Former magistrates’ court to be sold for £1 as redevelopment plans revealed

Rotherham’s former magistrates’ courts are set to be demolished as part of redevelopment plans after a deal was reached to sell the building to the town’s council for £1.

The site is part of larger development opportunity that includes Forge Island, the Weirside site and Riverside Precinct, the council said.

The sale, by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service, has to be made by the end of March and demolition is then due to take eight weeks, the BBC reported.

Demolition costs are “not expected to be significant” and the cleared 1.34 acres site would be worth about £500,000, the council said.

The building, which has been empty since September, was built behind the police station on Main Street in 1990.