Halifax's Piece Hall points the way for how Yorkshire's town centres can evolve: Chris Burn

As readers this weekend will see from the tremendous pictures, the new site has leaned into its theme of creating a magical learning environment to inspire young visitors to the ‘Emporium of Stories’ and will be a fantastic addition to the centre of Rotherham, sitting opposite the Town Hall.

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The story prompted an interesting office discussion this week on how easily or otherwise individual regeneration projects can change wider perceptions of a place.

The most obvious local example in recent years is probably the stunning Piece Hall in Halifax, which for me at least is now the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the town.

In 2022, the Academy of Urbanism nominated The Piece Hall for its Great Place Award, noting how changed perceptions of Halifax and the wider Calder Valley were and it had “given the town its swagger back”.

It has now become a cultural hub, with huge names playing summer concerts at the venue and body coach (and lockdown favourite) Joe Wicks even hosting a mass workout session at the venue after his followers suggested it as an ideal location.

The Piece Hall is not without its challenges and has proved more costly to run than originally anticipated, with an ongoing public subsidy from Calderdale Council required to keep its finances on track. But there are few who would argue that the investment isn’t worthwhile.

Grimm & Co is, of course, not on the same scale as The Piece Hall but also has had support from the likes of the Arts Council to help it achieve its vision. Equally, the opening of its new site is unlikely to be able to change perceptions of Rotherham on its own but can only be a step in the right direction.

A charitable description of its town centre at the moment would be a “work in progress” as the wait continues for major redevelopment work to be finished.

However, the much-anticipated Forge Island development including a new cinema is due to open to the public later this year, while work is soon due to start on moving Rotherham markets into a new location, with a library, food hall and gallery all ending up at the same site too.

A new public park called Riverside Gardens has also been given planning permission as part of the wider town centre masterplan.

It remains to be seen what the finished product will look like but unless something goes terribly wrong, there is little doubt it will be an undoubted improvement on what is currently in place for residents and visitors.

Sites like Grimm & Co will play an important part in the evolution of our town centres as the traditional retail model struggles.

As society changes, going to a town centre has to be a positive and memorable experience that you can’t get at home – Grimm & Co certainly fits the bill.

Chris Burn is Head of Business and Features at The Yorkshire Post.