It opens on Olive Lane, Waverley, on Friday, March 14 on what was Orgreave Coking works.
Today there are 1,800 houses, a pub and a school on the site, but other facilities have been a long time coming.
Now, as well as Tesco, the new high street is set to feature a bar, Indian restaurant, Specsavers, a vets, nursery, medical centre, pharmacy and ‘village hall’ for Waverley Community Council.
Peter Massie, senior development manager at developer Harworth, said: “This is something we are really proud of and what we hope will become a really vibrant high street.”
An earlier plan for a £50m town centre called Waverley Square was axed in 2020, three years after it won planning permission, due to the impact of Covid lockdowns.
Harworth had to go back to the drawing board, get a new scheme through planning and go back out to tender, Mr Massie said.
For residents, the launch of Olive Lane will be a relief. They have long complained about a lack of amenities in Waverley as demand for them has risen. An extension to the school is currently under way.
Another bright spot is the £20m Marriott hotel which was abandoned for a year when developer, Stapleford, ran out of money.
Now, workers are back on site and expect to be finished by the end of this year, Mr Massie added.
“Waverley is probably the busiest it has ever been with 16 different contractors, including seven house builders, on site.”
Business units, a new factory for Technicut, a car park and 20-acre green space are also under construction.
Most will be finished by the end of next year and for the first time it is possible to envisage a time when Waverley, Harworth’s biggest mixed site, is complete.
The last of 3,000 houses is set to be built within six years, Mr Massie said.
It’s quite a contrast to when it was a vast open cast coal mine and coking works and scene of a bloody clash between striking miners and police in 1984.
A 13-year clean up was completed in 2010. The first house was occupied in 2012. Today they are going up at a rate of 200-a-year.
Waverley, which is wholly in Rotherham, also includes the Advanced Manufacturing Park, home to big names including Rolls Royce, McLaren and the UK Atomic Energy Authority. It is hoped the 2,000 people who work on the site will also use Olive Lane.
Mr Massie said there were also plans for a railway station off Mitchell Way.
1. Waverley Rotherham shop
Adam Briscoe and Keira Walters at Tesco express, the first shop to open in Waverley. | NW Photo: DW
2. Olive Lane
Peter Massie, senior development manager at Harworth, said: “This is something we are really proud of and what we hope will become a really vibrant high street.” | NW Photo: DW
3. Marriott Hotel
Builders are back on the £20m Marriott hotel after the construction site was abandoned for a year. | NW Photo: DW
4. New homes
Houses at Waverley are going up at a rate of 200-a-year, Harworth says. | NW Photo: DW