Plans for city centre office and retail building replacing several existing sites approved

The council’s planning committee approved plans for a retail and office building which will replace three existing sites on Trafford Way.

Trafford Court Offices, Wolseley Plumb Centre and a vacant retail unit will be demolished to make way for the new site.

The £24 million building will be funded through the Town Deal which was granted to the council by central government.

Town Deal funding in Doncaster is earmarked for the council’s Urban Masterplan which aims to regenerate the city centre.

Other schemes that have taken place as part of the masterplan include pedestrianisation at the railway station and throughout the city centre.

The building will contain five floors of office space and two commercial units on the ground floor with alfresco dining.

An area of public open space will also be included, creating a 10 percent biodiversity net gain.

The site has been designed to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions through sustainable design.

During consultation, concerns over the design of the building were raised by the council’s Urban Design officer over the visual impact of the site.

Planning officers have ruled that while the proposal does not meet all elements of the council’s local plan, its benefits outweigh this.

Councillors raised concerns during the meeting that the site does not contain a car park.

Representatives said that the building contains cycle storage and is designed to encourage active travel and the use of public transport.