Towns and Villages celebrates its tenth completed project

Cllr Sarah Allen with Cllr Thomas Collingham and Cllr Zach Collingham.
Cllr Sarah Allen with Cllr Thomas Collingham and Cllr Zach Collingham.

Rotherham’s Towns and Villages programme reaches a major milestone as the tenth project is completed in Thurcroft.

The project along the Green Arbour Road shopping promenade started in October 2023 and has brought a range of improvements to the local high street, tackling issues that residents raised during the consultation. These included more organised parking, increased pedestrian safety and improved visual appeal.

Areas outside the shops have been reorganised to create a dedicated pedestrian footway, separate from the parking areas. While no parking has been removed, the new layout has improved safety for pedestrians, including the disabled and children, who use the paths as part of their walk to school.

New planters have introduced some much needed greenery, with replacement bollards and bins giving the street a lift. New benches give residents the chance to meet with friends or have a rest when out shopping.

Local Ward Councillors, Cllr Zach Collingham and Cllr Thomas Collingham, joined the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Cllr Sarah Allen, to inspect the new look high street and were delighted with the results.

Thurcroft and Wickersley South Ward Councillor, Cllr Thomas Collingham, said: “Before this work, Green Arbour Road looked a little tired and the unregulated parking was a hazard for pedestrians and road users alike. Now it couldn’t be more different; vehicles and pedestrians each have their own space, parents can walk their children to local schools with confidence and the elderly and disabled can shop with ease. I am delighted with the project and cannot wait to see how the planters bloom in the spring.”

Thurcroft and Wickersley South Ward Councillor, Cllr Zach Collingham, said: “The Towns and Villages Fund allows us as Local Ward Councillors to make a real difference to the communities we serve. The improvements we have been able to make could only have been made with feedback and comments from local residents who use these shops, roads and pathways. It has been fantastic to watch the project take shape and develop. It is just the start and we will keep working to build on it going forward.”

The Towns and Villages Fund is a multi-million pound commitment from Rotherham Council to deliver improvements to towns and village centres across the borough, including this project in Thurcroft.

Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Cllr Sarah Allen, said: “This project marks the tenth of its kind in Rotherham and I am pleased to see the results. These grassroot regeneration projects give areas of our communities a new lease of life and have a hugely positive effect on local residents.

“The Towns and Villages Fund is a £4million investment to our communities across the borough. Each Towns and Villages project I have seen has had a tangible effect on the communities the areas serve, and are something that residents of all ages can enjoy for many years to come.”

Further information about this scheme and others happening across the borough can be found at www.rotherham.gov.uk/villages.

Published: 12th February 2024