Excitement builds as Rotherham’s £46m Forge Island destination offers sneak peek ahead of summer opening

Councillors and project partners toured the Forge Island development ahead of its opening this summer, which is set to “breathe new life’ into the town centre.

RMBC agreed to fund the £46m project in 2022, after after private investors were unable to put up as much cash as first thought.

Nestled on the River Don in the centre of Rotherham, Forge Island promises to become the town’s new leisure quarter, offering a cinema, restaurants, hotel, car parking, and homes.

The project will bring a cinema back to the town centre for the first time since 1990, when Cannon closed down.

Formerly home to the Rotherham Forge & Rolling Mills, the Forge Island site was cleared following the relocation of Tesco to Drummond Street in 2014.

The family-friendly destination is set to add to Rotherham town centre’s foodie offering, with Portuguese and Southern African eatery, Casa Peri Peri, created by Masterchef finalist, Bobby Geetha; Estabulo Rodizio, a concept honouring the Gaucho style of cooking and luxury coffee shop Caffé Noor. Other Yorkshire independents coming to Forge Island also include The Rustic Pizza Co.

Forge Island will also include an eight screen boutique cinema, a 69-room Travelodge hotel, cas well as a new riverside park.

On a tour of the long-awaited buildings, Councillor Denise Lelliott, RMBC’s cabinet mmeber for jobs and the local economy said that the projects is ‘on track’.

“This site will offer high quality restaurants, a hotel on a scale of which has not been seen in the town centre before, and a new cinema bringing blockbuster movies back to the town centre for the first time in over 30 years.

“We’re on track and very much looking forward to celebrating an amazing launch.”

Hamza Sayed, operations director of Thistle Group Holding added: “We are thrilled to introduce these new culinary experiences to the community. Each restaurant embodies our passion for food, service, and creating memorable dining experiences.

Raife Gale, senior development manager at Muse, said: “It’s exciting to share with our partners the work that’s been going on inside these spaces. We’re looking forward to handing over the keys to the new tenants.”