News: Swim school looking to make a splash with new Rotherham location

A family run business is hoping that the planning process will all go swimmingly as it looks to expand into another Rotherham location.

Super Swimmers was established in 2009 and initially the swim school operated through hire of public and private pools for children’s lessons. it now operates from two of its own locations - Dinnington in Rotherham, and Rossington Hall in Doncaster.

The company has now identified Unit 4 Phoenix Riverside at Templeborough to help address the substantial waiting lists in the area for the type of one on one swimming lessons they offer.

Rothbiz reported on the development back in 2020 and the unit was completed in 2023 but has remained vacant ever since.

As the site is designated for industrial and business use, an application is required to change the use of the 5,740 sq ft unit so that it can be used as a swimming pool.

Rotherham Council raised initial concerns regarding the loss of industrial space that would generate employment.

A sequential test has not been submitted. Sequential tests ensure that development is located in the most sustainable location first (usually in town centres), before other, less sustainable locations are chosen.

Plans include the pool and plant rooms being built on a raised platform, plus a reception/café area with viewing to the pool area, changing rooms and toilets.

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Operating hours are shown as 8am to 7.30pm weekdays and Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 4.30pm. In the week, morning sessions would be for adults, afternoon sessions for local schools and children's lessons in the evenings.

With 11 spaces at the unit, plans say that car parking would be sufficient for the staff and customers and operators add that: "they would work alongside the local businesses closing who have agreed for us to use their facilities and the pub car park."

If approved, it is anticipated that 25 to 30 people would be employed at the new pool in a variety of roles including water-based assistants, teachers and administration, management and cleaning personnel.

Directors Ryan Plant and Rachel Turner state in the plans: "Throughout the transition from hirer to owner, we have developed our business models to ensure we are able to provide a positive impact on the local community, provide jobs to the local area and become a popular choice for this important lifelong skill for all our pupils.

"Our business teaches a life skill and is in a sector that is poorly accommodated in a relatively low-income area. We provide affordable life skill lessons with 16 successful years of evidence to support this. We would also be able to offer the local schools a solution to lesson offering for pupils and assist with carbon footprint due to the locality of our premises.

"We are very passionate about our business and the growth of this in areas that we feel would benefit from what we offer."

Super Swimmers website

Images: Super Swimmers / CPP

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News: New Rotherham retail development filling up as dentist next on the waiting list

Changes are being made at a new retail development in Rotherham to enable a dentist to take space that was initially earmarked for offices.

Olive Lane opened earlier this year at Waverley and signing up to the scheme is a Tesco store, vets, nursery and restaurants. A medical centre and community centre are part of the plans.

The urban shopping and leisure development on Highfield Spring, part of Harworth’s complete redevelopment of the former mining site, totals 11 retail units and a medical centre and will serve the current community of more than 2,500 residents and around 1,700 homes, expected to rise to 8,000 people and more than 3,000 homes by 2029.

A planning application has been approved relating to a new build block of commercial units that was sold off by Harworth to developers before work began.

Sky House Co., the Sheffield-based housing developer bringing forward the adjacent Waverley Central scheme, applied to make changes to unit G2. The plans show the building split into three units with one set to be occupied by a dental practice.

The officer's report explains the reasons for the change: "This application now seeks to use Unit G3 as a dentist (use class E e) instead of offices, as this particular Use Class was not listed in the original permission this application seeks approval to allow Unit G3 to be used for that use."

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As previously reported by Rothbiz, the unit was originally earmarked to be the new Sky-House Office headquarters, who at the time of the original application had 30 and 35 members of staff and intended to grow the business. However, since then plans explain that "working practices have altered and continue to evolve such that far more employees now routinely work from home or from other locations."

Sky-House now only require about half the available floorspace to meet their operational requirements in the building which is nearly completely constructed on site.

The report adds: "The applicant also notes that they have been unable to secure demand that would secure commercial use of the unit, however, in contrast there is confirmed market demand from a prospective purchaser to use the unit as a dental practice (Use Class Ee) and to deliver the social and economic benefits for the local community and for Waverley as a whole. They go on to note that there is a national shortage of dentists and access to dental services, as well as within the Waverley area, as such the provision of a dentist would be a community asset.

"The proposed dentist would create ten or more full time jobs as well as approximately ten part time jobs, and customers to the practice would increase footfall to other businesses on Olive Lane."

The plans were approved without going before Rotherham Council's planning board. The planner concluded: "After discussions with Rido [Rotherham Investment & Development Office] it is concluded that there is no demonstrated demand for offices in this location.

"It is therefore not considered that the loss of this office space would have a significant detrimental impact on the supply of office accommodation in this locality or in the Borough as a whole. Additionally, it is noted that the provision of a dentist within the unit would be beneficial to the local community. It has been requested that a condition be attached to ensure that the dentist is an NHS dentist, however it is not considered that this is acceptable."

Rothbiz reported earlier this year on plans that would enable My Dentist (GB) Limited to open at a vacant unit at Parkgate Shopping.

Sky-House Co. website

Images: Harworth

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