News: Swinton regeneration moves ahead with land swap

Rotherham Council has approved a land deal with housebuilders to enable a wider regeneration to take place in a Rotherham town.

The regeneration of Swinton town centre has been under consideration for some time and last year the authority appointed a consortium of private sector companies to lead on the £8m project.

A consortium made up of the Sheffield-based development and asset management company, Vesta Group, with Barnsley-based developer, Quest Property, and Holmfirth housebuilder, Conroy Brook, were judged by the Council to have best met the development brief which set out regeneration of the town based on new homes and revamped commercial areas plus community facilities.

A planning application is due to be submitted shortly which is set to include a refurbished Civic Hall and café plus the library relocating to the refurbished former customer service centre. Public realm and accessibility is set to be improved through a significant landscaping scheme which opens up the site, improving visibility of the shops and community facilities, safety and accessibility.

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Ben Bailey Homes has also entered the project and is proposing 49 family homes on the cleared, disused council offices site at Queen Street that suffered a fire back in 2015, and the former Swimming Pool and Squash Court in Charnwood Street that were demolished in 2016 having suffered an arson attack. The site of the former Charnwood House care home is also due to be redeveloped.

At the end of 2020, Rotherham Council agreed to hand over its land for free.

A Council report said: "A development appraisal was submitted with the tender which demonstrates that the land value achieved through the sale of houses on the rear of the site facilitates the creation of the community facilities and public realm improvements at the front of the site.

"Financial Services have confirmed that there is no requirement for a formal valuation to be undertaken, as following an evaluation of the submitted development appraisal, it is considered that the value associated with the land transferred equates to the level of the proposed capital investment in the community facilities and public realm works, The value of the works totals £640,000."

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News: Locals set to have their say on Swinton redevelopment

Residents in Swinton will get the chance to see new proposals for the £8.4m redevelopment of their town centre at the earliest opportunity.

Rothbiz reported last week that a consortium had been identified as the preferred bidder by Rotherham Council to take on the regeneration of key sites within the key area in the north of the borough.

The Vesta Group, Quest Property and Conroy Brook, are in line to get the approval of the Council's cabinet to continue to work up plans based on new housing, refurbished community facilities, an upgrade to the parade of shops and landscaping.

The redevelopment would be funded through the sale of the vacant Rotherham Council owned former swimming pool, Charnwood House, neighbourhoods office and doctors surgery site for family housing. The site has been vacant since 2017.

The use of vacant land to generate income for the redevelopment proposals means the scheme can be delivered without cost to taxpayers.

Land values in the area are low which limits what can be achieved. As a result, a proposal to accommodate the civic hall facilities and library into one building has been dropped in favour of a refurbishment of the Civic Hall and café and a new library, based in the refurbished former customer service centre.

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Cllr. Denise Lelliott, Rotherham Council's Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy, said: "These are exciting proposals which would see major improvements to shops and public facilities in Swinton town centre, provide new family homes and bring redundant land back into use.

"The plans brought forward by the Vesta Group, Quest Property and Conroy Brook consortium meet all the aims of our ambitious development brief for a community-focused redevelopment. The investment will provide a huge boost to the economy in Swinton and subject to Cabinet approval, we look forward to sharing the detailed proposals with local residents and businesses."

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If cabinet approval is granted next week, drop-in sessions for the local community to view and comment on the plans will be arranged, alongside an outline planning application to be submitted by the consortium.

Cllr Ken Wyatt, Swinton Ward member, said: "It's important from local members perspective that Swinton residents are involved at every stage of the process and I am pleased there is a commitment to share the detailed proposals with the community at the earliest opportunity, subject to approval."

If Cabinet and planning consent is granted, it is hoped that work could start on site in Spring this year.

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News: Consortium identified for £8m Swinton regeneration scheme

A group of private sector partners have come together to progress redevelopment plans to transform an area at the heart of Swinton in Rotherham.

The regeneration of Swinton town centre has been under consideration for some time and Rotherham Council identified that an opportunity could be brought forward at an early stage relating to existing Council-owned land and buildings alongside an option to acquire an adjacent site from a public sector partner organisation.

A preferred option is now set to go before the authority's cabinet, and if approved, will see the appointment of the successful bidder.

A consortium made up of the Sheffield-based development and asset management company, Vesta Group, with Barnsley-based developer, Quest Property, and Holmfirth housebuilder, Conroy Brook, has been judged by the Council to have best met the development brief which set out regeneration of the town based on new homes and revamped commercial areas plus community facilities.

The site totals nearly seven acres and includes the cleared disused council offices at Queen Street that suffered a fire back in 2015 and the former Swimming Pool and Squash Court in Charnwood Street that were demolished in 2016 having suffered an arson attack. The authority was also looking to include the site of the former Charnwood House care home.

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A report to the cabinet states: " In summary the preferred option includes the following:

- Community facilities are provided in the form of a refurbished Civic Hall and café plus the library relocated to the refurbished former customer service centre.
- The public realm and accessibility is improved through a significant landscaping scheme which opens up the site improving visibility of the shops and community facilities, safety and accessibility.
- The existing parade of retail premises receives an upgrade to the external façade.
- There is an option for a pop-up/modular building on the former library area which could accommodate other uses (e.g. restaurant)."

One of the key issues has been the viability of the scheme where the land value achieved through the sale of houses on the rear of the site facilitates the creation of the community facilities at the front of the site. Land values in the area are low which limits what can be achieved.

As a result, a proposal to accommodate the civic hall facilities and library into one build has been dropped in favour of refurbishment.

The report adds: "The redevelopment opportunity offered was for two sites, one a vacant Council owned site proposed for residential development and the other the existing Council buildings in Swinton Town Centre. The site was fronted by Council owned retail and residential units and community facilities, the rear of the site was vacant. The vacant element was suitable for housing and the development of this land offered the opportunity to bring forward improvements to the Council owned assets without financial commitment from the Council apart from forgoing potential capital receipts.

"The development value of the scheme is £8.4m. The scheme as submitted is financially viable, with the works to the community facilities being funded by residential sales."

Following formal approvals and subject to planning a potential start on site in Spring 2020 is being earmarked.

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