Supermarket demolition makes way for £43m Forge Island
The demolition of the Tesco supermarket in Rotherham town centre is making way for major regeneration in the form of the £43.5m Forge Island development.
Rotherham Council purchased the land for a reported £1.5m in February to prepare it for development as part of the town’s masterplan, which is being drawn up by planners and designers at Leeds-based WYG Group.
The demolition work is expected to finish in the next 8 weeks.
Cllr Denise Lelliott, cabinet member for Jobs and the Local Economy, said: “We have already seen a lot of interest in Forge Island from potential developers and this is a hugely important site in terms of town centre regeneration and the Masterplan.
“The site, with its waterfront location, is an attractive one to investors and we look forward to it working with developers to turn it into a vibrant leisure quarter.”
Damien Wilson, the Council’s strategic director for Regeneration and Environment added: “It’s great to see our vision for this key site take another positive step forward.
“With the recent acquisition of the former magistrates’ court we have scope for an attractive and varied development.”
In the short term, the Council has submitted a planning application for the cleared site to provide an extension to the existing Forge Island car park, increasing the number of spaces from 309 to 544.
