Money earmarked for improvements to Doncaster town centre Colonnades shopping precinct

Council bosses have drawn up plans to carry out improvement works at a Doncaster town centre shopping precinct.
The Colonnades Shopping CentreThe Colonnades Shopping Centre
The Colonnades Shopping Centre

The Colonnades Shopping Centre has been earmarked for a new ceiling and lighting system throughout the area.

Officers revealed ‘limited painting works’ would also take place. The work is said to have the ‘most cost effective impact’ within the budget available.

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The retail hub, which was opened in the mid 1980s, has fallen behind other areas of the town centre and officers are keen to bring it up to standard.

Project costs are estimated at around £192,000 and plans are being put in place to minimise disruption to traders and shoppers.

Council bosses said money had been saved by using a vacant retail unit for site welfare facilities.

The work is around £45,000 over budget but finance chiefs have found some underspends in other budgets to cover the shortfall.

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The wider Colonnades Project, mostly funded by the Sheffield City Region, is one of the schemes which make up Doncaster’s Urban Centre Sheffield City Region Investment Fund Programme.

It has been financed with £2.28m of SCRIF grant with a further £1.05m being invested by the council to bring the overall investment in the retail and office building to £3.33m.

The refurbishment of the office accommodation was completed January 2018 but the enhancement of the retail mall walkthrough is yet to take place.

The grant allocation has been drawn down but £83,000 has been retained by SCR until the final project output has been achieved.

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David Stimpson, an officer working within the environment team at Doncaster Council, said: “An assessment has been undertaken of the most appropriate form of upgrade to enhance the retail environment at Colonnades Shopping Centre and following an options appraisal, a lighting/ceiling upgrade and limited painting works was determined to have the most cost effective impact.

“This route also addresses a ceiling treatment currently in place that has had numerous repairs and is no longer in good condition, effectively detracting from the retail environment.”