News: Wheels in motion for council to buy up land for new Rotherham mainline station
Rotherham Council's cabinet has given the green light for the authority to start negotiations to acquire land needed for a new mainline station in the borough.
The 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.
Rothbiz revealed last year that the total project cost was £107.6m. £99.5m for the station and £7.1m for the tram-train stop when it went before SYMCA.
If successful, the proposals would see new direct services into York and Birmingham, with faster services to Leeds, Sheffield, and Doncaster than currently offered.
A site at Parkgate is the frontrunner and the council is aiming to snap up five sites.
£1m has been secured to develop the Outline Business Case and £10m in funding has been secured for land assembly.
In March 2022 Cabinet gave authority to acquire the land necessary to facilitate delivery of the Integrated Mainline and Tram Train Station and negotiations to acquire this property are ongoing with the landowner.
The masterplan has now been developed further, identifying connections between the mainline and tram-train, a preferred location for the station building and a layout for supporting facilities including car parking, a pick-up/drop off area and space to accommodate rail replacement bus services.
This week, cabinet has approved the acquisition of four further sites - "additional land and property that is essential to accommodate the station, its facilities and supporting infrastructure including a secondary means of egress from the northern platform."
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The council is also investigating the potential use of powers for a Compulsory Purchase or Transport and Works Act orders to acquire the necessary land, although negotiation remains the preferred option.
Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy Cllr Denise Lelliott told members: "Connectivity is the key for unlocking employment opportunities and inward investment, getting people from A to B. Without a really good rail network, as well as buses and active travel, it is going to stifle economic regeneration and development.
"We need to get that mainline station here."
At the meeting, Cllr. Chris Read, leader of Rotherham Council, said: "Arguably this is the most significant project for the Rotherham economy that we are able to undertake at the current time.
"If we are able to get agreement off government, and the necessary funding in place, then I think that would have a dramatic impact on Rotherham’s connectivity and the opportunities for jobs and leisure for Rotherham residents.
"It is worth saying that we are some way off being able to deliver that scheme in the way we would hope. There is funding that was secured through the Towns Deal to start pulling that site together. It is national infrastructure so the cards are not in our hands, if you like, to be able to deliver the whole scheme, but this is something that we want to take forward and continue to develop and to press government, whichever government it is, to be able to ensure that we get the benefit of those opportunities."
SYMCA had wanted to use the full £8m requested from its City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) for the project. Instead, the government is only allowing SYMCA to spend up to £1m from the pot between now and 2027 to develop the business case. Rotherham Council is hopeful of securing the follow-on funding.
With the development of the project and acquisitions set to take some time, construction is not due to start until 2026, with an opening for the new station pencilled in for Spring 2028.
Images: Google Maps
The 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.
Rothbiz revealed last year that the total project cost was £107.6m. £99.5m for the station and £7.1m for the tram-train stop when it went before SYMCA.
If successful, the proposals would see new direct services into York and Birmingham, with faster services to Leeds, Sheffield, and Doncaster than currently offered.
A site at Parkgate is the frontrunner and the council is aiming to snap up five sites.
£1m has been secured to develop the Outline Business Case and £10m in funding has been secured for land assembly.
In March 2022 Cabinet gave authority to acquire the land necessary to facilitate delivery of the Integrated Mainline and Tram Train Station and negotiations to acquire this property are ongoing with the landowner.
The masterplan has now been developed further, identifying connections between the mainline and tram-train, a preferred location for the station building and a layout for supporting facilities including car parking, a pick-up/drop off area and space to accommodate rail replacement bus services.
This week, cabinet has approved the acquisition of four further sites - "additional land and property that is essential to accommodate the station, its facilities and supporting infrastructure including a secondary means of egress from the northern platform."
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The council is also investigating the potential use of powers for a Compulsory Purchase or Transport and Works Act orders to acquire the necessary land, although negotiation remains the preferred option.
Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy Cllr Denise Lelliott told members: "Connectivity is the key for unlocking employment opportunities and inward investment, getting people from A to B. Without a really good rail network, as well as buses and active travel, it is going to stifle economic regeneration and development.
"We need to get that mainline station here."
At the meeting, Cllr. Chris Read, leader of Rotherham Council, said: "Arguably this is the most significant project for the Rotherham economy that we are able to undertake at the current time.
"If we are able to get agreement off government, and the necessary funding in place, then I think that would have a dramatic impact on Rotherham’s connectivity and the opportunities for jobs and leisure for Rotherham residents.
"It is worth saying that we are some way off being able to deliver that scheme in the way we would hope. There is funding that was secured through the Towns Deal to start pulling that site together. It is national infrastructure so the cards are not in our hands, if you like, to be able to deliver the whole scheme, but this is something that we want to take forward and continue to develop and to press government, whichever government it is, to be able to ensure that we get the benefit of those opportunities."
SYMCA had wanted to use the full £8m requested from its City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) for the project. Instead, the government is only allowing SYMCA to spend up to £1m from the pot between now and 2027 to develop the business case. Rotherham Council is hopeful of securing the follow-on funding.
With the development of the project and acquisitions set to take some time, construction is not due to start until 2026, with an opening for the new station pencilled in for Spring 2028.
Images: Google Maps
17 comments:
The secrecy continues! Is the site in 'Parkgate' (as was intimated) or 'Northfield', off Greasbrough Road (as per picture)? Either way RMBC is going to have to invest in major road infrastructure to make this work.
Why need need for improving roads?Idea of train station is to use train ,then get picked up by taxi,bus,or in this case tram into town centre?
Can we get away from the incorrect baby-talk American term “train station” for pity’s sake, please. It’s a railway station!
What mode of transport uses a Bus station?Bus Well a Train uses a train station!🥴
I thought it was common knowledge that it would be off Beale Way (behind The Range)? This would easily link it to the new park and ride and link road that is currently under construction.
No, it’s a station on a railway so it’s a railway station… or using your “logic” we should call an airport a “plane station”. 😃 it’s BABY-TALK!
It's going to be a touch further down from where the old Parkgate station was . That's why the pub is called The Station. The I-Motion gym has announced closure. That will be being bought as part of the scheme.
It’s going to be around Forge way
No it isn’t
I hope they utilise the space by building a high rise block of apartments above the station building.
Just at the side of Beale Way at Pargate this would be access to the new link road being built, also when the steelworks was there a tunnel under the railway that was used to take the slag from the furnaces tipped.This could be used access to the new railway station and even to get to shopping centre by car, thus relieving traffic congestion on Rawmarsh Road.
Naughty!
Would have been better using Forge Island, as parkgate is already getting all the business.
Using Forge Island for what?
Good idea
Now HS2 northern leg now cancelled (bout time)surely this will now bring this scheme forward,indeed just mentioned it on radio news
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