£23m funding for SCR projects

Funding of £23m has been awarded to support projects designed to boost the tourist economy, revitalise urban centres and improve transport connections across the Sheffield City Region.At the SCR Mayoral Combined Authority meeting, chaired by Mayor Dan Jarvis and held in Doncaster, members formally agreed Local Growth Fund (LGF) funding for schemes in Barnsley, Doncaster and Sheffield.The largest grant was £7.4m for the Glass Works development in Barnsley town centre. Funding will contribute to new retail and restaurant units, a market kitchen food court and offices, as well as the demolition of an existing multi storey car park. Up to 700 jobs could be created.A grant of £7.32m has been approved for road improvements along the M1 J36 Economic Growth Corridor in Goldthorpe, to support the development of 180 acres of new employment land.A £2.13m grant has also been approved for Barnsley’s Digital Media Centre to create a Digital Media Centre 2, providing new space for digital and creative businesses.A loan of £4.8m has also been approved for the Parkwood Springs extreme sports development in Sheffield. The LGF money will be used towards the site remediation, new utilities and a new access road at Parkwood Springs, while the centre itself will be paid for with private sector funding.Finally, a LGF loan of £3.5m has been agreed to provide additional car parking spaces at Doncaster Sheffield Airport.