More cash to be approved as cost of Rotherham's new market spirals

The final amount has not been made public, but it was last estimated to come in at around £30m.

The scheme was paused in 2022 after a further £9.8M was sought which was put down to inflation and materials becoming scarcer.

RMBC secured £8.9m from the government’s Future High Streets fund in 2020 for the project, as well as £5m from the mayoral combined authority’s gainshare fund to pay for the project.

Members of RMBC’s cabinet will be asked to approve the final costs at their next meeting on March 18 – although the final amount has been redacted from public reports.

A report to councillors states that officers have considered scaling back the project, which includes a new central library building, but regeneration officers believe this would be ‘significantly detrimental to the quality of the scheme’.

Scrapping the project is not recommended, as it ‘would see the council not delivering a key component in the town centre regeneration plans’.

The report adds that the project will result in a new central library with a gallery and makers space, a food hub, and ‘enhancements’ to the market, with the site bordered by Drummond Street, Eastwood Lane and Howard Street.

“Bringing together the library, markets, food hall and gallery/makers spaces on one site will provide the potential to increase footfall and thereby support and sustain the future of the library service, the market and small independent retailers across the town centre.”