The demolition of the former Tesco in Rotherham Town Centre is underway as a part of the regeneration taking place in the area. The regeneration in Rotherham Town Centre is taking place at Forge Island, with plans to greatly improve the area.

Rotherham Council bought the building from Tesco in February in order to prepare the area for development. It is thought that the Forge Island regeneration is an important part of the Masterplans to redevelop the Town Centre. This Masterplan is being designed by WYG Group, a global company that works in urban design. The first draft of the company’s designs is expected in weeks.

Demex are the chosen contractors who are currently at work clearing the site of the old supermarket buildings. Their work is expected to be finished in 6 to 8 weeks. The development is starting to progress now that the site is being cleared in preparation. There has been a lot of interest in the Forge Island Project by developers and it is thought that this site will be important for the regeneration of the town Centre as part of the Masterplan.

The Forge Island development sits in a waterfront location and will be attractive area for investors. The developers are hoping to turn the area in to a buzzing leisure quarter, and now that the developers have acquired the building that used to be the magistrates court, there is more space to create a varied development.

The Council has submitted plans to clear a site in order to extend the existing Forge Island car park. This expansion will mean that the capacity of the car park will increase from 309 to 544 spaces. Shoppers in this area will still be able to benefit from “red zone” parking space which allows for two hours free parking.