SOUTH YORKSHIRE UNVEILS TRANSFORMATION OF DON VALLEY CORRIDOR - FROM INDUSTRIAL PAST TO LEADING THE NORTH’S MANUFACTURING RENEWAL

Published 25 March 2026 at 2:55pm

South Yorkshire’s new Don Valley Corridor plan is set to deliver a £1.3bn boost to the region’s and UK economy, 18,500 new jobs and more than 10,500 new homes – opening up fresh opportunities for communities that have too often been overlooked.

The new Mayoral Development Zone, unveiled by South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard, the Leader of Sheffield City Council, Tom Hunt, and Rotherham Council Leader, Chris Read, will stretch from the heart of Sheffield through Attercliffe, Tinsley and Templeborough into Rotherham Gateway, the town centre and Bassingthorpe – some of the region’s most important regeneration and growth areas. 

The Don Valley Corridor brings together new employment, housing, infrastructure, skills and community regeneration into one 30 year plan designed to revitalise neighbourhoods, connect communities to opportunity, and unlock sites that have been left behind for decades. 

The new community of Waverley, Rotherham, is an example of the type of transformation that is set to extend across the entire lower Don Valley.  

What was once the site of industrial conflict – Orgreave – is now home to a globally important advanced manufacturing and materials cluster including Boeing’s only European manufacturing facility, Rolls Royce’s Advanced Blade Casting Facility and McLaren Automotive, as well as over 3,000 new homes and new community facilities. 

McLaren’s factory provided the backdrop to the launch by South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard of the 30 year Don Valley Corridor Plan. 

Mayor Coppard said: “The Don Valley Corridor has always been the beating heart of the North’s industrial, manufacturing strength. That may have been forgotten by some, but it’s never been forgotten here; that heartbeat has never stopped.  

“Our new plan will put the Don Valley and South Yorkshire back at the forefront of the UK’s manufacturing renewal, not just bringing together assets vital to energy, security and innovation, but powering them forward for the next generation.  

“Across the Don Valley Corridor we shape, make and create the technologies, industries and assets that are vital to the UK’s security, growth and prosperity, but we know we can do even more, creating the vital jobs and opportunities that people here deserve.  

“And alongside our plans for the Don Valley’s manufacturing and industrial renaissance, we’ll make sure we’re building the homes and infrastructure people need, so everyone in South Yorkshire can stay near and go far.

“For as long as I can remember, Britain has doubled down on a growth model that meant the South-East took both the benefits and the burdens of growth. If the whole country is to thrive, and every place is to stand on its own two feet, playing a full part in UK PLC, places like South Yorkshire will need to unlock their own, full potential.  

“Our plans for the Don Valley Corridor offer a new path, for the UK, the North and South Yorkshire, one that allows the expertise, innovation and energy that has always been here, to restore the pride, purpose and prosperity of our communities.”   

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: "Everywhere I go in the UK I see the talent, the vision and the ambition of our communities, but a lack of investment over decades has held them back. That’s why I’m backing the Don Valley Corridor, boosting the region’s economy and placing it at the centre of national growth.
 
“Investing in our regions outside of London and the South East will be pivotal to unleashing their potential and turbocharging growth. We have the right economic plan in a changing world: stability, investment and reform to build a stronger more secure economy.” 

Cllr Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “The Don Valley Corridor linking Sheffield and Rotherham is a nationally significant opportunity for regeneration and growth. We can unlock 10,500 new homes in new neighbourhoods, and nearly 20,000 new jobs in fast-growing industries, all connected by the right infrastructure.  
“Cutting edge centres of innovation like the AMRC and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park show what happens when you bring together world-leading research and industry and we will build on their success. From clean energy, to advanced manufacturing, healthcare and defence, what happens in Sheffield and Rotherham is at the centre of the UK's industrial future. 

“This is a plan to give the Don Valley a prosperous future that provides new homes, new jobs, new infrastructure and new opportunities for our residents and businesses.”  

Cllr Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council, said: “The Don Valley Corridor has the potential to be one of the most important growth areas anywhere in the country, and an exemplar for the North. For Rotherham, this really is about forging ahead with the next chapter of our borough’s growth, building on the lessons of the AMP as we build on the strengths of our heritage and the opportunities of new industries, infrastructure and investment.

"You only have to look at our plans for Rotherham Gateway to see the scale of that ambition - a new mainline station, new employment space, and the chance to bring thousands of good quality jobs right onto our doorstep. 

“And of course, you can already see the impact of this investment at Waverley and the Advanced Manufacturing Park. What was once industrial land is now home to world leading employers, cutting edge research, and thousands of new homes - a real example of how these projects can transform a community and create the skilled jobs of the future. 

“By expanding the available business and employment space, including through the proposed Templeborough Business Zone, improving the quality of life through, for example, the work already happening in the town centre, exploiting the great transport links already in place, you can see how the corridor through to associated projects in Sheffield fits together; generating wealth well into the twenty first century, just as it did in the past.

"We’re investing in Rotherham’s future in a way that people will really feel - more homes, better connections, and more chances for local people to build the careers they want.” 

South Yorkshire’s world renowned creative and cultural sector will also be part of the transformation of the Don Valley. Our region provides a host of arts, culture, leisure and entertainment opportunities for communities in the Don Valley. Sheffield and Rotherham have produced internationally renowned artists including Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Self Esteem and the multi award winning Warp Films. Sheffield’s Innovation Spine offers additional creative space, incubating the region’s next cultural powerhouses. 

The Don Valley Corridor links one of the UK’s fastest growing sub regions for productivity, Rotherham, with one of the fastest growing Core Cities, Sheffield, creating an internationally recognised industrial innovation district - where advanced materials meet aerospace, where forging meets defence supply chains, where robotics and AI meet modern manufacturing, and where the next generation of clean energy technologies are prototyped and brought to market. 

The plan for the Corridor will: 
•    deliver over 18,500 new jobs through co ordinated employment and innovation development. 
•    support the Sheffield Innovation Spine - a continuous research to production corridor running from Sheffield Station Campus to the University of Sheffield. 
•    create a major new employment cluster around the future Rotherham Gateway mainline station – unlocking rail connected innovation space for engineering, materials, low carbon and digital firms, and opening up thousands of high quality jobs for local people. 
•    ensure local residents shape development and access opportunities through jobs, skills and employment. 
•    integrate health, work and neighbourhood renewal 
•    Help to transform Attercliffe with 3,000 new homes (including the 1,000 already underway at Attercliffe Waterside) – and continue to develop the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park. 
•    deliver new mixed-use communities through the Bassingthorpe Farm development and the major town centre housing delivery programme already underway in Rotherham. 
•    strengthen the UK’s leading advanced manufacturing district where AMRC, Rolls Royce, Boeing and McLaren are already based and support another 2,000 jobs at the University of Sheffield’s Runway Park.  
•    support prevention and child health innovation by anchoring the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and National Centre for Child Health Technology in local employment and community health. 
•    support the delivery of a Green Employment Hub, anchored by Blackburn Meadows and energy infrastructure programmes across the Corridor.  
  
The plan also outlines how investment in infrastructure will boost development, including: 
•    the new mainline rail station for Rotherham at Gateway as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail – a catalyst for new employment, skills and business growth in the surrounding area 
•    tram extensions and mass transit links from Sheffield to Rotherham and Meadowhall, including expanded capacity in Sheffield as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail 
•    A633 link, active travel corridors and new river crossings 
•    improved M1 connectivity and east west links across the Valley 
•    new flood protection, protecting communities and businesses building on the success of the landmark Connected by Water partnership 
•    open spaces and green links between Sheffield, Meadowhall and Rotherham. 

Sir Jeremy Quin, President, Boeing UK & Ireland, said: "Since co-founding the AMRC in 2001, Boeing has been proud to be part of the advanced manufacturing ecosystem that has developed here - a partnership that enabled our first European manufacturing site in South Yorkshire.  

“Twenty-five years on, we continue to benefit from the region’s innovation, expertise and skilled workforce, and are committed to supporting our manufacturing base and expanding the local supply chain. This region stands as a powerful example of what can be achieved when industry, government and academia work together.” 

Joe Elford, McLaren CTC Plant Director, said: “It’s a real pleasure for McLaren Automotive to host the launch of this important programme, which will help shape local lives and livelihoods for years to come.  

“We value the vision and drive shown by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority in developing a world-class advanced manufacturing cluster with global reach. Their work with us and our regional partners shows how effective collaboration can remove barriers to progress."