News: The restaurants signed up for Forge Island scheme

Four new food brands have signed lease contracts on the Forge Island development in Rotherham town centre.

Urban regeneration developer, Muse, has struck a triple-header deal with Thistle Group which will transform the area into a food destination.

First up is Casa Peri Peri, which will bring its own style of Portuguese and Southern African cuisine, created by Masterchef star, Bobby Geetha.

Estabulo Rodizio/Sakku Samba is a dual-branded concept honouring the Gaucho style of cooking while at the same time celebrating a fusion of Japanese-Brazilian cuisine. It will be the first time that the two concepts are brought together under one roof.

Caffé Noor completes the pack and is a luxury coffee shop with a difference. 50% of all its profits will be donated to local community organisations to support vulnerable people.

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Boutique cinema operator, The Arc, and national hotel chain, Travelodge, have previously signed up to anchor Forge Island and construction expected to start on site this October.

The new Forge Island will be set within a public square with a new pedestrian bridge connecting the scheme to the wider town centre.

Raife Gale, senior development manager at Muse, said: “We’re all about bringing choice and social purpose to the towns and cities we work in. Bringing these four brands to Forge Island demonstrates what we’re looking to achieve here, and we can’t wait to get on site in October.

“Working with the council, we’re creating a brand-new restaurant and leisure offer for Rotherham.

“Together, we’re driving inward investment and growth to support the local economy, providing opportunities for local people which will hopefully kickstart further investment and development in the town.”

Rotherham Council’s cabinet member for jobs and the local economy, Councillor Denise Lelliott, added: “We are pleased to be welcoming these new food establishments to the flagship Forge Island development which will provide a unique and exciting experience for residents and visitors.

“It is an exciting time for Rotherham as we see our regeneration works begin to take shape.”

Rotherham Council's cabinet is due to meet on October 17 where it will decide how to fund the scheme. Members will "choose from the full range of options for delivery including further supplementing or replacing what was expected to be privately raised capital with the Council’s own borrowing and capital resources."

Forge Island website
Casa Peri Peri website
Estabulo website
Sakku Samba website
Cafe Noor website

Images: Estabulo

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News: Council considering vote of no confidence in Environment Agency

Rotherham Council is set to discuss whether to put forward a vote of no confidence in the Environment Agency (EA) over its handling of the controversial reopening of Droppingwell tip.

When landfilling operations ceased at the Kimberworth site, the planning permission and environmental permit allowing landfilling activity in January 1978 remained in place. The EA granted a permit variation in 2016 which allows for 150,000 tonnes of inert waste to be imported, and 55,000 tonnes of waste for restoration, each year.

The permit variation imposed a range of conditions that must be complied with, before any deposit of waste will be allowed. These include groundwater and landfill gas monitoring requirements, the construction of engineered bunds and a system to collect and treat surface water.

The last update from EA in July 2022 was that the site was "pre-operational" whilst permit holders, Grange Landfill Ltd, installed engineered infrastructure to meet the requirements of the Landfill Directive to ensure that the proposed landfill activity at this site will not impact on the local environment.

The necessary engineering works for the first waste cell on Grange Landfill were almost complete in July, and the EA said that it expected the submission of a validation report sometime during August 2022.

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Numerorus issues have been raised by the community regarding the operations. Opponents say that "works carry on, without the proper level of scrutiny and regulation of the Environment agency. This has led to dozens of complaints that have been escalated to stage 2 and several are now sitting with the office of the parliamentary ombudsmen."

At full council next week, local councillors, Ian Jones and Rob Elliott have put forward a motion regarding the EA.

Councillors are being asked to vote on whether the council believes that: "Due to the ineffective nature of the Environment Agencies regulation, its inability to take any kind of enforcement action, the members of the public in Rotherham West and this council no longer have any confidence in the Environment Agency."

It adds: "Mirroring the thoughts and wishes of the residents of Droppingwell, Blackburn and Kimberworth, this council should pass a motion of No Confidence in the Environment Agencies [sic] handling of the site.

"That the Chief Executive be required to write to the head of the Environment Agency and the Government minister impressing on them the need for a full, open and transparent public enquiry into the re-permitting and ongoing lack of regulation of the site."

The Council has previously said that it had exhausted all options in regard to how it could prevent the activity that was going on at Droppingwell Tip. The Government has also confirmed that it will not intervene in the planning issue at Droppingwell and use powers to revoke or discontinue the planning permission and to fund any compensation claims.

Images: Google Maps

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News: Which brownfield sites in Rotherham could new houses be built on?

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has announced that the Brownfield Housing Fund, which currently stands at c£35m, is open for applications from private sector developers, Housing Associations and other housing developers.

In June 2020, the Government launched ‘A New Deal for Britain’ which is said to be the first step in the strategy to rebuild Britain following Covid-19 and fuel economic recovery across the UK. As part of this strategy, £53m of capital in total has been allocated to South Yorkshire for supporting the development of over 3,300 new homes on brownfield land and through conversions, to be started on site within South Yorkshire by March 2025.

This funding builds upon the previous South Yorkshire Housing Fund, enabling SYMCA to support the delivery of a greater number of new homes to meet local needs which would otherwise not be brought forward by the Market.

Consruction on brownfield sites has associated costs of land remediation and essential infrastructure requirements which impact on scheme viability and prevent schemes from moving into delivery.

Rothbiz reported last year that Rotherham Council had identified the funding pot to support some of its projects. Previously secured for housing construction on small sites across the borough, new sites in Eastwood and the town centre were discussed in 2021.

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Example brownfield sites in the town centre identified last year included Snail Hill (where the council purchased and demolished the former Primark store), sites surrounding the Forge Island leisure scheme, and Riverside sites along Sheffield Road.

SYMCA will prioritise schemes based on how well they deliver against the principles of Stronger, Greener, Fairer, set out in its Strategic Economic Plan. The risks and overall deliverability of schemes will also be evaluated.

All schemes will be assessed in accordance with the MCA Assurance Framework to ensure due diligence and value for money.

Schemes that adopt innovations and/or raise the quality and standards of homes across South Yorkshire are particularly welcome. This Fund will provide opportunities to support new homes on brownfield sites up to the end of March 2025; however, SYMCA is also interested in discussing longer term housing development opportunities even if schemes do not meet the BHF criteria.

Gemma Smith, Co-Chair SYMCA Housing and Infrastructure Board and Managing Director Strata Homes said ‘In these challenging economic times, this open call for applications provides an opportunity to support and accelerate the development of much needed new homes across South Yorkshire that may otherwise not be built due to viability issues. We welcome applications from across South Yorkshire’s housing sector.’

Funding is available to a wide range of public and private sector partners across the housing sector (subject to the production of a compliant Business Case, as well as Value for Money and Subsidy Control considerations).

Images: RMBC

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News: Council prepared to fully fund Forge Island for £46.8m

Rotherham Council has got the contracts in place if it is to fully fund the Forge Island regeneration scheme in Rotherham town centre.

Rothbiz revealed last week that funding for the key leisure-led project was under review and new documents show that the external funding available to the Council's delivery partner, Muse, for the delivery of Forge Island "has significantly reduced."

Contracts for the scheme show a price of £46.8m and the authority's cabinet are due to meet next month to decide on the options available to facilitate delivery. Tender documents show that the council acting as funder "is the only reasonable option" and the agreement between the Council and Muse (who were selected as the preferred partner for Forge Island in 2018) is being updated.

Tender documents explain: "The project envisaged that Muse would secure external funding but allowed for alternative options, including for the Council to partially or fully fund the development to be considered.

"Due to unforeseen market conditions, particularly shifts in the gilt market, the external funding available to Muse for the delivery of this project has significantly reduced. The Council was notified of this issue on the 13 September 2022.

"Against this backdrop, the Council intends to enter into a funding agreement with Muse to fund and retain the project and will take market standard security relating to this funding, including an obligation on Muse to develop in accordance with an agreed specification.

"The Council considers that the project is strictly necessary as a key part of the Rotherham Town Centre Masterplan and that acting as funder is the only reasonable option to secure delivery of the project (there being no alternative funding options available within a reasonable timescale or within a cost that would make the scheme viable) and considers that this proposal will secure best value for the Council."

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The need for urgency is also explained as the construction costs for the project is currently tendered and fixed for a very limited period and the deal with Arc Cinema to anchor the scheme has a date for satisfying conditionality of December 31 2022.

The document adds: "The scheme will no longer be viable if the cinema agreement falls away, setting delivery back likely in excess of 2-3 years and jeopardising the entire delivery of the scheme. Recent developments in the cinema market indicate that identifying a replacement would be very challenging."

The council has therefore set up a new £46.8m contract with Muse stating that the developers have done the previous work to get to this stage and that there is insufficient time to conduct a new procurement procedure.

The procurement description states: "The Council intends to enter into further contractual arrangements with its Developer to take the Forge Island development opportunity forward and realise the Council's aspirations for the site, within the context of challenging market and financing conditions."

The initial estimated total value of the contract is £46,805,664. £3,012,012 is the cost of the enabling contract, with £43,793,652 making up the remaining costs from the total value. The total construction cost is £33,726,000.

Cabinet is due to meet on October 17 where it will "choose from the full range of options for delivery including further supplementing or replacing what was expected to be privately raised capital with the Council’s own borrowing and capital resources."

Forge Island website

Images: RMBC

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News: Business leaders and educators help to launch Skills Street in Rotherham

More than 200 business leaders and educators from across the region met to officially launch plans for South Yorkshire’s new innovative and immersive careers experience, Skills Street.

Details of the project that will be supported by the Levelling Up Fund were shared at a recent business breakfast event.

Based on the site of the UK’s newest theme park, Gulliver’s Valley in Rotherham, Skills Street will transform the way the region delivers work related experiences and training for young people, schools, families, and educators. Skills Street is a new hands-on approach to developing, growing, and honing skills with the aim of inspiring and informing children, young people and adults about the world of work and careers.

This interactive centre will be delivered by a partnership between Gulliver’s Valley Theme Park, The Work-wise Foundation and The Source Skills Academy, creating a Centre of Excellence to learn about the world of work across all sectors and industries.

Julie Dalton, managing director of Gulliver’s Valley said: “It was fantastic to share our passion and excitement for Skills Street with businesses and educators from across the region.

“This was an interactive session where we shared details about our plans for Skills Street, talked about it being a real game changer for the pipeline of employment in the region and we asked for feedback and listened to ideas from the audience. This project will be amazing because it is a collaborative project and from day one, we’ve been asking and listening.

“Businesses are telling us about the challenges they face, and this year has been particularly challenging across all sectors in terms of recruiting staff with the right skills to do the job and that is why Skills Street is so important to help us to move forward.

“This fully immersive street will be a place where businesses can put their skills and then we can train young people, we’re aiming to work with children from the ages of five upwards. We need to start harnessing the excitement that our younger children have and developing that from an early age.

"Why do we not talk to kids about careers until the age of 16?" It's one of my pet hates. It should be when they are excited. It's at five and six.

“South Yorkshire is a home to some amazing organisations, and we are looking forward to working with them as we showcase this new engaging, innovative experience developed to inspire and inform children, young people, and adults from across the region.”

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John Barber, CEO of the Work-wise Foundation added: “We were thrilled to see so many people attend our launch event to find out more about Skills Street.

“Our panel session saw us answering questions from the audience who were keen to explore ways of working with us and ensuring that our approach will be a joined up, complimentary offer to what is already available in this area – and it will be.

“Skills Street will not only inspire our young people as they are shown the amazing world of work and career opportunities available in the South Yorkshire area it will do this in a fun and exciting way with a team of edutainers bringing the opportunities to life and showcase the opportunities on offer and skills needed to succeed.

“This is going to be wonderful for our region and is one of the most exciting projects to happen in the field of skills and careers for young people in our region for a long time.”

Construction is expected to begin in 2023 with the aim of opening Skills Street the same year.

The project is part of a £20m pound investment secured by Rotherham Council to help improve the leisure economy and skills in Rotherham. Other attractions also benefiting from the Leveling Up funding include Wentworth Woodhouse, Thrybergh Country Park, Rother Valley Country Park, Magna and Maltby Learning Trust.

On Skills Street children and young people will be able to walk into a bank and learn about the different roles and skills needed to work in the financial sector, or step into an engineering environment and have a go at designing or making a product. retail shops will enable customer service and money taking skills to be practiced and leisure and hospitality outlets will demonstrate the skills needed to succeed in these careers – all through hands on play, practice and performance.

Natalie Doherty, director of quality, curriculum and innovation at The Source Academy, said: “We are involved in Skills Street because we believe in the young people of South Yorkshire and we believe that we can support business to drive and support curriculum, work experience and have a real say in the education of young people.

“Skills Street will be an amazing space where individuals, families, schools and the community will be able to explore the great opportunities for careers and training in the region in a relaxed and informal setting.

“It simply can’t come soon enough; our young people need and deserve this resource and our businesses will benefit hugely. It will be a creative environment allowing careers training to flourish at all levels from school leavers to business leaders in the leadership academy through to returners to work.”

Skills Street website

Images: Gulliver's Valley

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News: Scottish producer pounces for Rotherham popcorn maker in pre-pack deal

An independent popcorn manufacturer based in Rotherham has been bought out of administration in a pre-pack deal.

The 51 employees at SY Foods have been transferred under TUPE to the new owners - Taylors Snacks Ltd (previously Mackie's at Taypack Ltd).

SY Foods, founded in 2019, manufactures and supplies popcorn for a range of retailers and wholesalers. It was created in 2019 as a special purpose vehicle for the purchase of the business and assets from the administrators of Tommy Tucker Ltd which expanded to North Anston in 2016 but was downed by a voluntary product recall that resulted in significant losses, pressure on working capital and ultimately, insufficient further funds.

According to a report from administrators, Mazars, the 2022 administration was due to the impact of Brexit, COVID-19 and a recent significant increase in raw material and utility costs that adversely impacted the company's profitability and resulted in cashflow challenges.

Mazars were appointed on September 8 and a review concluded that there was "no reasonable prospect of rescuing the company in its existing form as a going concern due to the level of historic liabilities and reduction in margin directly attributable to the increase in the costs of raw materials and utilities as a consequence of Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic and the recent war in Ukraine."

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Historic liabilities included finance facilities provided by Close Brothers relating to invoicing and the purchase of assets in 2019. These liabilities totalled over £1m and put off a potential buyer which was sought before administration.

The company had also entered into a time to pay arrangement with HMRC who came close to submitting a winding up petition in a bid to recover approximately £500k relating to PAYE, NIC and VAT.

A pre-pack sale was launched which would see the company wound up and the business and assets sold.

18 parties were interested in the business and its assets and four bids were submitted to the administrators.

Taylors Snacks Ltd was successful with a bid of £700,000.

The acquiring company was founded as Mackie’s at Taypack Ltd in 2009 as a joint venture between Perthshire potato farmers, the Taylor family, and Mackie’s of Scotland, renowned for their luxury ice cream. The Taylor family successfully acquired the ownership of the company following a buy-out earlier this year and a rebrand to Taylors Snacks, is underway.

Taylors’ popcorn will be produced at South Yorkshire Foods’ existing factory in Rotherham, which uses traditional means of cooking popcorn in large kettles.

The acquisition will also see Taylors Snacks takeover the production and distribution of South Yorkshire Foods’ renowned ‘Big Night In’ range, a popular popcorn brand listed in the likes of ASDA, Iceland and B&M to name a few.

James Taylor, Managing Director of Taylors Snacks Ltd, said: “The addition of the popcorn manufacturing business makes for a really exciting time to be at Taylors. South Yorkshire Foods produces a high-quality product packed with flavour, something we pride ourselves on at Taylors Snacks.

“The new business move will not only add an array of dedicated, talented staff, it will also add to our ever extending range of products. It made sense right away.”

The sale included all the financed assets having their finance paid and Close Brothers agreed to the deal. Secondary preferred creditors, such as HMRC, were expected to receive 50p/£ but unsecured creditors are expected to receive nothing on their debts which totalled over £600,000.

SY Foods website
Mackie's at Taypack website

Images: Mackie's / Facebook

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News: Government in talks to create Investment Zone in South Yorkshire

A new Investment Zone could be created in South Yorkshire with the aim of bringing business investment and releasing land for new homes.

As part of the Government's recently announced Growth Plan, Investment Zones will drive growth and unlock housing across the UK by lowering taxes and liberalising planning frameworks to encourage rapid development and business investment.

The Government said that it was in discussions with 38 local authorities to establish investment zones in England, including with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), who were keen to get involved now. Discussions will continue to decide on specific sites within the area.

The announcement said: "Each Investment Zone will offer generous, targeted and time limited tax cuts for businesses and liberalised planning rules to release more land for housing and commercial development. These will be hubs for growth, encouraging investment in new shopping centres, restaurants, apartments and offices, and creating thriving new communities."

To accelerate development, the need for planning applications will be minimised in designated development sites and, where planning applications remain necessary, they will be "radically streamlined." Development sites may be co-located with, or separate to, tax sites, depending on what makes most sense for the local economy.

In addition, subject to demonstrating readiness, SYMCA would receive a single local growth settlement in the next Spending Review period.

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Further detail from the Treasury states: "Businesses in designated areas in investment zones will benefit from 100% business rates relief on newly occupied and expanded premises. Local authorities hosting Investment Zones will receive 100% of the business rates growth above an agreed baseline in designated sites for 25 years.

"In addition businesses will receive full stamp duty land tax relief on land bought for commercial or residential development and a zero rate for Employer National Insurance contributions on new employee earnings up to £50,270 per year.

"To incentivise investment there will be a 100% first year enhanced capital allowance relief for plant and machinery used within designated sites and accelerated Enhanced Structures and Buildings Allowance relief of 20% per year."

South Yorkshire, and especially Rotherham, has a long history of similar policies. Enterprise Zones established in the 1990's were influential in the regeneration of former coalfield ares such as Manvers, and ealier Enterprise Zones led to the creation of Parkgate Shopping without the need for local planning approval.

The most recent Enterprise Zones in the 2010's included parts of the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) and Templeborough in Rotherham and involved business rates discounts and simplified planning arrangements for businesses in specific target sectors.

Images: Harworth Group

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News: Dead as a dodo? Owners to wind down services at region's airport

Doncaster Sheffield Airport's (DSA's) future looks to be flightless and extinct as the board of directors concludes a review of strategic options for South Yorkshire's airport.

The review follows lengthy deliberations by the Board of DSA which reluctantly concluded that aviation activity on the site may no longer be commercially viable.

A statement said that the review was complete and that "no tangible proposals have been received regarding the ownership of the airport or which address the fundamental lack of financial viability."

South Yorkshire's Mayor Oliver Coppard said that he was "devestated" and "angry" at the findings.

Peel said that the high fixed costs associated with running a safe, regulated airport, together with recent events materially reducing prospective future aviation income streams, mean that a break-even business plan cannot be identified for the foreseeable future.

As a result, DSA will begin winding down the provision of aviation services during the week commencing October 31 2022.

A statement from Peel said: "Since the July 2022 announcement of the Strategic Review, Peel has been actively engaging on a weekly basis with local and national political stakeholders, including proactively engaging with working group meetings, primarily led by officers at Doncaster Council, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and the Department for Transport (DfT). Throughout the consultation process up until today, Peel has also been in close contact with the airlines and other aviation users of the Airport. None of these discussions has delivered any tangible results that have changed the Board of DSA or Peel’s clear view that the Airport is and will remain unviable.

"Peel received a letter from the Mayor of South Yorkshire and Mayor of Doncaster on Thursday, 8 September, stating that they had completed an economic impact study of DSA which identified its economic benefit to the region but provided no solution to its lack of financial viability. Furthermore, they informed Peel that they had been approached by a group interested in purchasing or operating the airport. Peel has yet to receive a response to urgent requests for details on the consortium’s identity, nor have the terms of any proposal or evidence of the consortium’s financial standing or aviation expertise been provided.

"On Friday, 23 September, Peel received a further letter from SYMCA and Doncaster Council, which was supported by the Mayor of South Yorkshire and the Mayor of Doncaster, along with the Leaders of Barnsley and Rotherham, which included a proposal to provide public money to DSA to fund its operating losses until 31 October 2023. The grant was described as providing DSA with free cashflow to sustain losses that may occur over thirteen months while the Peel Group and South Yorkshire partners jointly explore the future potential of DSA and the GatewayEast site. In the absence of any actual proposals to address the lack of viability of DSA, even those at an early stage of development, or any identified potential acquirers or operators of DSA, Peel’s Board has concluded that it cannot responsibly accept public money for this highly uncertain process against the backdrop of an unviable, loss-making operating business."

Robert Hough, Chairman of Peel Airports Group, which includes Doncaster Sheffield Airport, said: “We recognise that this will come as a great disappointment to many. The intractable problem remains the fundamental and insufficient lack of current or prospective revenue streams, together with the airport’s high operating costs. Our employees have always been DSA’s greatest asset, and we are grateful to them all, past and present, for their dedication and diligence over the years. The immediate priority remains to continue engaging closely with them over the next few weeks.

“As such, DSA will now begin a formal process of consulting with team members. We will do everything we can to minimise the impact of these proposals and work closely with local authorities and agencies to support our employees through what we know will be an extremely difficult period. DSA has remained in contact with union representatives on site throughout and we are committed to ensuring they are updated through every step of this next phase.”

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South Yorkshire's Mayor Oliver Coppard said: "I’m devastated by today’s announcement by Peel and angry about the impact it will have on our communities. Most importantly, there are hundreds of people across Doncaster and South Yorkshire who will now be frightened for their future.

"For years, we have been investing public money in and around DSA to support the airport, including providing emergency funding through the pandemic. Since the announcement by Peel that they were entering into a review of DSA, we have done everything we could to constructively and proactively find a path forward. We have identified market interest, brought potential investors to the table, and last week we offered them a deal to project the jobs and livelihoods of DSA staff, and to give Peel the time and space to negotiate with new investors.

"The fact that they chose to turn our offer down simply confirms what many of us suspected: that Peel was never serious about finding an alternative and safeguarding the future of DSA. It is still not too late for them to do the right thing; for them to reconsider their decision for the sake of those employees, businesses and communities directly impacted by this appalling decision. But ultimately if they cannot be stopped from taking this course of action then our focus will shift to supporting our communities through the next few difficult weeks and months.

"The only people who can now intervene to keep DSA operational are national Government. Liz Truss said she would protect the airport. Now is the moment to turn those words into action. We stand ready to work with the Government.

"Despite everything, I am proud of how our community has come together over the past few months in our efforts to protect the future of the airport. I remain steadfast in my commitment to an ambitious plan for Doncaster and South Yorkshire, and those impacted by Peel’s decision today will be at the forefront of my efforts."

Steven Underwood, Chief Executive, Peel Group, said: “We recognise that we are living in uncertain times, and we understand that our announcement will be difficult to hear for the Doncaster and wider South Yorkshire communities in which we have worked and invested for over two decades. However, as has been seen many times before in industries undergoing structural change, although change brings uncertainty it can also bring significant opportunity.

“As the Strategic Review concludes, we look forward to collaborating with our partners to create a vibrant, long-term vision for GatewayEast and the airport site. We will not accept any public sector grant to cover the costs of an airport that is not viable due to its lack of adequate forward revenues and high operating costs. Accepting funds from SYMCA may postpone the inevitable for another thirteen months, but it will divert funds away from services on which communities throughout South Yorkshire rely.

“Instead, we intend to continue working closely with local and national stakeholders to develop a forward-thinking strategy for the airport site, in conjunction with the £1.7 billion GatewayEast development next door, to help unlock vibrant, job-creating alternatives to ensure future growth and prosperity. We have the potential to attract cutting-edge, future-tech businesses to South Yorkshire, but only if we are able to collaborate with our local stakeholders and community in South Yorkshire.”

DSA website

Images: DSA

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News: Rotherham hotel to continue to house asylum seekers for another year

A hotel in Rotherham is to house more asylum seekers after signing an extension to its deal with The Home Office.

Local MP, John Healey continues to point out that the Holiday Inn at Manvers is "utterly unsuited as accomodation for 130 asylum seekers" and has written again to the home secretary voicing concerns.

Known as the Holiday Inn Express Rotherham – North, the 130-bed hotel was a key development within the £100m+ Waterfront development at Manvers. The £9m development opened in late 2009 as the Park Inn by Radisson.

It has been used previously as a temporary home for asylum seekers fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan and the franchisee was then contracted by The Home Office who planned to move asylum seekers already in Rotherham from the Ibis Hotel at Bramley, with further arrivals from May 2022.

Despite the government saying that this would be a temporary measure, the Wentworth and Dearne MP has learnt that the Home Office has extended the exclusive contract with the Holiday Inn at Manvers for another year, until October 2023.

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Healey said that, again, no consultation had taken place and outlined that the hotel is miles away from many support services.

John said: "When I met the hotel owners in the summer, I made clear the strength of local feeling over getting the hotel back open to the public. They confirmed in that discussion, and again now when they told me about the extended Home Office contract, that “the longer-term plan is to operate Holiday Inn Express, Rotherham very much as a hotel facility and support tourism in the area."

"They have also given a clear undertaking to invest in refurbishing the hotel prior to re-opening it as a Holiday Inn Express again. I am determined to hold them to this."

The MP wants to see a review of the contract after six months, a requirement that all local authorities take part in a national dispersal programme and additional funding for the area. His main call was for the government to "get control of the crisis of migrant crossings on the channel."

Images: Google Maps

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News: Aldi to close Rotherham store

Aldi is set to check out of a store in Rotherham that is only ten years old.

Despite being Britain's fastest growing grocer, the German discount retailer, has informed staff that its Eastwood store will close next month.

Aldi, which already has more than 960 stores across the UK, has plans to open on average a new store every week over the coming years as it targets 1,200 stores by 2025.

Discounters have seen dramatic sales increases in recent months. Retail industry experts, Kantar recently reported that Aldi’s sales rose by 18.7% over the 12 weeks to 4 September 2022, reaching a 9.3% market share and making it Britain’s fourth largest supermarket for the first time.

Despite the sales growth and expansion, Rothbiz revealed last year that Lamb & Swift had been instructed to advertise the store on Fitzwilliam Road as being for sale and to let.

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Now staff have confirmed that the store will close on October 16.

Staff are being offered the opportunity to move to other nearby stores.

It is expected that the Eastwood building will be taken on by another retailer.

The 15,080 sq ft unit was built on the former Matthewman's car showroom with work starting in 2011.

The modern retail unit, which is on a site with an area of 1.7 acres and has 78 car parking spaces, was made available by way of a new lease or for sale with asking prices only available on application.

In 2019, rival discount chain Lidl, opened a 23,000 sq ft store on the site of the former Dalton Progressive Working Men's Club, just over a mile away. The Eastwood site is also located between large Tesco and Asda stores, as well as being close to Iceland and Heron Foods outlets.

Since the Eastwood store opened, Aldi has gone on to open Rotherham stores at Parkgate, Bramley, Maltby and Swallownest.

Aldi regularly publishes its property requirements but no areas of Rotherham are in the latest update.

Aldi website

Images: Lamb & Swift

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News: AESSEAL's investment in over 2,000 solar panels pays off

A business backed project to encourage environmental investment is paying off for Yorkshire businesses now facing soaring energy bills.

The Betterworld philanthropic organisation set up by AESSEAL plc is intended to limit the negative consequences of climate change. Betterworld members have a Board level commitment to put environmental projects first, but also to provide a direct conduit for environmental projects to the Board, for their own workforce, suppliers and customers.

As a result of best-practice sharing, a number of members have been encouraged over recent years to invest heavily in energy saving measures including solar panels and battery storage.

AESSEAL is a multi award winning Rotherham company which designs and makes mechanical seals and support systems for a wide range of global industries including oil and gas, food, water, mining and pharmaceuticals.

AESSEAL, the founder of Betterworld, say that with energy prices now soaring, they are about to benefit to the value of £636,500 a year as a result of inspiration and best practice sharing from another Betterworld member, Gripple Ltd (Gripple).

The founder of Gripple, Hugh Facey, advised AESSEAL that Gripple had already installed over 900 solar panels on various factory roofs in the Sheffield area.

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At the time the decision was made to recondition its roofs and buy 2,300 solar panels, AES had just re-signed electricity contracts at an average rate of 6p per kilowatt hour and gas at 2p per kilowatt hour. Without an energy price cap, a renewed contract would mean electricity costs rising to 85p per kilowatt hour, a staggering 14 times more, and gas rising to 26p per kilowatt hour, a staggering 13 times more.

AESSEAL and AES Managing Director, Chris Rea, says that while the original investment decision was primarily for environmental reasons, the helpful advice “from our friends at Gripple”, was now paying significant business dividends.

Rea said: “In summary one of the largest beneficiaries of the Betterworld initiative is its founder, AESSEAL, as a direct result of their Board of Directors gratefully receiving best practice input from a Betterworld member, Gripple.

“AESSEAL and Betterworld would like to thank Gripple and Hugh Facey for reducing the annual energy bill at its Rotherham Headquarters by an estimated £636,500 a year when the installation of the 2,300 solar panels is completed.”

AESSEAL website
Betterworld website

Images: AESSEAL

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News: Auditor resigns from Liberty Speciality Steels

The firm paid to audit Liberty Speciality Steel, which operates facilities in Rotherham, has resigned, with the annual accounts still unpublished.

The company, part of Sanjeev Gupta's GFG Alliance, employs hundreds of staff in South Yorkshire, including in Rotherham. Gupta completed a £100m deal to acquire the Speciality Steels division of Tata Steel UK in 2017.

Last year, a group of MPs has noted a series of audit and corporate governance "red flags" around Liberty Steel having looked at the steel industry more closely following the collapse of Liberty's principal lender, Greensill Capital.

Since the inquiry, Liberty Steel has restarted production in Rotherham, having injected £50m of shareholder funds whilst it continues to look for longer term financing.

A relatively small audit firm, King & King, has now resigned its position at Liberty Speciality Steel and has brought a number of issues to the attention of the company's creditors.

In a letter to Sanjeev Gupta, Milan Patel, partner at King & King, said that it had been “unable to complete” audits of accounts for the year ending March 31 2020 "due to a lack of information and evidence in connection with the publicly reported SFO [Serious Fraud Office] investigation, the alleged fraud(s) and any internal investigations."

In April, the SFO attended trading addresses linked with Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance to request documents including company balance sheets, annual reports and correspondence related to the SFO’s investigation into suspected fraud, fraudulent trading and money laundering in relation to the financing and conduct of the business of companies within the GFG Alliance, including its financing arrangements with Greensill Capital UK Ltd.

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King & King also said that there was a lack of evidence on the company's ability to fund its future operations for at least 12 months from the approval of the financial statements.

The audit firm also reported a lack of information and evidence regarding related parties and the "recoverability of related party balances."

With talk of Government support for the business last year, Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng described GFG as having an "opaque structure" with "no guarantees where that money might eventually go." The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee discussed the structure and "questionable corporate governance arrangements" and added: "We believe that until Mr Gupta restructures his GFG Alliance companies into a more acceptable corporate structure and publishes consolidated accounts that are adequately audited, that he fails to fulfil the criteria that we believe should be applied to define a fit and proper person for the purposes of receiving any form of Government support."

The committee also discussed the choice of auditor and reported: "We found it utterly unconvincing, and do not believe that King & King had the capacity, expertise, or resources to audit the accounts of multiple large GFG Alliance and Liberty Steel UK companies representing over £2.5 billion of revenue.

"The reputation of Liberty Steel UK has been threatened by the poor audit and accounting practices of GFG Alliance, including the changing of accounting deadlines and its inability to produce consolidated accounts. As these accounts are yet to be published it is difficult to see the true financial picture of Liberty Steel UK. Unless remedied, these deficiencies severely limit the potential of that firm to be viewed as a reliable partner in any long-term strategy for the UK steel industry."

In May, the regulator of auditors, accountants and actuaries, the Financial Reporting Council, launched an investigation regarding four audits by King & King, including the audit of the consolidated financial statements of Liberty Speciality Steels Limited for the year ended 31 March 2019.

In June, courts ruled that financial firms Citibank and Credit Suisse could continue with their winding up petition against the speciality steels division of Liberty Steel. Issued to the courts by those seeking to recover money that they are owed, the move came ater HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) issued a petition to have the speciality steel company wound up but following positive discussions, the petitions were withdrawn.

In a statement to the Financial Times, GFG Alliance said: "We have parted company with King & King due to overall issues resulting from the collapse of Greensill Capital. We are in the process of appointing new auditors. There is no impact on the operations of any of our businesses."

Liberty Steel website

Images: Liberty House

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News: Funding for Forge Island redevelopment under review

Rotherham Council is looking at all the options for getting the Forge Island leisure scheme built in Rotherham town centre - even paying for the project from council coffers.

The council's cabinet has been asked to make approvals this month as there is a deadline for the already agreed prices and terms. Delays could put the project at risk and see deals for anchor tenants unravel.

Forge Island is a Council-owned site which sits between the River Don and South Yorkshire Navigation Canal. Led by Muse Developments, it will host a new leisure scheme with an 8-screen boutique style cinema, modern hotel, food and beverage (F&B) outlets and car parking. It is set to be completed in 2024.

A hybrid planning application was approved in 2020 and since then, major hotel brand, Travelodge, has signed up alongside boutique cinema operator, The Arc, to jointly anchor the scheme.

The last update to the council's cabinet in March 2022 was that Muse was looking to appoint a contractor with a negotiated price and that work to secure a funder for the scheme was also reported as being close.

Judith Badger. Strategic Director of Finance and Customer Services at Rotherham Council, updated councillors this week. She said: "We are getting very close to concluding on the Forge Island deal. All of the kind of pre-work is in place and we need to be signing and concluding on that deal very quickly if we are to maintain the prices that have been secured, the contractors that have been secured etc.

"One of the things that has come to light very recently, given the volatility in the financial markets and the gilt prices, is that the intended way of financing Forge Island was through an external funder linked in with the Muse contract, but there are some challenges around that market at the moment so we felt that it was appropriate for us, before we conclude the deal, to consider all the relevant and appropriate options for financing that deal in case we can't use the external financing or if the price is prohibitive. There are lot of complexities within the deal.

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"We want to bring a paper to cabinet which will enable us to conclude the deal and carry forward with the Forge island development but what we need to do is consider all the financing options that are available to us. Should one of those options be a greater contribution from the council, or an entire contribution - in other words, the council financing it rather than via a secondary deal - then we would need an item to go into the capital programme which has to be approved by council. But the timescales don't afford the time to come to cabinet in October and to council after that in November because we want to secure the prices and the contractors. And we've got tenants also secured and we don't want to lose that.

"It is really about making sure we have got best value for our taxpayers. We've got a legitimate scheme going forward that we can get on without any delay but the technicalities of, should that require any changes to the capital programme, we need council approval for that."

The council's cabinet agreed a recommendation so that a decision could be made at full council next month that would then enable the authority's officers and cabinet to work through and agree on the best way to finance the scheme.

In 2019, a 250 year lease with Muse was proposed. The agreement included an option for the developer to ask the Council to take an over-riding lease of the scheme. Reducing some of the risks for the developer, this would involve the authority subletting and collecting rents from operators, which would generate an income stream to fund the head lease costs.

Forge Island website

Images: Muse

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News: Work starts at massive new Rotherham warehouse

Work is underway on a huge distribution centre development alongside the M18 motorway in Rotherham after a lead contractor was appointed.

Two facilities are being built adjacent to junction 1 of the M18 at Hellaby, one of 630,000 sq ft, which will be one of the largest-ever speculative logistics buildings in the north of England, and a smaller 80,000 sq ft facility.

Panattoni, the largest logistics real estate developer in the UK and Europe, has appointed Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd as main contractor.

Over the next few weeks the contractor will be starting cut and fill operation and forming the main entrance to the site to make sure it’s fully operational.

The units incorporate two-storey office blocks/first floor offices, level access doors/dock loading doors. In addition, the works will include access roads, service yards, car parking and hard/soft landscaping and associated incoming services.

Both units will benefit from Panattoni’s Grade-A standard specification. Prioritising quality, durability and efficient operations, every Panattoni build is designed to do more with less for longer, as demonstrated by targeting a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’ and EPC rating of ‘A’.

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To facilitate the on-site works Buckingham will also deliver Section 278 highway works. The existing Bawtry Road (A631) and Cumwell Lane will be improved to provide safe access to and egress from the new industrial development. The finished road / junction will be designed and constructed in line with Local Authority / Highway standards.

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Dan Burn, Head of Development; North West & Yorkshire at Panattoni, said: "We are glad to be on-site starting construction of such significant scale in the North of England. The development has already seen substantial interest from occupiers, especially with the lack of supply of Grade-A space in the region. Panattoni’s speculative development programme keeps providing these opportunities that are missing in the market.”

Letting agents are M1 Agency, Legat Owen and Knight Frank and completion is expected in Q3 2023.

Panattoni website
Buckingham Group website

Images: Panattoni

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News: Objectors don't want Seasons to change

Local councillors are accusing the operators of a new restaurant in a Rotherham village of going back on their word following an application to vary the premises licence.

Rothbiz reported in 2019 on proposals for a change of use at 151 and 153 Bawtry Road and Unit 6 on The Courtyard to create a combined unit as a restaurant.

Earlier plans for a craft ale bar were refused by the Council and Seasons Restaurant opened in Wickersley in early 2022. A decked area was later added to the premises.

The area of Wickersley village has been designated as a Cumulative Impact Zone and applicants "must be able to demonstrate to the Council and other responsible authorities that granting a new or varied licence will not add to the cumulative impact already being experienced within the area."

Operators, who are also the owners of The Courtyard, want to vary the premises licence that currently restricts Seasons to operate solely as a restaurant, save for alcohol being served to those waiting to be seated or ancillary to a restaurant meal.

Applicants want the venue to be used similar to a drinking establishment during private prebooked functions (the current condition states that customers shall remain seated when consuming alcohol), and, at all times, for up to 20 customers to be permitted to stand while consuming beverages in a small area at the entrance.

The current licence requires a minimum of three SIA door supervisors to manage customers from Seasons and adjacent premises from 10pm on Friday and Saturday evenings when the Courtyard is open and trading. Applicants also want this condition removed.

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The licencing officer at Rotherham Council said that the changes would make the premises "more akin to a pub than a restaurant and would adversely affect residents within the locality due to noise and the likelihood for increased disorder following increased demand for drinks only within the premises."

The representation from the officer adds: "With the current licence allowing until midnight and the applicant wishing to retain midnight on a Friday and Saturday there would be the likelihood of the premises becoming a bar after 22.00hrs with no door supervision and significant adverse impact on residents in the locality.

"The applicant has also requested the terminal hour remain midnight Monday – Thursday should the premises be carrying out a pre-booked function. This would result in the premsies having vertical drinking only until midnight with no door supervision or restriction. The ability to operate in this way would affect the crime and disorder and public nuisance licensing objectives."

An objection on behalf of the three local councillors, Cllr. Ellis, Cllr. Read and Cllr. Hoddinott adds; "At the original hearing [in 2020] the committee were on numerous occasions told and reassured that the premises would only be solely used as a restaurant and that they aspired to becoming a Michelin star restaurant. Due to this the committee attached various conditions to ensure this happened and to ameliorate the problems that the local community are facing. It was only due to the conditions being attached that the license was granted.

"The proposed removal of some of the conditions ... would enable an extensive area to become a bar area, only being used for the serving of alcohol with no necessity for any food to be served or consumed. This is at complete odds to all that was said to the committee and the community."

Seasons website

Images: Seasons

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News: Proponents push on with plan for Rotherham mainline station

Despite some uncertainty, Rotherham Council and its partners continue to develop regeneration plans based around a potential new £30m mainline station in Rotherham.

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and Rotherham Council have been developing a scheme to return mainline train services to the borough for the first time since the 1980s. A site at Parkgate is the frontrunner for a regeneration project described by experts as "a relatively straightforward scheme for delivery within three to four years."

A business case has been completed and a lead consultant has now been procured to produce a masterplan study for the station area.

£10m has been earmarked to support the mainline station as part of Rotherham Council’s successful £31.6m award from the Towns Fund. The award triggered a 12 month period to develop locally assured Full Business Cases ahead of the submission of Project Summary Documents to the Government by 29th June 2022.

A business case around the Mainline Station was submitted to the Government in August.

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A council report states: "The scheme promotes a new Rotherham Integrated Mainline and Tram Train Station which will significantly improve local, regional and national rail connectivity for local people and businesses, offering access to employment and business growth opportunities, and contributing significantly to the economic regeneration of the town.

"The preferred location for the station demonstrates excellent strategic fit with Rotherham’s urban core due to its proximity to the town centre, a number of planned housing and employment sites, and its potential to provide a high quality transport interchange hub, and location adjacent to the existing tramtrain line and close to existing bus routes. Additionally, the site is of a size that it can accommodate the necessary station infrastructure and ancillary facilities whilst surrounding land offers significant regeneration potential in the longer term.

"The Towns Fund investment is focused on the acquisition of the land necessary to construct the integrated station and associated facilities, thereby de-risking the project, maintaining project momentum and catalysing further investment. The Council, as project promoter, and partners are seeking opportunities to expedite the process and accelerate delivery of the project where possible."

The project delivery has not been helped by a Government decision to not allow SYMCA to use the full £8m requested from its City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) for the project.

The £8m could still come forward from the CRSTS before 2027, but a lot rides on the studies into taking HS2 services to Leeds. For the Levelling Up Fund, the Government expects all funding provided from the earlier rounds to be spent by 31 March 2024, and, exceptionally, into 2024-25 for larger schemes.

As part of the project, Weston Williamson + Partners has secured a £349,000 contract from the council to carry out the masterplan study. Tender documents show that as part of the business case "it is important to ascertain the wider regeneration benefits a new station could deliver. In order to understand the wider regeneration potential a masterplan is required."

Acquired earlier this year by Egis, one of the world’s leading consulting, engineering and operating companies, Weston Williamson + Partners has a portfolio that includes work on Paddington Station, Old Oak Common HS2 Station and Barking Riverside (pictured) in London, and plans for taking Manchester’s HS2 station underground.

As for any potential services to a Rotherham mainline station, this could include current TransPennine Express, Northern and Cross Country services that pass through the borough without stopping, and future Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) trains between Sheffield and Leeds and Hull, and a Manchester Airport to Cleethorpes NPR service. The region wants to see two trains per hour, NPR "shuttles," between Sheffield and Leeds stopping at Rotherham mainline.

Images: Weston Williamson + Partners

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News: Why are big warehouses being built in Rotherham?

Developers are answering the call for more much needed warehouse space in the Sheffield region as evidenced by large scale new developments in Rotherham.

The KKR-backed specialist asset manager, Mirastar, recently agreed to finance the development of Catalyst, through M1 Agency. The 18-acre site sits on Sheffield Business Park, incorporating 285,000 sq ft across five units with a value of £60m.

Outline plans were approved in 2019 to enable the successful Sheffield Business Park to expand into Rotherham. The fourth phase is being built on a 17.9-acre site that was previously kept in the greenbelt when Sheffield City Airport was in operation.

Premcor, a private UK based property development company, joined with Peveril Securities, a wholly owned investment and development division of Bowmer and Kirkland, to work together on their first ever South Yorkshire site.

Barnfield Construction is making swift progress alongside the Parkway.

At Hellaby, work is underway on a huge distribution centre development alongside the M18 motorway.

Panattoni, the largest industrial real estate developer in Europe, bought the site and is bringing forward a unit of 630,000 sq ft, which will be one of the largest-ever speculative logistics buildings in the north of England, and a smaller 80,000 sq ft facility. Completion is expected in July 2023.

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Henry Watson, lead agent at M1 Agency in the Yorkshire and The North East said: “The market dynamic in Sheffield and surrounding area demonstrates a chronic imbalance between an extreme amount of demand and a huge lack of supply.

“The unprecedented growth demand for last mile solutions shown in Sheffield and the wider South Yorkshire conurbations has been triggered by the rise of the convenience economy driven by mobile technology.

“Proximity to customers is becoming ever important as goods need to be moved quicker and more often, intensifying the demand for space in last-mile locations.”

But it is not just last mile warehousing required in the region. Watson said: “Demand has continued to outweigh supply within the big box market too. The dynamic shift in consumer habits with increased multi-channel retail has created further extra-large scale requirements because of the nature of e-fulfilment.

“While e-commerce is one of the primary drivers of the ongoing large-scale warehousing demand, we are also seeing third-party logistics providers transitioning to larger multi-user facilities and consolidating their estates.

“With slimming margins on retail sales, occupiers have been looking at their logistics and supply chain management to reduce costs and increase profitability."

A latest study by agents, Knight Frank for the region confirms that it is a lack of supply and continued occupier demand that has driven the appetite for speculative development.

At the end of Q2 2022, there was 1.83 million sq ft of space immediately available. However, 73% was under offer with further availbale space in advance discussions.

Rebecca Schofield, partner and head of the Yorkshire Industrial team at Knight Frank in Sheffield, said: "Despite the caution that has entered the investment market, occupier demand and enquiries remain robust and we expect levels of interest to continue in respect of the further speculative development planned, including Panattoni Park in Rotherham, Barnsley 340, Bessemer Park Sheffield, Horizon 29 at Chesterfield and Unity Doncaster.”

M1 Agency website
Knight Frank website

Images: M1 Agency

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News: Second £50m bid to level up South Yorkshire's public transport

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has submitted another bid to secure £50m from the Government's Levelling Up Fund (LUF) that is focused on improving the passenger journey experience on public transport in South Yorkshire.

The competitive fund is investing over £4 billion in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets.

The fund focuses investment on projects of up to £20m however larger investments of up to £50m could be made in transport by exception. Combined Authorities are eligible to have one successful transport bid only.

SYMCA's first round £49m bid was unsuccessful and the authority's Local Enterprise Partnership is being told that "a more innovative approach, responding to the evolving needs of the passenger transport network has been developed for round two" - expected to be the final round of the Levelling Up Fund.

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A report explains: "Following a review of the feedback from our original LUF submission and successes from other regions, it was determined that revision of the round one proposal was not suitable and a more innovative approach has been developed.

"The round two submission is centred on the modernisation of the passenger transport network and establishment of a SMART transport system to provide a greater customer offering and experience.

"The proposal has three main pillars; the ability to plan better journeys through the provision of technology and customer information improvements at stops and interchanges, the ability to ‘buy better’ through an integrated and simple ticket purchasing process and better travel opportunity through improvements to the reliability of scheduled services and the creation of a new Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) service capability."

Demand Responsive Transport is a form of shared transport for groups or individuals, such as a bus, which alters its route based on demand rather using a fixed route or timetabled journeys. In addition for services that are already running, the service is designed to allow people, even in the most remote of locations to order a bus, as you would a taxi in the city centre.

A bid was submitted to the Government in August.

The Government recently confirmed SYMCA's allocation from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) for transformative investment in the region’s transport network,

But ambitions plans for transforming bus services in the region were not been backed by any Government funding. A funding gap was estimated to be between £430 - £474m.

SYMCA website

Images: SYPTE

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News: Residents cry foul over Rotherham KFC development, with Costa planning to join

Updated plans for a food-led revamp of a former commercial property in a Rotherham village are being recommended for approval, despite a number of objections.

Rothbiz revealed back in 2018 that QFM Group, the Sheffield-based developer and operator of a number of fast food franchises, was progressing plans for new outlets in Wickersley, Rotherham.

QFM Group is one of the largest franchise companies in the UK and was founded in 1982 when it opened its first restaurant in Sheffield. It now has a chain of quick service restaurants and is continuing to grow with a current expansion programme. QFM operates world renowned brands such as KFC, Costa Coffee and Taco Bell.

Planning permission was secured and KFC opened in Wickersley last year in a building near to The Tanyard that was formerly used by Tirobaggi, an online supplier of quality handbags and accessories, and Edward Healy & Sons, a provider of shoe repair materials.

New plans are for a Costa Coffee alongside KFC.

Plans show that the 4,000 sq ft development could be subdivided into three units and planners previously concluded that "the proposed development represents an acceptable form of development in this locality that will be in keeping with its character and appearance and would not adversely affect the amenity of neighbouring residents or highway users."

However, differences between the scheme approved and that currently operating have resulted in the submission of a new application to regularise matters.

The latest application seeks full planning permission for the subdivision and change of use of the existing building to two units (rather than three) comprising a takeaway to the Bawtry Road frontage with a coffee shop to the rear area.

These differ from the café and take-away previously approved under the 2019 permission in that the take-away element has slightly reduced in area and the coffee shop element increased.

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KFC would continue to have public access from the Bawtry Road elevation with the coffee shop being accessed from the Fairways frontage. Also in the plans are an external seating area to the front and a service area and car parking area for three cars to the rear.

Applicants say that: "The proposal improves and re-uses one of the oldest buildings in the district centre in a way that would result in 20 jobs and increased footfall at this end of the centre."

A number of objections and a petition from local residents have been received covering issues around the need for more takeaways in the area, the character of the area, noise and odour issues and various highway issues.

Planners are recommending that planning board members approve the plans. They maintain that the application complies with council planning policies brought in to address the proliferation of takeaways to help maintain the economic vitality and viability of town district and local centres.

A planning report states that "the proposal would not result in more than 10% of the ground floor units in the district centre being used as hot food takeaways (this unit would bring the total to 9%)" and adds that two takeaways would not be operating adjacent to each other (against the policy guidelines) as the Seven Seas fish bar next door to the application site "has more recently added a restaurant onto the site so is not exclusively a takeaway use."

The opening hours are set to be 0700hrs to 2300hrs. Planning officers add that with "the building not being immediately adjacent to residential properties and the commercial nature of the area the proposed hours are considered to be acceptable."

The proximity to local schools was also raised by objectors but the council's policy means that, as the site is within a defined district centre and satisfies the relevant planning policies, it cannot be refused on these grounds.

If approved, planning permission comes with a number of proposed conditions including extraction systems to abate odours and plant and equipment that doesn't exceed certain noise levels.

Measures to prevent indiscriminate parking in the wide footway fronting and adjacent the premises have now been implemented following the recent insertion of the bollards in this location. These were part of the previous planning permission and KFC was forced to close until the works were carried out.

The plans are due to go before the planning board at Rotherham Council next week.

QFM Group website

Images: Google Maps

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News: Harworth deliver strong returns

Harworth Group plc, the Rotherham-based leading regenerator of land and property for sustainable development and investment, has posted a number of signs in its latest financial results that it continues to deliver successfully against its growth strategy outlined a year ago.

Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Harworth is based close to its flagship Waverley development and is a specialist in brownfield regeneration, owning and managing approximately 15,000 acres on around 100 sites in the North of England and the Midlands.

In its Half Year Results for 2022, Harworth posted that EPRA NDV increased by 13.7% to £724.8m. Its ambitious strategy goal is to reach £1bn of EPRA NDV over five to seven years. EPRA NDV is how Harworth measures the value of the its assets.

Bosses said that gains were made across both industrial & logistics and residential sites, largely resulting from progress at development sites.

Total return, the actual rate of return of Harworth's investments, was 14.1%, slightly down from the 15.4% posted in the first half of 2021.

Harworth's focus has been on the "beds and sheds" sectors where demand remains strong. The last financial year saw the new CEO launch and complete a strategic review of the business. This outlined an ambitious growth strategy but Harworth plans to keep doing what it is doing, with plans to grow its strategic land portfolio and land promotion activities - backed by a new £200m revolving credit facility (RCF).

Progress includes starting work on new developments (including 200,000 sq ft of new space on the Advanced Manufcaturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham), reaching practical completion on a number of developments, finalising land sales and launching a new single-family Build to Rent (“BTR”) product.

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Lynda Shillaw, Chief Executive, Harworth Group plc, said: "Harworth made significant operational and financial progress in the first half. We undertook a record level of direct development in our industrial & logistics portfolio, continued to accelerate our residential sales, and made several acquisitions to grow our development pipeline. It is our management actions that have materially contributed to the growth in EPRA NDV, supported by the strong market during the period for our residential and industrial & logistics products, demonstrating that we are continuing to deliver successfully against our growth strategy outlined a year ago.

“We are alive to the complex geopolitical and macroeconomic environment impacting economies across the world, and we remain closely attuned to the potential impact on our markets. We are confident that Harworth’s strong financial position, and the scale and mix of our portfolio, positions us well to respond to these challenges and adapt to the changing risk environment. However, as previously stated, it is our expectation that as a result of this market backdrop, valuation gains during 2022 are likely to be first half-weighted.

“The supply and demand factors supporting our markets have been resilient to date, our pipeline remains robust, and our through-the-cycle investment and management actions continue to drive value across our portfolio. Our proven successful track record as a developer of large complex sites to create high-quality sustainable places provides a solid platform for growth as we continue to deliver on our strategic plan to reach £1bn of EPRA NDV.”

Harworth website

Images: Harworth

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News: Latest Forge Island plans approved

Updated plans for the Forge Island regeneration scheme in Rotherham town centre have been approved.

Forge Island is a Council-owned site which sits between the River Don and South Yorkshire Navigation Canal. Led by Muse Developments, it will host a new leisure scheme with an 8-screen boutique style cinema, modern hotel, food and beverage (F&B) outlets and car parking. It is set to be completed in 2024.

A hybrid planning application was approved in 2020 and since then, major hotel brand, Travelodge, has signed up alongside boutique cinema operator, The Arc, to jointly anchor the scheme.

The latest plans were submitted by Muse to include further exacting details for the two occupiers. They have been approved without going to the Council's planning board.

The previously approved plans are for a four storey, 69 bed hotel at the north of the site, designed with a metal top and brick base in grey. An adjoining restaurant (two storey) is also in the plans.

The hotel changes are largely internal and would result in a reduction in the floorspace of the restaurant. However, documents show that the commercial requirements for the restaurant require a minimum of 2,400 sq ft to be available so the floorplate of the restaurant building is proposed to be extended 3 metres further south.

Council planners say that this extension is not anticipated to have any adverse visual impact on the development proposed or its surroundings.

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2020 plans detailed the cinema - the largest building in the scheme at 25,000 sq ft, positioned at the south of Forge Island. Either side of the cinema's foyer are two restaurant units (2,500 sq and 3,000 sq ft), which have the potential for mezzanine levels. Plans show five screens with between 125 and 143 seats and three smaller screens of between 50 and 83 seats. The cinema design incorporates a saw-tooth roof profile with a metal cap and a robust brick podium base.

The proposed amendments to the approved cinema drawings are at plant / roof level to allow for a minor increase to the size of the plant zone. This will allow equipment to sit at plant floor level, as originally intended, and therefore below the ridge of the proposed roof line and be visually concealed.

Another change is to the proposed pedestrian bridge which will need to be wider than the original design to allow for fire engine access from Corporation Street to the main Forge Island area.

The widening of the bridge has also meant that the cafe building proposed in the new public realm area replacing the Riverside Precinct has had to be relocated. Planners state that this area, to be known as Millgate Place, "will offer an attractive gateway/link between the Town Centre and Forge Island. The slightly altered location of the coffee pod enables an improved level access pedestrian link to the adjacent riverside walk and Riverside gardens."

Enabling works are underway on a replacement footbridge, with the contractor starting on site this month. Regarding the flood works, the canal barrier at Forge Island has been operational since mid August.

Muse has also submitted a Construction & Environment Management Plan for the leisure scheme. Drawn up by Bowmer & Kirkland, it is a big hint that it will be the Derbyshire company, one of the most successful and financially secure, privately owned construction and development groups in the UK, that will be taking on the construction of the Forge Island scheme.

The council heard earlier this year that Muse was looking to apoint a contractor with a negotiated price in order to produce the best possible price and greatest level of certainty around cost. Work to secure a funder for the scheme was also reported as being close.

An update to the Council's cabinet next week adds: "The detailed design of the flagship leisure development at Forge Island - comprising a cinema, hotel, and restaurants – is on track and expected this month (September 2022), allowing construction to begin."

Forge Island website

Images: Muse / Travelodge

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