Tesco Store
2012 Plans
The demolition of the various old council offices in 2012 will create a nice, large, juicy site on the east side of Rotherham. TCN are purchasing the council's 236,000 sq ft Civic Site including the Civic Building, Norfolk House and the Central Library and Arts Centre. There will also be a multi-million pound investment in the road network, including removing the Centenary Way flyover, upgrading pedestrian crossings and improving access to the bus terminal. It is planned that a new Tesco superstore will be built here, thus freeing up Forge Island for the Council's objectives for a centre of culture, theatres and and café on the island. The site of Crinoline House is intended for a petrol station.
This new Tesco Extra store may create an extra 200 jobs for the town, but there are many naysayers. The new development is regarded by some as just too big and will probably take away trade from what remains of the small shops in the centre of town. There's little enough left as it is.
Rotherham Civic Society has called for the plans to be scaled down so that other shopkeepers can be given a fair chance to trade. I wouldn't hold my breath. This has been the Council's favoured option for many years and is likely to be passed on the nod.