The Seam: Barnsley Council release details of new £23m town centre regeneration project including hotel, townhouses and multi-storey car park

The project, named The Seam, will see a new multi-storey car park, public realm, and housing built in phases around the existing Digital Media Centre and County Way car parks.

The approved budget for The Seam is £23.72m which will be provided by Barnsley Council and the government’s future high streets fund.

The council’s vision for the area is “a vibrant neighbourhood where people live, work, learn, try new ideas, enjoy the public realm, supporting the wider town centre economy.”

An “active travel hub” is proposed for car parking space on the corner of Eldon Street and Regent Street, which will be constructed during the first stage of the scheme.

The hub will be a 500m2 single storey building housing a bike loan workshop, cycle storage, lockers, showers and a cafe.

A design report states: “The primary function of the Active Travel Hub is to provide cycle storage, but the facility is to be designed to accommodate a range of uses fronting onto the central greenspace including cafe, cycle hire / repair, retail and cycle workshop space.”

The report also seeks approval to begin procurement exercise to identify a housing developer for homes at the site,

Plot one, which is currently The Seam shopper car park between the Digital Media centre and the Eldon Street retaining wall, has been identified as being suitable for either a hotel of apartments.

A plot of land behind County Way Car Park next to the rail line, has been earmarked for ” family type townhouses”.

A seven storey, 22m high car park is proposed for the car park off County Way, which has recently been used as a Covid-19 testing site, on the corner of Old Mill Lane.

The proposed building will accommodate a total of 409 vehicle spaces, including accessible and family car bays, as well as motorcycle bays.

The report states that the car park will "reduce the footprint of land occupied by BMBC car parks in the town centre."

"Current occupancy of this car park is on average 500 users per day.

"Any loss of capacity at The Seam will be met through increased occupancy in other car parks.”