Cinema idea to help traders in town centre compete with rivals

A new cinema is among the suggestions made to help attract more people into Rotherham, along with other “leisure provision” which will help differentiate the town centre from other shopping destinations.

Traditional shopkeepers have struggled to compete with the Meadowhall centre, which lies just over the Sheffield boundary, and the Parkgate Retail World, which is to the north of the town, in recent years.

Council bosses have instigated several projects in a bid to encourage more people to shop in the town, including shop local loyalty cards, redevelopment of public spaces and experiments with free parking.

But a study, carried out by London-based commercial estate agents and experts Colliers International, has concluded that even more should be done to help traders and the town centre bounce back and thrive.

In December last year, a study carried out by surveyors the Local Data Company showed that 28 per cent of shops in Rotherham were empty – a figure which senior councillors and officers immediately disputed.

The Colliers International study says “great strides” have already been taken to further improve Rotherham town centre as a shopping destination, with the Shop Local scheme attracting over 10,000 members.

Its experts say other incentives offered have also contributed heavily to 44 new businesses opening during 2010 with the “ambitious redevelopment programme” underpinning that work further

But the study also identifies further ways to strengthen the town centre in order for it to “reposition itself in the national retail ranking and become more competitive with major rivals”.

Rotherham Council’s director of planning and regeneration, Paul Woodcock, said: “The purpose of this study is to inform planning decisions and the way in which we can continue to regenerate Rotherham.

“It also gives us a push to continue working on initiatives and further development opportunities that are still needed, particularly in Rotherham town centre.”

The Colliers study finds that Rotherham town centre should be the focus for the majority of new retail development in the borough and says that “there is a need to concentrate on the core area of the town centre, and the retail offer in that area”.

It adds: “We know that a significant amount of retail floor space has grown outside of the town centre and the study identifies the need to rebalance this.

“More than three-quarters of retail spend, and half of the spending on goods such as clothing, are made in out-of-centre locations such as retail parks – presenting opportunities in the future for Rotherham’s centres to capture some of this lost trade.”

Chris Hamby, who runs a footwear and gift shop in Rotherham High Street, said he was happy with what the council had done to encourage trade in the town, but added that more could be done to attract shoppers.

He added: “I think the council does a good job bearing in mind the constraints they are working under. It is just the way the retail trade has gone with town centres going down and out of town going up.

“We have shops in Barnsley and Malton in North Yorkshire and I have to say that compared to other towns we are in, the council here is better.

“There is this feeling that there was a golden age in shopkeeping which is always just a generation away, but we have been in business for 50 years and it has always been hard work.

“Shopping habits have changed and there is often a lot of negativity – it’s good to see the council trying to think positive and look for ways forward for the town.”