Film studios to be part of waterfront regeneration

A major regeneration project in Doncaster city centre could see it become a national hub for digital production and creative industries, according to developers.

State-of-the-art film and TV studios are part of plans to redevelop the Waterfront site near the the River Don Navigation.

The land at the Waterfront, once part of a toffee factory, will have a digital media centre, hotel, 300 apartments and senior living accommodation.

Doncaster Council said the project, which will open to the public in a few weeks, could bring major investment to the city.

A council report said: "Purpose-built facilities will house state-of-the-art film, television and digital content studios, complemented by creative workspace and a centre for learning in digital media.

"These assets will anchor a new creative industries cluster and help position Doncaster as a national centre for digital production."

The 23-acre site is close to the railway station and transport interchange and will become mixed-used with living, working and leisure linking across Church Way with a restored riverside area.

Along with the toffee factory, the site was also home to Victorian gas works. The council said it still has to resolve some technical challenges including flooding.

The authority also gave an update on the Waterdale site, currently home to an underused shopping precinct.

The area has been described as a major opportunity for residential and commercial development, linking the civic and cultural quarter, where the library and museum are located, to the rest of the city centre.

The site was defined as strategically important but "underperforming" as much of Waterdale is derelict and the Colonnades has a high vacancy rate.

It has been "bookended" by regeneration at the railway station gateway and the civic and cultural quarter.

The report stated: "Doncaster's beating heart represents the retail, business, civic and cultural core of the city centre.

"This could include a mix of new development and refurbishment, incorporating adjacent sites. New development should define clear streets and routes with active frontage at the ground floor level including retail and commercial units.

"There is the potential for a significant new public space to complement Sir Nigel Gresley Square."

The plans include leasing a building to Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS to creates a "health on the high street" hub where outpatients can access health services in a city centre location.

In addition, a large area of land and assets in Waterdale will transfer to the council. The report added: "This creates the potential to pursue a regeneration scheme across Waterdale and Colonnades, transforming an underoccupied and largely derelict area."

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