News: Two year delay confirmed for Rotherham regeneration project
A much-needed £12m regeneration project will not be completed until 2028, Rotherham Council papers confirm.
Backed by £11m in Government funding, the scheme at Dinnington aims to address blight in the town centre and boost the local economy. The funding will facilitate clearance of the burnt out and derelict buildings on the high street and pave the way for a new attractive town square, with purpose built commercial units to diversify the local offer.
With the council unable to acquire the properties required to deliver the scheme, a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) was issued earlier this year which revealed that the authority was talking to the Government about extending the spending on the project from 2026 to 2028.
Now a new update confirms that, in February 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, confirmed the extension of the project’s delivery window from March 2026 to March 2028 "to reflect potential CPO timescales."
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The delay means that Rotherham Council has had to find another £200,000 to support the development and delivery of the project.
A council report explained: "Whilst this extension secures project funding, it is likely that the extended programme length will require additional contingency funds to make allowance for potential cost increases due to factors such as contractor availability and materials inflation, as experienced in delivery of previous capital regeneration projects that have been subject to delay."
The allocation, from the council's Feasibility Fund, follows on from £1m in council funding being allocated to the project in July 2024.
The funding deadline for the grant has been extended by the Government to March 2027, with the additional £1m Council capital allocation then supporting subsequent works to complete the project to the end of its extended delivery window in March 2028.
A CPO is considered as a last resort and the Government grants powers to enable acquiring authorities to compulsorily purchase land to carry out a function which Parliament has decided is in the public interest. They can be long and costly with compensation for landowners to be decided relating to land value, disturbance and loss.
An inquiry for the Dinnington order is scheduled to open on July 1 2025.
Legal papers show that those against the order include the Nixon family (regarding Dinnington Market), Roy Mugglestone, Yvonne Mugglestone and William Carrol (regarding the indoor market) and Cobani Property Limited (regarding 50 Laughton Road).
Images: RMBC / AHR / Google Maps
Backed by £11m in Government funding, the scheme at Dinnington aims to address blight in the town centre and boost the local economy. The funding will facilitate clearance of the burnt out and derelict buildings on the high street and pave the way for a new attractive town square, with purpose built commercial units to diversify the local offer.
With the council unable to acquire the properties required to deliver the scheme, a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) was issued earlier this year which revealed that the authority was talking to the Government about extending the spending on the project from 2026 to 2028.
Now a new update confirms that, in February 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, confirmed the extension of the project’s delivery window from March 2026 to March 2028 "to reflect potential CPO timescales."
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The delay means that Rotherham Council has had to find another £200,000 to support the development and delivery of the project.
A council report explained: "Whilst this extension secures project funding, it is likely that the extended programme length will require additional contingency funds to make allowance for potential cost increases due to factors such as contractor availability and materials inflation, as experienced in delivery of previous capital regeneration projects that have been subject to delay."
The allocation, from the council's Feasibility Fund, follows on from £1m in council funding being allocated to the project in July 2024.
The funding deadline for the grant has been extended by the Government to March 2027, with the additional £1m Council capital allocation then supporting subsequent works to complete the project to the end of its extended delivery window in March 2028.
An inquiry for the Dinnington order is scheduled to open on July 1 2025.
Legal papers show that those against the order include the Nixon family (regarding Dinnington Market), Roy Mugglestone, Yvonne Mugglestone and William Carrol (regarding the indoor market) and Cobani Property Limited (regarding 50 Laughton Road).
Images: RMBC / AHR / Google Maps
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