Orgreave's transformation provides foundation for exciting Don Valley Corridor plans: Lynda Shillaw
Forty years ago, the site of today’s Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham told a very different story. Orgreave was the scene of one of the most significant and controversial moments of the miners’ strike – events now the subject of a new independent inquiry.
Today, the same land is home to one of the UK’s most important advanced manufacturing clusters, with RollsRoyce, Boeing and McLaren choosing to invest and grow here. That transformation did not happen by chance. It is the product of decades of collaboration between local government, universities, inward investment agencies and Harworth Group, all committed to a long-term vision.
The launch of the Don Valley Corridor by South Yorkshire’s Mayor and local leaders marks the next phase of that transformation. It sets out a long-term plan for the places between Sheffield city centre and Rotherham – aligning advanced manufacturing, innovation, housing and transport into a single, coherent system capable of creating thousands of jobs and new homes, and positioning the region at the forefront of emerging opportunities such as Small Modular Reactor manufacturing.
We already know this model works. At Waverley’s AMP, worldclass research through the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, strong local leadership, and Harworth’s through the cycle investment have created a cluster where innovation moves quickly from research to production, supply chains grow locally, and skills develop alongside jobs.
The results are measurable. Analysis by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership shows Rotherham has seen one of the fastest productivity increases anywhere in the North over the past two decades – reflecting the impact of sustained, coordinated investment.
Harworth has been central to that journey. Over 20 years, we have invested more than £200 million to transform the former Orgreave Colliery into a thriving mixed-use community at Waverley and the AMP. With 1.9 million square feet already delivered, the AMP is trusted by globally recognised occupiers and continues to attract investment because of its long-term performance.
But what has been created is more than a collection of successful businesses – it is a worldclass ecosystem.
The Waverley masterplan has delivered nearly 2,000 new homes, a school, green space and a £10 million local high street, Olive Lane; ensuring that jobs, homes and infrastructure grow together. This is essential if the region is to attract and retain talent and ensure that prosperity is felt locally.
As a master developer, our role is to unlock the potential of land that might otherwise remain underused, overcoming barriers to development and working closely with public sector partners to create sustainable places for businesses and communities.
The Don Valley Corridor is a chance to apply these lessons at scale. Extending the AMP, improving connections to Sheffield’s Innovation Spine, and enabling new housing and regeneration linked by public transport can create the agglomeration effects that supercharge economic and productivity growth.
Harworth is headquartered here because our history – and our future – is here. The AMP is a UK success story with lessons for leaders across the North and in Westminster.
If we are serious about delivering an Industrial Strategy that supports advanced manufacturing, clean energy and highvalue jobs, we must replicate what has worked here in many more places.
That means a place-based approach that aligns land, infrastructure, skills and investment, underpinned by longterm public-private partnership.
South Yorkshire has shown what is possible. But scaling that success depends on infrastructure—from buses, trams and trains to grid capacity—and on longterm policy certainty that gives investors confidence through the cycle.
The lesson from Rotherham and Sheffield is clear: transformation is possible, but it requires patience and a shared endeavour across the public, private and education sectors. The Don Valley Corridor offers the next generation the opportunity to build on a model that has already delivered real results. Our task now is to deliver it at scale.
Lynda Shillaw is Chief Executive of Harworth Group