Former hospital site and respite home to be sold off by Rotherham Council

The council acquired the freehold of the entire site of the former Doncaster Gate Hospital and grounds in 2009 to provide temporary accommodation for council staff prior to the completion of Riverside House.

Although the site was sold in 2017 to Rotherham Notts College, Rotherham Council still holds the freehold interest in the site, and is responsible for its maintenance as well as providing 165 car parking spaces for use by the tenants and patients of the medical facility.

The council say the site will be sold on the open market, and the funds used for the authority’s finances. In September, the council said it was projecting an overspend of £4.5million this year.

It is also set to sell 1 Treefield Close, which was previously used as an adult respite centre.

The centre was decommissioned in 2018, and its services are now provided in the community.

The council’s children’s services have been using the home on a short-term basis since 2021, but ‘do not have a long-term use for the building’.

A report to cabinet states: “The disposal of this asset will produce a capital receipt and contribute towards the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy.

“The sale of this asset will also alleviate the council from managing the service charge provision as this would be passed to the new owner to manage.”

Approval to dispose of both sites is expected to be granted by RMBC’s cabinet at their next meeting on November 20.