Innovative projects

The leisure project will be a combination of entertainment, high-tech, extreme sport and other leisure pursuits, and has already won serious interest from major TV companies and big names in the entertainment world. It is a joint venture between Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and a private developer, but the Ł250m will come from the private sector.

The scheme is set to provide an innovative mix of leisure uses, including a full “London West End” standard theatre, a multi-use theatre, TV and recording studios, a major indoor themed leisure facility and a hotel spa resort. There would also be an exciting and diverse mix of restaurants, bars and cafés, with a small number of complementary leisure shops.

Rotherham council’s executive director for economic and development services, Adam Wilkinson, is leading the project. He says: “If approved, this could be one of Britain’s top attractions. We have 33 million people within easy travel time. It’s an exciting prospect. Rotherham is a council that is ambitious for its people – this project matches our ambitions.”

Such projects are symbolic of how Rotherham has transformed the economic landscape across its 110 square miles (285sqkm). Manufacturing, including steel and engineering, are still major features of that landscape and are being joined by advanced manufacturing, high-tech and IT companies.

“Other massive projects are at various stages of development,” says Mr Wilkinson.

The Advanced Manufacturing Park is already being developed jointly by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward and site-owner UK Coal, which is also planning a neighbouring 3500-home community. The park has already attracted a joint Boeing-Sheffield University Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre – one of only about 12 worldwide – Britain’s National Metals Technology Centre, and Castings Technology International (Cti).

“And the visionary Rotherham Renaissance project is under way to improve the town centre and beyond for people and business,” says Mr Wilkinson.

Rotherham is a bustling business centre filled with thriving companies, and with space for others to write their own chapter of the success story. The borough has attracted about 90 overseas inward investors.

The head of Toyoda Gosei, part of the Toyota group, summed up the borough’s attractions to business when the company chose Rotherham, against international competition, for its first European car-components plant: “We realised the positive and enthusiastic attitude of the UK central and regional governments. We investigated cost of production, workforce, environment, access of shipping and receiving, financial support and other general factors. We decided to build in Rotherham because the total evaluation is the best. We are deeply beholden to the government and Rotherham borough [council] in particular for their tremendous support and unfailing co-operation every step of the way.”

From a targeted 300 jobs by the end of 2004, Toyoda Gosei had 560 by the end of 2003.

 Regeneration team

Rotherham council has its own regeneration team, Rotherham Investment & Development Office (RiDO), with 100 people dedicated to inward investment and support for companies, whether new or already in the borough, improving its town centre, attracting tourism and conference trade. It also has ambitious regeneration programmes that are bringing new scope for business success and job creation. Among them is Manvers Enterprise Zone, offering special business benefits, and the £56m New York Riverside (taking its name from the historical area of New York by the River Don). This programme embraces economic, environmental and community regeneration across more than 1235 acres (500 hectares).