News: OnDemand bus service aims to reconnect Rotherham

Residents of parts of Rotherham with limited access to scheduled bus services are being targeted by a new flexible public transport service to connect them to employment, education, healthcare, and retail.

Rothbiz reported last year that South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) was looking to launch a pilot project around demand responsive transport as part of its work to address connectivity issues across the region following the Mayor’s decision to take control of the buses.

Using £0.95m from the government's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF), SYMCA has appointed technology partner Via for the pilot that will begin operating from 3 August for 12 months across parts of Doncaster and Rotherham. 

The service introduces a new way of travelling, allowing passengers to book shared bus journeys through the OnDemand app up to one week in advance or by phone, with no fixed routes or timetables. 

Designed to improve connections in areas where traditional services are limited, OnDemand will help people access jobs, education, healthcare and key destinations across the region. Unlike conventional bus routes, OnDemand uses intelligent technology to group passengers travelling in the same direction, offering a flexible, efficient and affordable service. 

Fares will start from £3 per journey, with concessions and discounts available, and the service will run Monday to Saturday between 5am and 6pm.  Importantly, the new service has been designed to complement not replace the existing public transport network, helping more people connect to buses, trams and trains across South Yorkshire.  

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South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “The People’s Network will put people first, making sure everyone in South Yorkshire can get where they need to go, when they need to get there. OnDemand in Doncaster and Rotherham brings that idea to life, with a flexible, modern service built around our everyday lives, not fixed routes or timetables. 

“Whether it’s getting to work, visiting loved ones, making an appointment or accessing education, communities in Doncaster and Rotherham will have more choice and greater control over how to travel. OnDemand is another important step towards building a public transport system that truly works for everyone – the People’s Network.” 

The Rotherham areas included in the OnDemand area are Waverley, Ulley, Morthern, Thurcroft, Brookhouse, Dinnington, Firbeck, Letwell, Todwick, Woodsetts, Thorpe Salvin and Harthill.

Users can travel within the designated operating zone. but for those travelling beyond the zone, OnDemand can connect passengers to designated interchange hubs (Dinnington, Rotherham Hospital, Rotherham town centre, Crystal Peaks) for onward travel using buses, trams or rail services.

Cllr Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council, said:  “It’s great to see this pilot becoming a reality. We know that as bus services have reduced in recent decades, the impact of that has been particularly felt in more rural areas. The way that public transport operates had got to change. That’s why we wanted to prioritise this opportunity for communities to the south of our borough, complementing and enhancing existing public transport, but also offering a flexibility that traditional bus services just can’t provide. 

“So if you’re at home in Todwick or Brookhouse, for example, and you need to get to the Tanyard, Rotherham Hospital or Meadowhall and back, this service provides a new convenient way to do that. I hope that people will give it a go, and their experiences will certainly help us to shape the future of public transport in the borough.” 

OnDemand South Yorkshire website

Images: Via

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News: Rotherham physio turns ambition into reality

After years of helping patients restore strength and mobility in both the NHS and private practice, physiotherapist Shannon Wilkinson embarked on an exciting new chapter by opening her own clinic in Rotherham.

With guidance and support from RIDO’s Launchpad programme Wilkinson Physiotherapy in Todwick helps people achieve their rehabilitation goals through personalised care and expert treatment.

Whether recovering from an injury, managing ongoing pain, or aiming to improve performance, the clinic offers a wide range of physiotherapy services designed to help clients move better and feel their best.

When Shannon opened Wilkinson Physiotherapy in September, she wasn’t just starting a business, she was fulfilling a long-held ambition. She said: "“I always knew setting up my own practice was the end game. Working for others never gave me the fulfilment I wanted. Now I can structure things my way, spend more time with people, and really listen to their concerns.”

Services include physiotherapy for aches, pains and musculoskeletal conditions, sports injury management, and tailored one-to-one rehabilitation. Shannon also provides pain management plans and pre- and post-operative support for a safe return to full function.

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Having launched in September, Shannon’s client base is diverse, from teenagers to people in their 80s.

Available to all new, early stage and small businesses in the Rotherham area, completely free of charge, Launchpad offers one-to-one coaching and a comprehensive range of expert workshops to help give your business the best start and support to grow. It is delivered by RiDO, the regeneration arm of Rotherham Council.

Shannon has attended many of Launchpad’s expert workshops on artificial intelligence (AI) and marketing, gaining practical insights to help develop her social media marketing skills and grow her clinic. Her advice to others: "“Sign up straight away and immerse yourself in as many of their courses as you can. You don’t know everything about business, and even if you take one thing away from a session, it’s something new you have discovered. I’ve always learned something useful from each workshop."

Wilkinson Physiotherapy website
RiDO website

Images: Wilkinson Physiotherapy

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News: Rotherham's local plan set for adoption

Around 264 hectares of additional employment land in the Rotherham borough has been identified to support the creation of thousands of new jobs.

Following confirmation that it has been approved by the Government's Planning Inspector, Rotherham's "Local Plan" – which is a legal requirement – will be the Council's 15 year strategy to provide for future development needs for the borough. It sets out how many homes need to be built and allocates land that can then be developed for new properties and workplaces.

Rotherham Council's Cabinet is set to discuss the local plan with a recommendation for adoption at its meeting on June 11.

Cllr. Denise Lelliott, Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy at Rotherham Council, said: "Rotherham's Local Plan will determine which sites may be developed over the coming 15 years – and it has been under consideration for more than a decade, including being shaped by several rounds of public consultation.

"Following the recent final approval from the Government's Planning Inspector, the Council needs to formally adopt the Plan so that we can control sites for development, as well as making sure Rotherham can build the homes and businesses that residents will need."

The inspector made a number of "Main Modifications" considered necessary to make the Rotherham Site and Policies Plan (RSPP) sound. This included deleting a proposed 30 hectare allocation for business use at a current Greenbelt site at Todwick.

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Damien Wilson Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment at Rotherham Council, said: "Our plan was agreed by government inspectors with minimal changes which shows confidence in our decision making processes.

"To reassure residents although a small proportion of the green belt is proposed to be released as part of this plan, we have kept this to an absolute minimum, totalling just three percent. This provides for the borough’s long term development needs and protects the new green belt boundary well into the future."

He added Rotherham's housing target allows for up to 900 houses to be built across the borough each year over the next 15 years. Developers had argued for a higher target which would have meant much more green belt being released but the inspector agreed with the lower target set by the Council.

The Local Plan proposed also identifies 36 potential sites for development for business or employment use, potentially contributing 21,000 new jobs in the borough over the fifteen year period.

Well known development sites are included in the plan such as Templeborough, Dinnington, Aldwarke and Manvers whilst a special policy has been developed for the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) at Waverley.

Amendments include increasing the area for employment use at the former Maltby Colliery site, supporting proposals to extend the popular development at Waleswood, adding a new site adjacent to the M18 on land off Cumwell Lane, Hellaby and opening up the UNSCO Site at Kiveton Park to more potential business uses.

A new mixed-use area, including residential and employment uses, has been identified at Aston Common and a mix of uses is proposed for land adjacent to Parkgate Shopping, however it has not been deemed suitable for residential use.

The controversial removal of Bassingthorpe Farm from the Green Belt has already been agreed. 2,400 houses could be accommodated here with around 1,100 new dwellings expected to be developed in the Plan period (15 years). 6.53 hectares of land here is allocated for employment use.

Images: RMBC

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News: Todwick North site set to stay in Green Belt

A proposal to create a new business park in Rotherham that would be home to thousands of jobs has taken a knock back after a planning inspector disagreed with the Council and wants the site to remain in the Green Belt.

Around 30 hectares of agricultural land at Todwick was put forward as part of the Council's Local Plan. It was the major new site being put forward since the borough's employment land was last examined.

Identified as "Todwick North," the site was put forward for new offices and new commercial floorspace in the general industrial planning class, as well as the potential for some storage and distribution uses. It is hoped it will "attract major inward investment by accommodating one or more large users or through the development of smaller plots which comprise a high quality business park."

However, following consultation and examination hearings on the Local Plan, the planning inspector, Christopher Anstey wants the business allocation deleting and for the site to be retained in the Green Belt.

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The Council had hoped that the site, which is known in the plan as E16 and located close to the new roundabout on the A57, would be available for development in years 11-15 of the plan period.

The Council's statement said: "The site is located to provide a strategic inward investment opportunity for Rotherham. Rotherham currently lacks the number of major, straightforward to develop sites which it needs to re-capture the employment growth.

"E16 has been identified as having potential to help attract major inward investment into Rotherham and the City Region, and deliver a premium business park with opportunities for high quality development."

Masterplans for the site show that approximately 955,000 to 1.135m sq ft of business space can be formed on site - enough to bring an estimated minimum of 1,500 jobs.

Site promoters, Wyndthorpe Developments Ltd, which had selected a leading development company as a partner in the proposed scheme, said in its representations: "The site is a large deliverable employment site next to the A57, which provides a major inward investment opportunity, capable of providing 30.05 hectares of employment land within the plan period. Such development here is vital to ensure Rotherham can meet its employment needs, and the aims of the Rotherham Economic Growth Plan."

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The inspector concluded: "This site, together with other areas of land around Todwick, makes a significant contribution to preventing the neighbouring settlement groupings of Dinnington / Anston / Laughton Common and Wales / Kiveton Park from merging into one another. Furthermore development of this extensive area of farmland would constitute encroachment into the countryside and cause severe damage to the attractive rural character of the local area. Consequently the allocation is not justified and is not consistent with national policy."

The inspector has made a number of "Main Modifications" considered necessary to make the Rotherham Site and Policies Plan (RSPP) sound. The Council will need to come back with its own modifications following the recommendations.

Images: Wyndthorpe Developments / DLP

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News: Market reacts positively to Todwick North proposals

A 30 hectare agricultural site at Todwick in Rotherham is seen as ideal for economic development as the local commercial property market suffers from a shortage of stock.

The site at the Todwick roundabout was earmarked for a high quality business park in the latest plans for the borough's future employment land. Consultation has recently closed on the version of Rotherham's Sites and Policies document that the Council intends to submit to the Government.

Currently in the greenbelt, the land adjacent to the A57 is being put forward for new offices and new commercial floorspace in the general industrial planning class, as well as the potential for some storage and distribution uses. It is hoped it will "attract major inward investment by accommodating one or more large users or through the development of smaller plots which comprise a high quality business park."

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The loss of greenbelt land has been raised by a number of concerned residents but a number of respondents have backed the proposals to change the use of the site.

Developers backing the scheme have found support from local commercial property agents, Knight Frank, who are confident of attracting suitable businesses to the site given that previous speculative developments in the region have been snapped up, whilst few similar developments have come forward since the global economic downturn.

In a letter to planning consultants, DLP Planning, submitted as part of the consultation, Rebecca Schofield, partner at the Sheffield office of Knight Frank, said: "The subject site is superbly located close to junction 31 of the M1 motorway, with access via the new A57 dual carriageway, which will allow the site to capture both local and regional occupiers, as well as attract footloose enquiries looking for good access to the motorway network."

The large site is expected to be versatile and cater for a vast range of requirements. This would appeal to both the logistics and distribution sector, and the industrial and manufacturing market, potentially on a design and build basis.

Schofield added: "We have in fact tentatively mentioned the availability of the site to a retailer, looking for new distribution premises in the area and a manufacturer looking for a new processing facility, both of whom have responded positively at this early stage, but cannot consider it further due to uncertainty at this stage. There is also a pharmaceutical company looking to acquire 15 acres in the area to procure a new facility in phases; totalling 300,000 sq ft over time.

"We feel that the site would be an ideal commercial development and one that is welcomed within the region."

In searching for the "next Dearne Valley," the Council believes that the Todwick site could be home to hundreds of jobs, stating in planning documents that "it requires little or no financial input from the public sector and has come at the right time to take advantage of a recovering property market.

"With the right strategic intervention this site could be the catalyst for growth in Rotherham at a time when the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership are developing their plans to grow businesses and drive inward investment to create a balanced and sustainable economy."

Knight Frank website

Images:

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News: Employment sites in Rotherham's next cycle of growth

Rothbiz editor, Tom Austen picks out some of the key sites, both established and new, that have been identified in the Local Plan as being needed to meet the broad requirements of 12 - 15,000 additional jobs over the next 15 years.

The Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP)
So important to the borough, the city region and nationally, the AMP on the Waverley site gets its own planning policy. Home to both world-class research and manufacturing organisations, and smaller, emerging companies, the site is set to remain the UK's premier advanced manufacturing technology park. The policy restricts uses on the site to within "Classes B1(b) research & development / studios / laboratories / high-tech, B1(c) Light Industry; and B2 general industry (specifically advanced manufacturing / engineering) which can demonstrate that they contribute towards the advanced manufacturing and materials sector. Proposals for B1(a) offices will only be acceptable where they are ancillary to the main use of the Advanced Manufacturing Park."

The plans acknowledge that land on the AMP is running out and that it will play a key role in the proposed Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District. Two sites are proposed for economic development at Waverley (land remaining at the Advanced Manufacturing Park and land at Highfield Spring), totalling 36 ha. The Highfield Spring site is earmarked for the local centre which could contain retail, hotels and leisure facilities for the wider community.

Bassingthorpe Farm
Still a contentious issue with many residents, the 215 hectare area close to Rotherham town centre has been removed from the Green Belt and designated as a Strategic Allocation and the main location for new housing, employment and retail growth. 2,400 dwellings could be joined by 11 hectares for employment use.

Town Centre
Rotherham town centre is afforded some protection by national planning policies and is given the highest standing as the principal town centre, followed by outlying town centres, district centres and local centres. It is largely the same policies and sites in the initial draft that includes expanding the boundary to cover the new Tesco and identifying potential development sites at Forge Island, Drummond Street, the markets and Corporation Street. Mixed use areas are proposed at the New York area with housing now identified on the Westgate sorting office site and down Sheffield Road.

Todwick North
The nearly 30 hectare site at Todwick was the major new site put forward since the borough's employment land was last examined. Currently in the greenbelt, the agricultural land at Todwick roundabout on the A57 is being put forward for new offices and new commercial floorspace in the general industrial planning class, as well as the potential for some storage and distribution uses. It is hoped it will "attract major inward investment by accommodating one or more large users or through the development of smaller plots which comprise a high quality business park."

Former Maltby Colliery
Another area that gets its own planning policy, a further 24 ha of land is proposed here now that underground workings have ceased. The site includes a working railhead and links to the national grid due to Alkane's energy generation from coal mine methane. A masterplan will be required to ensure the comprehensive redevelopment of the site but the plan points to uses related to waste, energy and composting, stating that it is not suitable for more general employment uses. A pocket of development would ensure the remaining land stays in the Greenbelt.

Parkgate
The land adjacent to Parkgate Shopping Park has long been identified for development. Restricting an extension of the retail offer, the plan includes a policy that establishes that not less than 50% of built development should comprise B1 and B2 uses. Assembly and leisure uses will be acceptable but it specifically excludes cinema developments. Discussions are ongoing regarding a new link road to the site and the Tram Train pilot scheme presents an opportunity to provide park and ride facilities.

Hellaby
A new 16 acre site has been identified immediately South East of junction 1 of the M18 at the brilliantly named, Cumwell Lane. The preparation of a detailed Masterplan incorporating suitable design measures will be essential here and traffic issues relating to the proximity of the motorway have been identified.

Other significant employment areas include further sites at Templeborough and Dinnington, Mansfield Road at Aston, sites at Waleswood and a development site which extends the existing Kingsforth industrial estate in Thurcroft.

Consultation on the sites and policies runs to November 9 2015 before being submitted to the Government for public examination by an independent planning inspector.

Rotherham Council website

Images: CPP

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News: 10,000 new jobs aim in Rotherham Growth Plan

An "Innovation District" focused around the AMP, continued support for growing businesses and further regeneration in the town centre, all form part of a new economic plan to help deliver 10,000 new private sector jobs in Rotherham over the next ten years.

Developed by the council's economic development team, the new plan sits alongside the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership's (LEP's) Growth Plan which set an ambitious target of creating 70,000 new jobs in the region by 2023, and aims for "a city region with a stronger and bigger private sector that can compete in national and global markets."

Currently out for consultation, other main aims of the Rotherham Growth Plan are to help create 750 additional new businesses over the next five years and to increase gross value added (GVA), a measure in economics of the value of goods and services produced in an area, for the Rotherham economy.

Alongside council priorities, the plan is a partnership between the public, voluntary and private sectors and focus on the main themes of growing businesses, skills, employment land, housing, the town centre and transport.

The vision is based on "creating an economy in which business will prosper and local residents will have the enterprise and employment opportunities which reflect their ambitions and skills."

The focus will be on private sector business and skills to deliver the "challenging figure" of 10,000 new jobs, while ensuring that planning, housing, transport and education play a full supporting role. Rotherham's economic development team and consultants Ekosgen believe that the employment target will be met through the growth of existing businesses, as well as attracting new inward investment, from both national and international companies. New business will also make an important contribution to creating new employment opportunities for local residents.

Simeon Leach, economic development manager at Rotherham Council, said in a report: "Built on a robust evidence base, clear strategy and challenging economic outcomes, the Rotherham Growth Plan will map out a programme of investment in economic infrastructure and activities over the short, medium and long term. The plan will be a partnership between the public, voluntary and private sectors.

"With the relative volatility of the world economy, the plan will cover a maximum five to ten year timeframe, with regular reviews built in to ensure it stays relevant during this period."

The draft plan includes a number of priority projects and programmes including a defined "Innovation District" which aims to build on the success of the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) and take advantage of the proposed HS2 station and tram-train. Other projects include bringing forward a high quality business park at Todwick North; and boosting the visitor economy with a leisure development at the Pit House West site.

The plan also focuses on the continued regeneration of the town centre with a redeveloped markets complex, a potential office development or a cinema on Forge Island; a town centre hotel and cinema; 2,000 new residential units and a potential University Campus as part of the Rotherham College site.

Rotherham Investment & Development Office (RiDO), the regeneration arm of Rotherham Council, is expected to play a key role in terms of supporting growing business in the borough. This includes continued support to Rotherham businesses with greatest potential for growth and a one-stop shop for local business start-ups, both underpinning the Growth Hub planned across the Sheffield city region.

The "Rotherham Investment Product" will create a menu of interventions that companies require to help drive growth and an "Investor Package" will highlight the offer available to businesses seeking to invest in Rotherham.

Other interventions include building on the success of RiDO's dedicated business incubation centres and the Rotherham Ready and Rotherham Youth Enterprise programmes in supporting young people to start businesses.

To support further economic and employment growth, the skills of the Rotherham workforce will be enhanced with interventions based on apprenticeships, careers advice and higher level skills. A "Skills Bank" that meets the needs of Rotherham businesses mirrors the initiative proposed by the Sheffield City Region LEP.

Following on from the borough's Local Plan, the Growth Plan will go further to identify "Growth Zones" that encompass specific sites and seek to group them together into more meaningful developments that can attract new investment and grow existing businesses in the borough. This could see zones covering the Lower Don Valley, Templeborough and Meadowbank Road; Todwick North; and Eastwood.

Although the amount of public funding has reduced considerably over recent years, the draft plan states that there is still funding available for certain economic activity. This includes bidding via the Sheffield City Region LEP and their plans for Government and European funding.

Consultation on the draft Growth Plan is taking place with a wide range of stakeholders and interested parties, this will continue until January 30.

Images: Harworth Estates / Tom Austen

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News: New plan outlines Todwick North development

Thousands of jobs could be created at an agricultural site at the new Todwick roundabout in Rotherham after it was earmarked for a high quality business park in the latest plans for the borough's future employment land.

Consultation has begun on the final draft of the borough's Sites and Policies document as the council finalises its local plan. A total of 42 proposed development sites have been identified through reviews and surveys with 261 hectares of land identified, compared to the target of 235 hectares in the recently adopted Core Strategy.

A 30 hectare site at Todwick is the major new site being put forward since the borough's employment land was last examined. Land for employment is set to be located in areas of the borough that are already thriving business locations and where regeneration continues to take place - the town centre, Dinnington, Waverley, the Dearne Valley.

The previously discussed new area at Bassingthorpe Farm, the area close to Rotherham town centre which includes greenbelt land, has been designated as a Strategic Allocation and the main location for new housing, employment and retail growth. 2,400 dwellings would be joined by 11 hectares for employment use.

A recent scrutiny review by borough councillors into how the council can support the local economy identified that land supply is a key issue. It wanted officers to identify where "the next Dearne Valley" was going to be and stated that only 12% of the sites identified for employment land in the local plan are deliverable. The latest plans add: "Alternative sites with the capacity for the development that Manvers had in the previous growth cycle are exclusively in the greenbelt. Rotherham will need to release a significant site(s) from the greenbelt and facilitate major development to take place."

Currently in the greenbelt, the agricultural land at Todwick is being put forward for new offices and new commercial floorspace in the general industrial planning class, as well as the potential for some storage and distribution uses. It is hoped it will "attract major inward investment by accommodating one or more large users or through the development of smaller plots which comprise a high quality business park."

At nearly 30 hectares, the site is directly north east of the new roundabout and bordered by Todwick Road and the A57, up to Anston Brook and Cramfit Brook. It could be available for development in years 11-15 of the plan period.

The site benefits from the £14.7m improvement scheme to the A57, the council scheme that has seen a 1.5 mile section of the A57 turned into a dual carriageway from the Todwick crossroads to Junction 31 of the M1 motorway. The work also includes replacing the crossroads with a roundabout.

The potential at Todwick can be compared to the regeneration of nearby Dinnington, which continues as plans are being developed for the next phase at the former Dinnington Colliery site. Here 36 hectares are to be developed in total with early estimates suggesting that this would create over 2,000 jobs.

However, development of a larger site for a mix of developments to the west of Dinnington are not being progressed in the latest draft as impact assessments showed that it "offered no real regeneration potential given the lack of connectivity to existing town and populations."

Any plans that are put forward for the Todwick North site would need to mitigate any adverse impact on ecological interests.

The planning documents state: "Todwick North is close to the M1 along the newly widened A57 dual carriageway, giving it strong links to the Advanced Manufacturing Park and the wider Lower Don Valley economic growth zone via the private vehicle.

"It requires little or no financial input from the public sector and has come at the right time to take advantage of a recovering property market. With the right strategic intervention this site could be the catalyst for growth in Rotherham at a time when the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnersip are developing their plans to grow businesses and drive inward investment to create a balanced and sustainable economy."

Images: Ringway

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