'Official' graffiti artists step in to clean up town centre

The duo, from Nottingham, transformed run-down frontages of four empty shops on High Street back in August with a artworks theme of pushing up daisies". Now, they have turned their attention to decrepit ground floor shops in Westgate Chambers, Main Street.

Although the long-term aim is to bring the empty shops back into use, Rotherham Council hopes that temporarily masking the boarded-up shop frontages will help to improve the appearance of the town centre.

Artists Anthony Donnelly and Peter Barber are Urban Canvas. They talked to businesses in Rotherham to come up with the designs for their pieces. Previously, they have created graffiti art nationwide in towns and cities such as Mansfield, Slough, Nottingham, Chesterfield and Leicester.

Meanwhile, Rotherham Council has appointed Colliers International to undertake a retail and leisure study of the town where, in spite of incentives from the authority, many former businesses still remain empty.

The findings of the study may be used to influence town planning, regeneration and the creation of the new planning blueprint, the local development framework. Rotherham Council cabinet member Coun Gerald Smith said: "As Rotherham changes over the next 15 years, we need to ensure that we can meet our shopping and leisure needs. This study will be vital in helping us understand how things might change and making sure that our planning decisions are based on the most up-to-date information possible."