Rotherham could get a city waterfront under a plan that may get the go-ahead now that the South Yorkshire pathfinder has been granted £71m.
Rotherham council is to build on four sites of the river Don, in a joint venture with a developer. The scheme is the first part of a plan to double the population of the town's centre. It will include 100 homes, although the proportion that are affordable has yet to be decided.

Tom Bell, principal strategy officer for housing services at the council, said: "Our goal is to re-populate the town centre. Rotherham has turned its back on its rivers; we're trying to reverse that. They have the potential to be a very attractive area."

The scheme, called Westgate Central, is going out for public consultation in the next few weeks.

The council hopes to start building in 2005. The project would use £8.2m of cash from the pathfinder, Transform South Yorkshire, in the next two years.

The Rotherham development is among the first to benefit from the £71m of government cash awarded to Transform South Yorkshire on Friday. It will also fund projects in Sheffield, Barnsley and Doncaster.

Jeff Goode, director of Transform, said: "We're delighted to have got the funding. The Rotherham scheme is a real opportunity to put city living back in, and get properties with a 'wow factor'."

Source

Housing Today