What happened to rotherham

[daveontues]

Although i left Rotherham in 1993 what has continued to dismay me on visits to the town and even in the years before i left the town was some of the blinkered plans and thinking of the town planners for years and years reducing the town to a grade C movie film set at best. Let me just mention a few of Rotherhams past buildings etc , when Rotherham closed the Tivoli building many years back now although it became a listed building it was allowed to fall into disrepair(and as my brother has an interest with a group concerned with the towns heritage) he remarked some time before that building was demolished. "What planners do with a listed building like that if they wish to remove it, is let it fall into more and more disrepair then declare its too costly to repair and its becoming a danger to the public , 'hey presto 'its demolished. The Cinema at the bottom of Doncaster Gate went through several disfigurements before it was razed to trhe ground , and this was a Unique style of building that would have been an asset to the town with some imagination used. Nothing is sacred apart from the Parish Church it seems , i recall the old Russums building on Bridgegate being demolished, and then the planners found out it was Georgian period listed building so told the builders they had to rebuild the building and although it wasnt the orginal anymore to build it with Georgian windows as if this made up for the error someone made in giving permission to demolish . I also recall how they 'gutted' the Victorian Town Hall leaving only the facade and filling the inside with a shopping arcade only to discover only half the units were being occupied because the rates where too high and then along came Meadowhall, talk about bad timing oh and to put the now final coup de grace to Rotherham shops, the Council allowed a out of town retail Park at Parkgate to bleed away shoppers who couldnt get to Meadowhall the list of Rotherham town planners reads like a diary of Alaric King or Cheif of the Vandals around 500 AD . talk about putting the town to the sword ???!!!

[Marx]

That is a lot of text in one solid block.

[charlie_boy]

Another 'lets have a bash at Rotherham thread'!!!! Look at the state of lots of parts of sheffield, all the buildings in the centre of sheffield which have gone to rack and ruin etc....... What your seeing in rotherham is happening in most places in the current financial climate.

[dazzler4]

Another 'lets have a bash at Rotherham thread'!!!! Look at the state of lots of parts of sheffield, all the buildings in the centre of sheffield which have gone to rack and ruin etc....... What your seeing in rotherham is happening in most places in the current financial climate.

 

Indeed, there is the courthouse down by the smelly markets, the pretty old post office building in fitallan square.

Not forgetting that Sheffield halted big developments a few years back when rotherham carried on.

 

Meadowhall has also put a boot into sheffield center, sevenstone not happening yet has been a major issue too!

 

Whats happened to rotherham has happened to most old market towns in the uk, whereas sheffield has huge potential, but everyone wants it to be big open green spaces!

[handypandy]

I agree that it is sad to see some of these old buildings become dilapidated but you have to be realistic. If a company is looking for premises, are they willing to spend probably twice what it would cost for a new build to renovate one of these buildings?

 

On the other hand, if the council was to commission the renovation, where would the money come from to fund the project and what would it be used for when done, that could recoup the investment?

 

Those who feel strongly enough about saving these old buildings may wish to put their own money into a fund, to buy and renovate? Those in favour say "aye"

[bigjoker]

Another 'lets have a bash at Rotherham thread'!!!! Look at the state of lots of parts of sheffield, all the buildings in the centre of sheffield which have gone to rack and ruin etc....... What your seeing in rotherham is happening in most places in the current financial climate.

 

The only problem with your statement charlie_boy, is that Rotherham started go downhill well before the current financial climate.

[Unscarred83]

Times change.

[Lucifer]

Times change.

 

Every second I suppose.

[maz-cooper]

I live in Rotherham andnI love my lttle town but it's getting rather neglected.It's a shame because I remember it in the 60s and 70s .Yes the tivoli got worse and worse till it had to come down and that one on Donny gate was really interesting..it had big 'onions' on the top a bit like a mosque or something.Also a lot of the shops are now pubs!I don't get to Sheff much now as not well but used to have great days out there.

[stepbung]

i am in my 73rd year,i was born in sheffield,i havent lived there for over fortyfive years,i have been back and fore over the years and although i realise change is inevitable someone should tell the planners that there is a possible two results,one is fore the better the other is for the worse.i can no longer claim that the sheffield that exists today is my home town.