News: Rotherham Council's bid for bank building rebuffed
A Rotherham town centre regeneration project near to Forge Island is yet to make it to the planning stage, despite government funding being set aside three years ago and the local authority attempting to acquire the property to get it moving forward.
Rothbiz reported in 2021 on investment plans for vacant buildings on Corporation Street as part of a bid to extend the town's new Leisure and Cultural Quarter.
With the cinema and hotel now open on Forge Island, the work in the surrounding area has so far included Rotherham Council acquiring properties (former Wilko's, the burnt out buildings and the former bingo hall) and knocking some of them down.
In the case of the former NatWest Bank, private sector owners have not brought forward a suitable scheme and have turned down a bid from the council to buy the building.
2021 plans showed CGIs of a new scheme at the bank buildings on Corporation Street, adding that: "The Council have worked in conjunction with private sector owners to develop a mixed use and residential scheme which is capable of retaining the heritage features of buildings within the conservation area but requires some public sector funding."
To support the scheme, Rotherham Council was prepared to sell the former Lloyds bank next door for just £1 in 2022.
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Minutes from the Rotherham Town Board, which oversees the government-funded regeneration projects in the borough, show that concerns were raised earlier this year regarding the progress made by the owners of the NatWest Bank who were then given a short timescale to provide a plan.
Initial ideas centered around a phased approach with the bank first to be revamped, and the building further down Corporation Street, previously home to Costa and The Ring Shop, to follow.
With no suitable plans for the bank, the owners informed the council that they would consider selling the property.
Minutes from June show that: "It was previously agreed to offer for this building, but the offers have been rejected."
Council officers have been reassessing how money set aside for the scheme can be used.
£16.5m, including £4.3m from the Town Fund, was earmarked for an improved gateway to the Minster Gardens, enhancements to Corporation Street, and to support delivery of new residential development in the High Street.
Another scheme in the area is Riverside Gardens where planning permission was approved last year but work was delayed due to problems with procurement. A contractor has been lined up but the work has now been wrapped together with other planned public realm improvements on Corporation Street.
Using a mixture of soft and hard landscaping, Riverside Gardens is creating a gateway on an area extending from the demolished Riverside Precinct, covering the old abattoir site behind Market Street and passing the Old Market, Keppel Wharf and Westgate Chambers residential developments. It will surround the vacant bank buildings and was due to be completed for the opening of Forge Island.
For public spaces around Upper Millgate and Corporation Street, the aim is to create a more pedestrian friendly area as well as enhancing the crossing points to Riverside Gardens and Forge Island. The plans also include proposals to change the layout of the Ship Hill junction with the permanent removal of the traffic lights.
Images: Google Maps / RMBC
Rothbiz reported in 2021 on investment plans for vacant buildings on Corporation Street as part of a bid to extend the town's new Leisure and Cultural Quarter.
With the cinema and hotel now open on Forge Island, the work in the surrounding area has so far included Rotherham Council acquiring properties (former Wilko's, the burnt out buildings and the former bingo hall) and knocking some of them down.
In the case of the former NatWest Bank, private sector owners have not brought forward a suitable scheme and have turned down a bid from the council to buy the building.
2021 plans showed CGIs of a new scheme at the bank buildings on Corporation Street, adding that: "The Council have worked in conjunction with private sector owners to develop a mixed use and residential scheme which is capable of retaining the heritage features of buildings within the conservation area but requires some public sector funding."
To support the scheme, Rotherham Council was prepared to sell the former Lloyds bank next door for just £1 in 2022.
Advertisement
Minutes from the Rotherham Town Board, which oversees the government-funded regeneration projects in the borough, show that concerns were raised earlier this year regarding the progress made by the owners of the NatWest Bank who were then given a short timescale to provide a plan.
Initial ideas centered around a phased approach with the bank first to be revamped, and the building further down Corporation Street, previously home to Costa and The Ring Shop, to follow.
With no suitable plans for the bank, the owners informed the council that they would consider selling the property.
Minutes from June show that: "It was previously agreed to offer for this building, but the offers have been rejected."
Council officers have been reassessing how money set aside for the scheme can be used.
£16.5m, including £4.3m from the Town Fund, was earmarked for an improved gateway to the Minster Gardens, enhancements to Corporation Street, and to support delivery of new residential development in the High Street.
Using a mixture of soft and hard landscaping, Riverside Gardens is creating a gateway on an area extending from the demolished Riverside Precinct, covering the old abattoir site behind Market Street and passing the Old Market, Keppel Wharf and Westgate Chambers residential developments. It will surround the vacant bank buildings and was due to be completed for the opening of Forge Island.
For public spaces around Upper Millgate and Corporation Street, the aim is to create a more pedestrian friendly area as well as enhancing the crossing points to Riverside Gardens and Forge Island. The plans also include proposals to change the layout of the Ship Hill junction with the permanent removal of the traffic lights.
Images: Google Maps / RMBC
66 comments:
Why if the goal is to improve/expand the leisure 'quarter',is only things mentioned in this article, residential (obviously everyone from around the globe wants to live there)and open space(like there's not loads already).
I never liked the design concept produced by RMBC of sticking a couple of shipping containers on the top of quite a historic building,
It would make a nice Weatherspoons, Bluecoats Isn’t that accessible this is in a far better location, and they have a good track record of restoring old buildings!
The cultural phenomenon that is Weatherspoons. Let's try and aim a little higher!
The old cinema building would be a fantastic weatherspoons 👍
Depends what's in the containers.
This is Rotherham not Richmond on Thames
Abduls min-mart😁
Put a container on the top and a Wetherspoons in the container!
Hooters
Thankfully. Richmond on Thames is not a pleasant place to live
Next you’ll be telling us you’ve lived there JEZ
I agree. Pretty soulless place.
That would be the favourite!
Are you agreeing with yourself anon Jez?
If location was in Barnsley or Doncaster or Sheffield overlooking a river it would be some lovely waterside Bar/restaurant....but this is Rotherham!
How about doing the buildings up in the town centre itself it looks like a 3rd world slum it’s criminal that it’s been left to go that way, where’s the clear plan for what’s to come as there’s no nightlife,or anything to really attract people to want to visit
Which buildings would they be?
In terms of the attractiveness of it's buildings, Rotherham town centre beats Barnsley and Doncaster hands down. Neither of those places has anything to compare with All Saints Square.
Jez is the weirdest anon character on here I wish he'd just own up to driving traffic.
Yes, I lived at Richmond Park.
Rhino's, British Home Stores, Woolworths and the Khyber.
The only good thing about Richmond is pork sausage.
Richmond Pork Sausages are cr ap.
If you think Richmond pork sausage is good, your bar is set very low.
Eating any meat based sausage is suicide by additives.
Where is your evidence? Can you send me a link?
We have a sausage snob in our ranks. No doubt he consumes vegan, gluten free, soya bean sausages.
Richmond sausages are the left overs after the scrapings gave been cleared. Whatever meat percentage they have is grissle and hoof!
Our favourite party food was always sausage and our favourite game was hide the sausage.
So, quite healthy then.
Note for a moderator. I hope no-one is malicious enough to forward this to any member of Richmond management team. I understand that the company is quite prepared to use litigation to protect the reputation of its product. They may consider that the blog's vetting procedures are less than robust. However, if you feel it is worth the risk...
Richmond Pork Sausages are not to be sniffed at.
It is a shame that a number of recent posts have been critical of the town of Richmond in North Yorkshire. We must not forget that for 25 years before being sanctified in the Lords our very own William Hague was the duly elected member of Parliament for said constituency. William has received a very bad press and much of this has been very unfair. It is not his fault that he was a prematurely balding precocious grammar school twit with a sqeeky voice who crawled up Margaret Thatcher's bottom and stayed there until becoming leader of the Conservative Party.
I can believe that
The sausage bit that is, not the weird post directly above.
On the subject of meat products and prominent Conservatives, David Cameron was allegedly quite fond of pig's chaps.
A bit gullible aren't you? (the guy who uses the word weird a lot). A bit weird really.
No actual evidence that Cameron, Osborne or Johnson made advances to a dead pig's head. However they all deny it so it is probably true.
The pig was probably grateful that it was dead.
What a weird thing to say. Very weird indeed.
What on earth are you all on about, we are trying to make Rotherham a better place and all you can bothered about is taking about sausages.! Grow up and act like adults!
The Rotherham Council Is trying to give us a town to be proud of ! Take a trip to grimsby or Boston then then you will see we are moving forward. Try to be positive about Rotherham it was a great town , hopefully will be great again .
Rotherham
Sausages have feelings too. Some of them are very thin skinned.
Comments about sausages should not be on here. They should be on Grindr
Are you saying this blog has taken a turn for the wurst?
I used to think I was a sausage but I'm cured now.
I've never read so much utter tripe!
Oh Heck
Using tripe to make sausage would be offal.
I prefer sausages made with chopped rather than minced meat. They have a far more chewy and meaty texture and are usually more flavourful. With sausages you get what you pay for. Tesco Finest range of sausages are excellent, though they may not meet the standards of our resident sausage consultant.
I am not particularly fond of sausages but prefer the straight ones more than those that look like a Great Dane's poo.
As Forest Gump said, "Life is like a box of sausages. You never know what you're going to get"
I think a lot of you are in desperate need of giving or receiving a bit of pork or else you wouldn’t spend so much time on here posting complete and utter nonsense on here. I bet most of you haven’t had a taste for decades.
Vinegar Liz used to run a smashing little pork sausage emporium in the Clifton area when I was a lad.
Hand rolled sausages a speciality.
I take hit you quite like your pork pulled rather than roast?
Just a chipolata at the time
Liz said she'd pop it on the mantlepiece and smoke it later.
No need for the innuendo, there may be younger sausage fans looking in.
Or a cocktail sausage!
Thank goodness the weird posts about sausages have dried up. Someone should post a comment about bonfire night. I love the bangers...
I’d hate to be any of you
Don't have any worries on that score - you don't have the imagination.
Ha! Now that is a funny comment!
Clown
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