Demolition of landmark offices begins

WORKMEN have begun stripping out the interior of one of Rotherham’s landmark buildings, in order to prepare it for demolition next month.

Seven-storey Crinoline House, in Effingham Street, was built in the 1970s and was home to Rotherham Council’s social services department until staff moved out in 2010.

The building is now being demolished as part of the £2bn “Rotherham Renaissance” regeneration project, which has seen various council buildings around the town being demolished or relocated.

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A new Tesco supermarket is set to be built on the site of the civic centre and library when staff move to the new council offices on the Guest and Chrimes site, which is next to where Rotherham United’s new football ground is also currently under construction.

A spokesman for Rotherham Council said that the demolition of Crinoline House would “require some occasional road closures outside peak traffic times, to ensure the public safety in the immediate area.”

They added: “The whole project is expected to take around 16 weeks to complete.

“Rotherham Council has consulted with South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive to ensure that disruption to bus service departures and for customers using the transport interchange is kept to a minimum.”

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Some aspects of Rotherham Renaissance, a 25-year scheme to transform the town centre, have already been axed or scaled back due to the economic downturn.

While some parts of the plan, such as the restoration of the Grade Two-listed Imperial Buildings and the creation of a new £12m health centre, have proved a success, funding for other schemes fell victim to the recession.

The All Saints’ Building, adjacent to Rotherham Minster, was demolished and planning permission was granted for a development of shops and offices.

However, Iliad, the firm behind the scheme, pulled the plug in 2009, and the site has since been landscaped to become the Minster Gardens.

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Meanwhile, the £8.5m regeneration of Rotherham railway station was unveiled in early 2010 and was originally set to be complete by last Christmas.

More than a year later, however, work is far from finished.

In November last year, meanwhile, Tesco revealed plans to close its current Rotherham store in Market Street and replace it with a new Tesco Extra store on the site of the council offices and Central Library.

The supermarket giant also intends to make a “multi-million pound investment” in Rotherham’s road network, including removing the Centenary Way flyover and improving access to the bus terminal.