More schemes announced for Doncaster following City Region £860m stimulus package

Plans are underway to fund new road, cycling and walking improvements to key employment sites such as M18 Junction 3 and the iPort.

Transport bosses will also work on plans to develop a new high-speed bus route between Doncaster and Barnsley. No direct train-link means passengers have to change at Meadowhall to reach either centre.

Further improvements are set to be drawn up at Doncaster Station, with better active travel routes to the station and access to Doncaster College and improvements at the stations at Kirk Sandall, Thorne, Conisbrough, Bentley and Adwick.

Extra investment is also planned for Doncaster College, with improved digital infrastructure, new facilities and space so learners can develop skills in modern methods of construction, to ‘support the local economy’.

The latest announcements follow earlier proposals around flood defence, retrofitting homes and the trialing of electric buses across the borough.

All the projects are due to start no later than 2022.

Sheffield City Region mayor Dan Jarvis, said: “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. That’s why local leaders and I are rewriting the rule book, using powers and resources secured from Westminster to invest in Doncaster’s people, businesses and town centres and high streets.

“We will deliver an immediate investment of £30 million over the next 12 months in the things that matter to people in Doncaster, helping the borough’s recovery from Covid-19.

“This is the power of devolution: it means we can protect and create jobs, build new flood defences, create stronger transport links and revitalise high streets and towns.”

Mayor Ros Jones said the further investment would be a welcome step change for the borough. “I am determined that Doncaster aspires to and meets its full potential as a borough of growth, enterprise and support to our communities and businesses.

“The pandemic has hit people hard and we have worked strenuously to support our communities through what I certainly hope is a once in a generation issue.”

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