Waterdale: Manchester-based developer to help Yorkshire council with regeneration of city centre
The Mayor of Doncaster has announced the city council has partnered with a Manchester-based property developer to draw up plans to regenerate two key sites in the city centre.
Ros Jones said the City of Doncaster Council would be working with Capital & Centric to “deliver ambitious ideas for revitalising Waterdale and The Colonnades”.
In a statement posted to social media, the Labour mayor said: “Across various local surveys and public forums… Waterdale and the Colonnades have consistently been identified as specific areas of Doncaster that are in need of development, and the regeneration of both sites is referenced as a top priority in the city centre strategy.
“The [Waterdale] site will be reimagined as a thriving new neighbourhood, which helps link up key parts of the city centre, while [The Colonnades] will be transformed into a mixed-use destination.
“Between the pair of regeneration schemes, there will also be ample opportunity for commercial and residential developments, including the potential to create new homes, public spaces and leisure attractions.”
Mayor Jones said Capital & Centric’s “reputation for innovative and high quality city centre regeneration is second to none”.
She added: “Waterdale and the Colonnades sit at the heart of our urban core, and their redevelopment will play a major role in realising our ambitions for Doncaster and making it a more attractive place to live in, work at and visit.
“I look forward to sharing more about the plans in the near future.”
Despite announcing its regeneration partner, Doncaster Council said it has not completed the purchase of the land it will be redeveloping.
A spokesperson confirmed the council was undertaking necessary due diligence as planned ahead of the purchase.
The authority unlocked the option to buy the land when it completed the leasing and sub-leasing of the long-vacant ‘The Village’ unit within Waterdale.
Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) will be operating a children and young people’s mental health service from the site – under the Health on the High Street scheme.
Arranging this NHS service was a requirement in order for the council to have the option to purchase a significant portion of the Waterdale Shopping Centre site.
Without the freehold of this site, the regeneration of Waterdale would not be possible.