Trio of tourism projects to receive £7m investment boost

Around £7m of funding has been agreed to boost a trio of projects that are set to bring in tourists to the Sheffield City Region.

At a Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) meeting, chaired by Mayor Dan Jarvis and held in Rotherham on 17 December, members agreed Local Growth Fund (LGF) money for the schemes in Rotherham and Doncaster.

Funding of £5m was approved for the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, while packages of £1.5m and £400,000 were also agreed for Gullivers Valley and the Vulcan to the Sky projects respectively.

The funding will deliver a major expansion of the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, which will add an additional 150 acres to the current site. The extension will provide a new entrance, expanded car parking, many new animal reserves and a large lake.

There will be also a visitor hub incorporating a 148-bedroom hotel, an events and conference venue, restaurants and shops, creating more than 230 additional full time jobs.

The Gullivers Valley project has secured £1.5m which will go towards the £7.5m cost of the whole project. The theme park, earmarked for the Pithouse West site in Rotherham, will offer rides and attractions aimed at children aged from two to 13.

A water play zone, a climbing zone and an ecology centre encompassing forest classrooms and outdoor learning will also be included.

The project is anticipated to bring £37m in private sector investment to the City Region and create around 250 new jobs.

Meanwhile, funding for the Vulcan to the Sky project will help to create a permanent home in Doncaster for the restored Vulcan XH558 bomber.

The new hangar will be a heritage attraction, telling the story of the Royal Air Force during the Cold War and providing public access to the Vulcan. It will also be a setting for conferences and private events.

Mayor Jarvis said: “I said I would promote the Sheffield City Region’s cultural and tourism offer as Mayor, and working with the Local Enterprise Partnership, I’m getting on with the job. It’s great to be able to fund such a diverse range of projects, which will create new jobs, boost our visitor economy and complement the existing range of fantastic arts, culture and heritage sites we have here in our region.

“Not only do cultural attractions enrich our quality of life, but they act as a driver for economic growth. By working together, we can be more than the sum of our parts.

“With a growing number of major visitor attractions we must now do more to promote them. That’s why I set up a meeting for local authorities, the Mayoral Combined Authority and Welcome to Yorkshire last month, to explore how we can come together across the region to sell our exceptional offer across the North, the UK and internationally.”

Sir Nigel Knowles, chair of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, added: “Funding these transformative schemes is a great example of how the public and private sector work together in the SCR to get things done.

“Our ability to work collaboratively, in a straightforward and practical way, is one of the real drivers for growing investor confidence in our region.”

Jake Berry MP, Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth, also said: “The Government is committed to boosting economic growth across the Northern Powerhouse so we can build a Britain fit for the future, especially as we prepare to exit the European Union.

“This £6.9m investment from the Local Growth Fund will go towards developing three new cultural hubs to celebrate Sheffield’s rich heritage.”