SYMCA INVESTS £150M IN TRANSFORMATIVE PROJECTS ACROSS SOUTH YORKSHIRE

Published 11 September 2024 at 8:24am

New figures have shown that the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has invested £150m over the past financial year into transformative projects across every part of South Yorkshire.

In total SYMCA has invested in 182 projects through the Capital Investment Programme which aims to give people and businesses in South Yorkshire the best chance to thrive. Many of the projects are helping to improve public transport, revitalise town and city centres, protect areas from flooding, develop underused areas and provide improved health care access.

These exciting investment projects, which cover Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield were discussed at the SYMCA board meeting on Tuesday 10 September. 

Some of the projects invested in by SYMCA during the 2023/24 Capital Investment programme include:

•    Renewal of Supertram £100m – allowing us to extend the life of tram tracks, improve reliability and safety and connect communities for generations to come
•    South Yorkshire Airport City – over £3m of funding committed to support Doncaster Council to undertake the processes needed to acquire the airport site and go through the procurement process to appoint a new operator who will re-open Doncaster Sheffield Airport 
•    Glass Works £3.6m and Barnsley Market Gate Bridge £8.9m – helping deliver the award-winning Glass Works retail, leisure and public space in Barnsley’s regenerated town centre and deliver the Market Gate Bridge, a much-needed active travel link into the town centre 
•    Sheffield Heart of the City 2 £9m and Westbar £3.65m - supporting Sheffield’s Heart of the City 2 development which is currently transforming the city centre with an improved retail, working, leisure and living environment and Westbar which is the second largest regeneration project in Sheffield that will deliver accommodation, offices and retail
•    Rotherham to Kilnhurst Flood Alleviation Scheme £2m and Forge Island to Riverside footbridge £1m – improved flood defences to reduce risk of flooding in Templeborough, Rotherham town centre, Parkgate and Kilnhurst area and a new footbridge across the River Don connecting Forge Island to Riverside, supporting regeneration to the town centre
•    Zero emission buses £18.1m - the introduction of zero emission electric buses across South Yorkshire through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme

Financial year 2023/24 saw the MCA have its highest ever levels of annual capital investment into the region’s priorities. 

South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said: “I’m proud that we’re investing in every part of South Yorkshire to help all of our communities stay near and go far.  

“We’re renewing vital parts of our Supertram network, supporting the brilliant Glass Works development and Market Gate Bridge in Barnsley’s revitalised town centre, improving flood defences to protect people and businesses in Rotherham, backing the transformational Heart of the City 2 development in Sheffield and funding the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.  

“There’s talent and opportunity right across our region and by investing in our people and places I’m determined to unlock South Yorkshire’s full potential.”

Capital investment is different from day-to-day revenue expenditure. It represents investments into assets such as roads, buildings, equipment, and infrastructure that will improve the region today, tomorrow and into the future for residents and businesses.

The MCA invests into its communities and places each year through its Capital Investment Programme that covers the whole of the region.

There have been several projects that have successfully been completed this year as part of this Capital Investment Programme, helping to ensure that the region has the right tools to tackle productivity challenges and the right platforms to give people and businesses the best chance to succeed. 

The report discussed at the MCA board meeting highlights the scale, status and location of investment right across the region. 

Find out more and to read the whole report here.