Rotherham is thriving, with land being developed, office, commercial and retail space being created.

And it is not all down to the superb transport links or the fact that business costs are lower in the 110-sq mile borough, though such factors help. Land is around £200,000-£300,000 an acre, freehold.

Office space ranges from £12-£16, with managed office space about £20 per sq ft to rent, or £140-£160 to buy freehold. Industrial premises are around £4-£6 a sq ft to rent and £60-£70 to buy.

With outlying areas of the borough bustling with business life, there's now a new show in town - literally. The centre of Rother-ham town is well into its Renaissance programme, forecast to draw in well over £2bn of mostly private investment.

That's what attracted award-winning Liverpool-based developer Iliad, chosen by the Metropolitan Borough Council to undertake a new challenge - to populate soon-to-be-developed business and residential premises in the heart of the centre.

Iliad is well under way with the £37m All Saints' Quarter, providing new retail, leisure, office and residential space on five sites, two of which - The Old Market and Imperial Buildings - will be complete this year.

The schemes set the tone in terms of high-quality design and will soon add to the town centre's appeal, taking full advantage of its riverside setting.

With its comparatively low rents and business costs, Rotherham is winning increasing interest from retailers and businesses wanting a town-centre location.

Sited between the impressive All Saints' Minster and the River Don, Iliad's developments will not only add to a vibrant atmosphere but also benefit from people living right above in the high-quality apartments. This is the first of many boosts under the Renaissance programme, part of regional development agency Yorkshire Forward's Renaissance Towns initiative.

Another to have spotted the potential is Anglo-Dutch developer TCN UK (formerly Express Park). It has submitted ambitious transformation plans for the town centre, stepping up its development as a thriving, vibrant hub, offering enhanced retail and leisure facilities on an unprecedented scale.

The proposals cover more than 11 acres with a projected investment of £2bn.

They include:

• Redeveloping a number of sites into quality leisure and retail facilities

• Creating on Forge Island a dynamic Cultural Quarter, boasting a museum, arts centre, theatre, library, restaurants, bars and retail facilities

TCN UK (Northern) director Stephen Holme said: "These plans are ambitious, but very achievable, with a great deal of thought having gone into their drafting. The town centre offers so much potential, and we want to do it justice.
"We've taken into account the council's public consultation exercise that's been running since 2002 and believe that what we are proposing will prove very popular with residents and businesses."

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