News: Derelict Rotherham retail parade up for auction

A parade of shops in Rotherham town centre that has been earmarked for demolition, has been put up for sale by Rotherham Council.

Rothbiz reported back in 2021 that the authority had set aside £200,000 from its budget for a programme at 86 - 102 Wellgate.

Now the properties are being sold off by the council and are scheduled to go under the hammer with Pugh's online property auction on May 27 & 28.

The lot description states: "A redevelopment opportunity comprising a site extending to approximately 0.19 acres. The site currently comprises a parade of derelict retail premises which are to be demolished and the site cleared prior to completion. The site will be required to be redeveloped for residential purposes only.

"Sold freehold, the site fronts Wellgate close to its intersection with Mansfield Road. The local area is of mixed-use and Rotherham town centre is approximately 0.5 miles to the north-west."

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When housing developments were being built on the Henley's Garage site nearby - two apartment blocks containing 34 homes and 20 two and three-storey terraced houses - Rotherham Council said that the Wellgate parade of units was "considered a blight on the improving area."

Consideration was given to looking at alternative uses but with a substantial viability gap, it appears that the authority is hoping to unlock another development opportunity with the private sector taking the project on.

The lot has been given the guide price of £25,000.

A legal pack states that the site will be required to be redeveloped for residential purposes only. Clauses show that the council will demolish all buildings, structures and fixtures currently situated on the property and clear the site.

A three year buy back option is also proposed so the council can reacquire the site if progress is not made.

At the same auction, a 0.89 acre vacant plot of land on the corner of Ferham Road and Belmont Street is also set to be sold. The freehold site "could suit a variety of different uses and has huge potential for development that could accommodate a number of different schemes subject to planning permission." The guide price is £225,000 plus.

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News: Rotherham Rhinoceros goes back up for auction

The Rhinoceros pub in Rotherham town centre is up for auction as an investment opportunity by Pugh again this week.

Now with a reduced price, it returns to the auction having gone unsold in September.

The pub, which has been given a £375,000 guide price, is let on a seven-year lease running until 2026, at a rent of £104,000 a year. As reported by Rothbiz, it was one of 16 pubs put up for sale by Wetherspoons in 2019.

Known locally as ‘Rhinos’, the pub is currently being extended into the neighbouring property at 33a Bridgegate, which is also included in the sale. The redevelopment is set to double the size of the pub to almost 10,000 sq ft.

The pub is named after the Rhinoceros Vase, which was made in 1826 at the nearby Rockingham Pottery Works. At the time of its production the 1.15m high vase was the largest piece of porcelain to have been fired in one piece anywhere in the world.

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Bidding on the Rhinoceros, and the other lots in Pugh’s online auction, opens on December 8 and closes the following day.

At nearby Red Lion Yard, the Red Lion pub went up for auction in October with Auction House. The property also went unsold from a guide price of £200,000.

With 3,000 sq ft of floorspace and residential space above, the pub was being sold with vacant possession.

Rothbiz reported in July how Rotherham's licensing service received an application from South Yorkshire Police for the summary review of the Premises Licence at the pub due to a number of serious incidents connected to the premises.

The licence was revoked.

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News: Little appetite for historic Rotherham property at auction

Investors and developers can still get a Whopper of a deal as the former Burger King unit in Rotherham town centre failed to sell at a recent auction.

Vacant for a number of years, the property at 1 Old Town Hall recently went under the hammer with leading firm, Pugh Auctions at its event at Leeds United Football Club.

The freehold of the 4,540 sq ft property, which has trading areas over two floors, was given a guide price of £395,000 but remains available to buy.

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The majority of the converted Old Town Hall was snapped up by an investor in 2016 having also first failed to sell at auction. Converted in the 1980's into an attractive shopping arcade, the Grade II listed building is now operated on behalf of the privately owned investment firm, FCFM Group Ltd.

Following redecoration and renamed "The Mall," it attracted new and relocating retailers with rental offers but a number have since moved out.

1 Old Town Hall is in a highly prominent and prime location at the junction of Howard Street and Frederick Street and directly opposite the interchange where work is underway on a £11.5 revamp.

The premises have remained fitted out as a restaurant and have been on the market to rent with rental offers in the region of £57,500 per annum exclusive being invited.

In 2009 the property was fitted out into "The Shop of Priceless Things" in a project by artist, Adrian Riley in collaboration with John W Clarke. Artwork on the windows showcased the ideas of the people of Rotherham who were asked to identify the things they value that money just can't buy.

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Formerly the Town Hall including the County Juvenile Court and Assembly Rooms, much of the building dates from 1896-97. Designed by Mr Lovell of London it features Classical and Jacobean details.

The Assembly Room building (not part of either of the sales), was built as Rotherham and Masborough Literary Mechanics Institute in 1853 and was extensively refronted when incorporated into the Town Hall complex.

The Old School of Science and Art, also on the site, is also a listed building.

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