Forge Island Rotherham: Leisure complex with cinema, hotel and restaurants in final stages

The brand new South Yorkshire leisure destination is headed for its final stages of development after builders celebrated "topping out" the building structures.

Forge Island is set to be delivered on schedule at the end of summer 2024 and will become a flagship leisure destination in Rotherham town centre - featuring an eight-screen boutique cinema, a 69-room Travelodge hotel and numerous independent restaurants.

Rotherham Council Leader, Councillor Chris Read, said: "It’s just over a year since we broke ground and here we are topping out these amazing buildings with more exciting milestones to come.

"Forge Island is the single biggest investment in our town centre for decades and it’s successfully transforming a disused retail site into a landmark family-friendly destination we can all enjoy and be proud to have on our doorstep."

The cinema, which will be operated by The Arc, will be the first movie theatre in Rotherham for 30 years and is said to be a "major part" of Forge Island's family-friendly offer.

Brian Gilligan, Director of The Arc Cinema, said: "We’re very excited to open on Forge Island later this year and it’s fantastic to be here today and see our cinema taking shape. The Arc Cinema is known for their top-class facilities and we’re proud to say that the new location at Forge Island will be no exception."

Work will now turn to the next stages of the development, with building facades next on the list ahead of the fit out of the food and beverage outlets, hotel and cinema in the spring.