Monday, September 16, 2024

News: Further funding required for finishing Rotherham regeneration projects

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Regeneration projects in Rotherham are set to receive over £2m in order to progress.

In Rotherham town centre, work is finally underway at Snail Yard, a temporary pocket park that will replace a demolished former Primark on the High Street.

9-13 High Street was a large retail unit occupying a prominent location that Rotherham Council acquired and demolished in 2020 using funds from a £1m Towns Fund Accelerator programme pot.

Rothbiz reported last year that delays and rising costs saw the council cut ties with the appointed contractor for Snail Yard and instead, bring the work in-house to get it completed. Galliford Try Infrastructure was appointed as contractor for the £400,000 landscaping works in February 2022.

Updated plans were approved at the end of 2023 and work finally got underway in June 2024.

Now the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) board has approved a further £350,000 to go towards the total pocket park project costs of £920,000.

The funding is from Rotherham's gainshare pot. Gainshare funding refers to the money committed to South Yorkshire through the Devolution Deal agreed by the MCA, South Yorkshire local authorities and government.

After demolition, Rotherham Council had set out to complete a pocket park by September 2021 before targeting the Women's Euros in July 2022.

Meeting papers reiterate that long term plans are being explored and include such schemes as a residential led redevelopment of the entire site.

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A £1.78m grant from the same gainshare pot has also been secured for a regeneration scheme at Templebrough.

Rotherham Council has been developing plans for the Templeborough area, with around £6.5m in governmnet funding from the Town Deal set to be used to create a new "heart" of the business zone by "bringing forward underutilised sites and creating new opportunities for businesses within accessible and pleasant public realm."

Plans were approved last year for the land between Magna and Sheffield Road confirming the demolition of the former "Cent" Building and the construction of six new employment units along with two food and beverage units.

The industrial units total 9,762 sq ft and would provide "flexible commercial spaces to meet the requirements of a range of potential occupiers."

Two proposed food and beverage units will sit in an area known as "Magna Plaza" which also includes car parking, a pedestrianised area and outdoor seating, and a flowering grass area.

34 jobs are set to be created.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said: “I’m proud that we’re investing in every part of South Yorkshire to help all of our communities stay near and go far.

“There’s talent and opportunity right across our region and by investing in our people and places I’m determined to unlock South Yorkshire’s full potential.”

Images: Tom Austen

7 comments:

Ziggy,  September 17, 2024 at 1:57 PM  

No wonder the Governement has a black hole to fill.

Anonymous,  September 17, 2024 at 11:46 PM  

Why waste money on a temporary park?Just leave site while developer wants to build the residential.Simple.

Anonymous,  September 18, 2024 at 8:48 AM  

Because it will get left forever. The temporary park will become permanent.

Anonymous,  September 20, 2024 at 10:46 PM  

Only permanence is permanent and even that is ephemeral.

Anonymous,  September 20, 2024 at 10:49 PM  

Is English your second language?

Anonymous,  September 24, 2024 at 7:45 AM  

It's my kind of town.

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