Social housing investment and regeneration schemes included in £500m investment plan approved by cabinet

On Wednesday (7 February) cabinet members approved a £506.6m capital investment budget for 2024-28, ahead of a vote of full council later this month.

Some £193.1m of the budget will be spent in 2024-5 on schemes including social home building, flood prevention and regeneration.

In terms of regeneration, £19.9m will be spent to improve the Doncaster Station Gateway through extending walkable public space and constructing modern sustainable buildings.

A £14.4m project to refurbish The Dome is also included, which will transform The Lagoons and the site’s entrance area over 12 months.

Some £13m is proposed to convert Greens Way in Mexborough from a ‘bypass’ into a ‘town street’ through the creation of an active travel corridor and street landscaping.

Stainforth will also see improvements to its town centre and construction of a new station gateway and community hub, costing £20.9m.

The largest portion of the funding will go towards investing in social housing, for a total £227.8m over the time period.

The council aims to invest £70m into its Council House Building Programme and £34m in acquiring additional social homes.

Some £127.3m will be spent on improving and maintaining existing homes.

Work will be also undertaken to manage flood risk in areas such as the city centre, Bentley, Conisbrough, High Melton and Tickhill at a cost of £10.2m.

Other schemes will include improvements to all gypsy and traveller sites, highway resurfacing and funding to adapt over 1,800 homes for the disabled.

The council’s South Yorkshire Airport City scheme, which aims to reopen the region’s airport and create surrounding investment, will be incorporated into the budget once negotiations have concluded.

Commending the budget, Councillor Phil Cole said: “I particularly welcome the ambition of the capital strategy, it shows how central the council is to the borough’s economic fortune and to its regeneration and improved economic performance.

“Although investment in the town centre is always more visible, the investment is distributed across all corners of the borough and it’s really important.”

All proposed budgets will be voted upon by full council on Monday, 26 February.