Council defends position on town centre businesses

We told last week how two more prominent units had come vacant after Wray’s Butchers closed and the Fitzwilliam & Hughes coffee shop moved into the GW Boutique Hotel.

Businessman Mark McGrail said in a letter to the Advertiser that he had serious concerns dozens of businesses were in trouble.

He accused RMBC of failing to provide proper support to businesses and said they had “strangled the town centre” by leaving it with inadequate parking and cutting footfall by letting staff work from home.

Mr McGrail also highlighted the list of buildings and locations in the town centre in disrepair or unfinished state, including the former Primark space, the Rain building site, the fire-wrecked Rhinoceros pub, burned-out buildings on  Corporation Street and the disused Cross Keys pub.

Mr McGrail added: “The town centre has been described as a war zone.

“There needs to be support and help in what avenues business can approach for help.

“I hope we can have a positive discussion and a positive solution.”

RMBC’s assistant director for planning, regeneration and transport, Simon Moss insisted the council had ploughed millions into backing businesses.

“We find ourselves in an extremely uncertain and worrying time for many businesses who are facing a storm of rising costs whilst at the same time, their customers are finding incomes and spending power squeezed from a cost of living crisis,” he said.

“We understand the impact this has had on businesses, and over the last three years, the council has provided over £86 million in grants and over £46 million in rates relief to business across the borough.

“In addition, the council has secured over £60 million of external funding and committed over £60 million of its own funds to bring forward a masterplan that will diversify the town, repurpose and reuse buildings, develop a new leisure and cultural quarter on Forge Island, build new homes in the town centre for people to live in, reinvigorate the well-loved but ageing market and create new high-quality public spaces linking the developments together.

“Redevelopment on this scale takes time but progress is clearly visible on site and there is more to come.

“Mr McGrail’s comments reflect his concern and his passion, and the council will continue to work constructively with businesses to bring about regeneration in the town centre, which everyone with an interest in Rotherham wishes to see.”