Latest news with #TownDeal
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Castleford developer sought to accelerate regeneration
A West Yorkshire council is set to appoint a developer to help speed up some of its planned housing and regeneration Council said the move would accelerate long-term projects planned for Castleford and help it to "evolve into a distinctive riverside market town".Senior councillors are expected to approve plans to launch a procurement process to secure a strategic regeneration partner. Major redevelopment projects are already underway in Castleford, including a revamp of the town centre, after the council secured £23m of government Town Deal funding in 2019. A new public park is also being built next to the River has also been designated as a housing zone with a focus on residential development at key sites close to the river.A report to cabinet members said Castleford had "significant opportunities for economic growth and regeneration" and should take advantage of its "ideally placed" road, rail and bus connections to Leeds, Manchester, York and added: "Castleford has the capacity to accommodate a significant student and office worker population, along with a substantial number of new homes."This growth will significantly boost footfall and create new opportunities for the town centre."With the right level of investment, the town can fulfil its potential and evolve into a vibrant, sustainable, and distinctive riverside market town, playing a key role in the economic future of both the district and the wider West Yorkshire region." Earlier this year, the council launched a similar scheme in Wakefield by appointing Muse to help bring forward a range of regeneration scheme planned for the to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), council leader Denise Jeffery said: "Castleford has a strong identity, and its residents are incredibly proud of where they come from."Town centres have changed massively in recent years, and I'm determined to ensure we have a thriving and distinctive town centre residents deserve."Jack Hemingway, deputy leader of the council and portfolio holder for regeneration and economic growth, added: "Our strategic regeneration partner will enable us to realise the potential there is for sustained economic growth in Castleford."We want to get the right mix of retail, commercial, residential and leisure to get the town moving forwards and to give our residents what they need and want."Cabinet members will consider the report at a meeting on 22 July. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Scottish Sun
24-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Huge new £166million railway station to transform English market town with first mainline trains in 50 years
It could be just years away from becoming one of the best-connected spots in the North PICKING UP STEAM Huge new £166million railway station to transform English market town with first mainline trains in 50 years Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HUGE new £166million railway station is set to completely transform a quiet English market town — as it welcomes mainline trains for the first time in 50 years. The long-awaited transport hub promises to boost local business, slash travel times, and reconnect the community with major cities across the UK. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Rotherham is gearing up for a game-changing new mainline station, pencilled in for late 2030 Credit: rmbc 2 The whole area is set to boom with over 355,000 sq ft of cutting-edge manufacturing and business space, alongside around 250 new homes Credit: Getty Rotherham is on track for a major glow-up - with a whopping £166million Gateway Station set to put the town back on the UK's rail map. South Yorkshire bigwigs are set to sign off another £11.35million later this month to push the game-changing project into its next phase, bringing swanky design plans and fresh procurement moves. Network Rail reckon the brand-new four-platform station could cost between £133m and £166m, but locals say it's worth every penny to bring mainline trains back to the borough after half a century. The huge scheme will see a modern integrated rail and tram-train stop built at Forge Way, Parkgate - promising to supercharge Rotherham's regional and national links and spark a brand-new Innovation Campus right next door. SYMCA bosses have hailed the Rotherham Gateway scheme as 'the most significant growth and regeneration opportunity across the North of England'. The SYMCA report added: ""At the heart of these plans is the proposal to radically enhance the connectivity of this site, not only within the borough and South Yorkshire, but to and from other centres of advanced manufacturing, international gateways and London with the development of a new Rotherham Gateway Station." Rotherham Council is leading the charge, having already secured £10million through the Town Deal and tapped into a further £1million from SYMCA's City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement to put together a bold Station Masterplan and snap up key land. The £166million project - which includes a brand-new mainline station and tram-train stop at Parkgate - is still awaiting full government backing, as it's currently classed as a Department for Transport 'retained scheme'. Pencilled in for late 2030, it promises quicker trains to Sheffield, Doncaster, Leeds - and faster links to the North West, Midlands, North East, plus ports and airports. But that's not all. The whole area is set to boom with over 355,000 sq ft of cutting-edge manufacturing and business space, alongside around 250 new homes - adding to the 2,500 already planned nearby at Bassingthorpe Farm. All Aboard the Scenic Express: Discovering UK's Most Picturesque Train Routes Green thumbs will be pleased too, with 100,000 sq ft earmarked for parks and green spaces, plus 32,000 sq ft of public hangout spots. Plus, about 200 parking spots are in the plans - and no extra roadworks are expected beyond access upgrades. Improvements will also be made to walking and cycling routes to make it easier for people to reach the station on foot or by bike. The funding pot is still up in the air, with authorities hunting for cash from new transport grants - but nothing's nailed down yet, meaning land buys and next steps are a bit of a gamble. Sun Travel's favourite train journeys in the world Sun Travel's journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences. Davos to Geneva, Switzerland "After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass." - Caroline McGuire Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen "Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you're whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too - as you'll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way." Kara Godfrey London to Paris by Eurostar "Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what's so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won't have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord." - Sophie Swietochowski Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail "From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond." - Hope Brotherton Beijing to Ulaanbatar "The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city's high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I've witnessed anywhere." - Ryan Gray The main station will set back around £72 million - soaring to £94 million when factoring in risks and inflation. The tram-train stop adds nearly £28 million (or £40 million with extras), and a four-platform build could push the total to over £127 million. With government plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail and a decade-long infrastructure strategy due soon, Rotherham's future looks on track — if the money lines up. According to the BBC, when Rotherham Gateway Station opens, it will reintroduce mainline trains to Rotherham for the first time since the 1980s. Here is how train travel has changed in the past 200 years in the UK.
The Irish Sun
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Huge new £166million railway station to transform English market town with first mainline trains in 50 years
A HUGE new £166million railway station is set to completely transform a quiet English market town — as it welcomes mainline trains for the first time in 50 years. The long-awaited transport hub promises to boost local business, slash travel times, and reconnect the community with major cities across the UK. Advertisement 2 Rotherham is gearing up for a game-changing new mainline station, pencilled in for late 2030 Credit: rmbc 2 The whole area is set to boom with over 355,000 sq ft of cutting-edge manufacturing and business space, alongside around 250 new homes Credit: Getty South Yorkshire bigwigs are set to sign off another £11.35million later this month to push the game-changing project into its next phase, bringing swanky design plans and fresh procurement moves. Network Rail reckon the brand-new four-platform station could cost between £133m and £166m, but locals say it's worth every penny to bring mainline trains back to the borough after half a century. The huge scheme will see a modern integrated rail and tram-train stop built at Forge Way, Parkgate - promising to supercharge Rotherham's regional and national links and spark a brand-new Innovation Campus right next door. Advertisement more on train stations SYMCA bosses have hailed the Rotherham Gateway scheme as 'the most significant growth and regeneration opportunity across the North of England'. The SYMCA report added: ""At the heart of these plans is the proposal to radically enhance the connectivity of this site, not only within the borough and South Yorkshire, but to and from other centres of advanced manufacturing, international gateways and London with the development of a new Rotherham Gateway Station." Rotherham Council is leading the charge, having already secured £10million through the Town Deal and tapped into a further £1million from SYMCA's City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement to put together a bold Station Masterplan and snap up key land. The £166million project - which includes a brand-new mainline station and tram-train stop at Parkgate - is still awaiting full government backing, as it's currently classed as a Department for Transport 'retained scheme'. Advertisement Most read in News Travel Latest Pencilled in for late 2030, it promises quicker trains to Sheffield, But that's not all. The whole area is set to boom with over 355,000 sq ft of cutting-edge manufacturing and business space, alongside around 250 new homes - adding to the 2,500 already planned nearby at Bassingthorpe Farm. All Aboard the Scenic Express: Discovering UK's Most Picturesque Train Routes Green thumbs will be pleased too, with 100,000 sq ft earmarked for parks and green spaces, plus 32,000 sq ft of public hangout spots. Plus, about 200 parking spots are in the plans - and no extra roadworks are expected beyond access upgrades. Advertisement Improvements will also be made to walking and cycling routes to make it easier for people to reach the station on foot or by bike. The funding pot is still up in the air, with authorities hunting for cash from new transport grants - but nothing's nailed down yet, meaning land buys and next steps are a bit of a gamble. Sun Travel's favourite train journeys in the world Sun Travel's journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences. Davos to Geneva, Switzerland "After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass." - Caroline McGuire Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen "Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you're whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too - as you'll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way." Kara Godfrey London to Paris by Eurostar "Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what's so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won't have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord." - Sophie Swietochowski Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail "From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond." - Hope Brotherton Beijing to Ulaanbatar "The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city's high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I've witnessed anywhere." - Ryan Gray The main station will set back around £72 million - soaring to £94 million when factoring in risks and inflation. The tram-train stop adds nearly £28 million (or £40 million with extras), and a four-platform build could push the total to over £127 million. Advertisement With government plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail and a decade-long infrastructure strategy due soon, Rotherham's future looks on track — if the money lines up. According to Here is how
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Town's regeneration projects face further delays
Several multimillion-pound regeneration projects in Long Eaton have been delayed by several months. Erewash Borough Council was given £25m of government funding to rejuvenate the town more than five years ago. However, all but one of the projects are still in their pre-construction phases. Funding for all of the schemes in the Town Deal must be spent by March 2026 or it faces being pulled back by central government. They must be completed in full by March 2027. A meeting of the Long Eaton Town Board heard that construction of the listed building next to Long Eaton Town Hall has been extended by four months because of defective designs, with completion now set for August rather than April. The Stable Block building is set to become a modern working hub with new office and workshop space. The Britannia Mills Bridge, which will form part of an improved pedestrian and cycling network, now faces a six-month delay and will begin in September this year, with completion set for March 2026. Starting works at Broad Street Bridge, connecting West Park with the town centre over Erewash Canal, also faces delays. Work was originally mooted to begin in January but has been delayed again from July to August while further cost benefit analysis is completed but with no knock-on delay to completion expected. The project to revitalise Long Eaton's high street has faced "unexpected queries" from Derbyshire Highway Authority, according to the council, resulting in delays. Completion of works, estimated to cost about £10m, will not happen until July 2026, instead of June. This date however has been bought forward than the original October 2026 estimate for completion. Work will begin in September this year. Meanwhile the former Galaxy Row cinema, where demolition work began in May, has also faced another round of delays. It will begin its development stage in September this year, a month after the time it was originally mooted to be finished. The latest slowdown will see the project, which will see the site turned into shops and flats, now expected to be completed in December 2026 instead of October. A project to improve lighting in West Park to encourage walking and cycling was completed last year. The leader of Erewash Conservatives Wayne Major said the delays were "a real concern". "While it's positive that there's now some leeway from government on deadlines, that flexibility should be used to get projects over the line, not to drift further behind. "Keeping to budget and timeline is essential if we're going to make the most of this funding." A spokesperson for Erewash Borough Council said: "The Town Deal continues to be a massive project for the borough council. Like almost all the other such schemes across the country we have had challenges to overcome along the way. "The conditions set by the Towns Fund is for all projects to be in contract by the end of March 2026 – with projects completed by the end of March 2027. We are well on track to achieve this." Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Demolition begins at town's historic cinema Plans for £10m town centre revamp unveiled Erewash Borough Council
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Glastonbury Town Deal chair Dr Lynne Sedgmore resigns
The chair of the Glastonbury Town Deal board has resigned after a damning audit into a government-backed regeneration project in the board has been overseeing 10 projects, delivered by Somerset Council and other organisations, funded by £23.6m from the government's Towns an independent audit the council confirmed in May that it would not provide further funding towards the upgrade of the Red Brick Building C (also known as The Life Factory) - leaving local contractors in limbo and the work Lynne Sedgmore CBE, who chairs the advisory-only board, has now resigned from her position for "personal reasons", alongside another board member. In her resignation letter to council chief executive Duncan Sharkey, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Dr Sedgmore said: "I genuinely believe it is best for the board, in the context of continuing and increasing unsubstantiated public attacks on me, that I stand down." She added: "During my time as chair, I have willingly given considerable time, energy, skills, commitment and dedication to the effectiveness of the board. It has been a privilege to serve Glastonbury in this way."There has been significant progress on all but one town deal project (The Life Factory), and the two projects completed this year have been a huge success. There are many more successes to come before final completion in March 2026. Accusations 'without foundation' "I am on the receiving end of personal and professional attacks in the public domain suggesting financial impropriety. While the accusations are without foundation, this is damaging to the board as well as to myself."My resignation is not connected to any form of inappropriate fiscal accountability, on my part or that of the board."Dr Sedgmore had served as chair since October 2021, following the death of original chairman Robert McKenzie, a community representative who has sat on the board since its inception in 2020, has also vice chair and Glastonbury mayor Councillor Michael White will act as temporary a statement issued on Tuesday, the board said it was hopeful that additional funding could be secured urgently to complete the Life Factory project and pay outstanding creditors.A spokesman said: "Having read the SWAP report, we understand the rationale for this decision by the council as the accountable body. However, we remain very concerned about the impact this decision will have on our community."Somerset Council has previously said no more funds will be available for the Life Factory after the audit made clear that despite almost £3m being spent, the project cannot be delivered "in time with the Grant Funding Agreement".Duncan Sharkey, the council's chief executive, said the authority "accepts the [report's] findings that our level of oversight and monitoring could have been strengthened".
