Rotherham council has been successful in its Towns Fund bid and been awarded £31.6 million to carry out large scale regeneration projects in the town centre, Eastwood and Templeborough.

Rotherham was one of 101 areas invited to produce a Town Investment Plan for economic growth, in order to access up to £25m of government funding, with the possibility of additional funds for exceptional plans.

Rotherham’s is one of the largest amounts awarded and will be used in a number of schemes over the next 5 years: creating a Riverside Residential Quarter and better access to enjoy the waterfront; regenerating the Guest & Chrimes heritage site to provide attractive public spaces and leisure facilities; providing improved housing and local connectivity for Eastwood; and creating a new heart for the business community in Templeborough by making under-used sites productive again, improving travel connections and creating new spaces for hospitality and meetings.

Cllr Denise Lelliott, Labour’s Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy at Rotherham council, has said:

“A huge amount of hard work has gone in to securing this investment over the past 18 months and I’m really pleased to see that effort rewarded with funding which will complement other schemes already underway to regenerate our town and create jobs.

“It is testament to the quality and vision of those plans that Rotherham’s bid has not only been successful, but secured a higher-level investment than many other places.

“We’re excited to now begin working with our partners and stakeholders to deliver these projects, which form a central plank of our plans to build a better borough for all of Rotherham’s residents.”

This funding will also enable work to go ahead to create attractive public spaces and transform derelict heritage buildings on High Street and Corporation Street – creating a gateway from the Minster Gardens across to the new Forge Island leisure development. It will also be able to support development of a new mainline station for Rotherham.