Ground works have begun on Rotherham’s Forge Island development – soon to be home of a state-of-the-art cinema, 69-room hotel, and six restaurants providing food from around the world.
Residents passing Forge Island will be able to see diggers and heavy plant vehicles on site as they prepare to lay foundations for the £47m development, being delivered by master developer, Muse, in partnership with Rotherham Council.
Once complete, the new destination will provide something for residents and families to enjoy right in the heart of Rotherham town centre, which will include a variety of features including the boutique 8 screen cinema from The Arc, each with laser digital projection and Dolby digital surround sound.
The scheme is 100% pre-let with Travelodge who will be offering visitors a range of hotel rooms. Finally, five food and beverage brands have already signed up to the scheme and will showcase food and drink from across the globe – the sixth will be announced shortly.
Rotherham Council’s leader, cllr Chris Read, said: “Forge Island is the single biggest investment in our town centre for decades. It will be the first cinema in the central area for thirty years and the community has waited a very long time to see this work begin.
“As we face into the difficult economic times ahead, it’s more important than ever to redouble our efforts to build a better future on the other side. So this marks a huge step in the right direction in the delivery of our town centre masterplan, towards the kind of town centre that people can be proud of once again.”
Raife Gale, senior development manager at Muse, said: “Since we were appointed as the council’s partner for Forge Island in 2018, we’ve worked collaboratively with the council to reach this point where we’re on site and we can’t wait to deliver this exciting destination for the community.
“Demand to come to Forge Island has been incredible and we’ve assembled a fantastic line up of operators and amenities to join us in our mission to create an attractive leisure destination with a social purpose that becomes a catalyst for further investment and regeneration in the town.”
