been determined that the MCA has no strategic rationale for retaining the site and as such should seek to mitigate the identified risk and cost by divesting itself of the asset."
The report adds that Rotherham Council has been in discussion with the MCA on the future of the site, "particularly in relation to wider regeneration plans within the town and latterly around the potential uses of the power capacity on the site to support electric vehicle charging."
The MCA has agreed to dispose of the site in the most efficient means possible, which could also include clearing the existing site to enable a more efficient sale.
Images: Google Maps
The Midland Road depot came into the hands of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) as the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), which is responsible for the co-ordination of public transport in South Yorkshire, is being integrated into the MCA.
The MCA's board has this week agreed to sell off the 212,000 sq ft warehouse.
The site consists of aged office accommodation and bus sheds and was constructed over 40 years ago. Following bus de-regulation the site was leased to a number of private operators, generating a financial return that was re-invested into transport activity helping to support the levy.
Sitting empty, it now costs the MCA £160,000 a year in rates and security.
Rothbiz reported in 2016 that First Group was vacating the site, relocating employees to Sheffield and Doncaster.
Since it closed in 2017 it has only been used sporadically as a COVID-19 testing site and for police firearms training.
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A report to the MCA said: "The inability to let the site on the open market reflects the scale and specialist nature of much of the design of the asset, but also the poor state of the infrastructure.
"Over time the vacant site has suffered from vandalism and theft and is now in a seriously dilapidated state exposing the MCA to both reputational and liability risk. The site also continues to be a drain on the revenue budget, with the costs of rates, security, and responsive repairs having to be met.
"Following an internal review it has been determined that the MCA has no strategic rationale for retaining the site and as such should seek to mitigate the identified risk and cost by divesting itself of the asset."
The report adds that Rotherham Council has been in discussion with the MCA on the future of the site, "particularly in relation to wider regeneration plans within the town and latterly around the potential uses of the power capacity on the site to support electric vehicle charging."
The MCA has agreed to dispose of the site in the most efficient means possible, which could also include clearing the existing site to enable a more efficient sale.
Images: Google Maps
6 comments:
This should be demolished and turned into a large park and ride facility for a reopened Masbrough station. It'd be much better to have a mainline station here than at Parkgate as it would help regenerate a run down area and it wouldn't add to the traffic around Parkgate.
Hear, hear! Parkgate is too far from the town centre and too congested. They should reopen Masbrough and run a service to Chesterfield via the ‘Old Road’ too. This would give a service to Treeton, Beighton/Rother Valley, Halfway/Killamarsh and maybe even a link to the AMP. Let’s get people out of cars and on public transport.
knock it down and build houses!
Such a shame great place to work
More ghettos ,you mean!
Why not turn it into a drone racing circuit and race venue
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