Active travel schemes in Rotherham shelved to fund mainline station plans
Several active travel schemes in Rotherham are set to be shelved to allow funding to be redirected towards the long-awaited return of mainline rail services to the town, the council has confirmed.
The changes affect projects included in the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), after the government approved funding for the Rotherham Gateway Station scheme to progress to a full business case as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Speaking about the decision, leader of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Chris Read, said the original programme had been drawn up without the Gateway Station scheme, after repeated attempts to secure permission from the previous government to include full business case funding were refused. As a result, additional projects were included in the programme to meet funding requirements.
Among the schemes now being mothballed are active travel proposals at Worrygoose Roundabout in Wickersley, where around £4.88m of improvements were planned – including bus priority measures and improved pedestrian and cycle crossings. The nearby Wickersley and Brecks Active Travel Neighbourhood aimed to create low-traffic “liveable” streets and better connections to the borough’s cycling network.
Plans at Ickles Roundabout have also been paused. The scheme focused on improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists through new parallel crossings, realigned paths and traffic-calming measures, alongside congestion reduction and flood alleviation linked to nearby development.
Cllr Read said the approval of Gateway Station marked a turning point for the borough. “For more than forty years, Rotherham has been off the mainline rail network,” he said. “Our ambition isn’t just to fix that wrong, but to make the most of what it unlocks – direct connection into the tram-train network, thousands of jobs created and the delivery of high-quality new homes alongside renewed investment in the Don Valley corridor.
“While other projects will be considered for future funding rounds, the Council’s intention remains to facilitate what would be a nationally significant project for the benefit of the whole community,” he said.