Former steelworks plan approved

Corus still has a site in Aldwarke Lane, Rotherham

Plans to transform part of the former Corus steelworks site in Rotherham have been approved by councillors.

Magna 34 Business Park Ltd had applied to build 31 industrial units on the site in Sheffield Road, Templeborough, next to junction 34 of the M1.

The £46m Magna Science Adventure Centre was built within the site and opened to the public in 2001.

Councillors gave the plan the go-ahead but said the developers should invest £16,226 in a bus service for the area.

They said they should also pay £15,000 to cover the costs of adjusting signal timings at junctions 33 and 34 of the M1.

In a report to councillors, planning officers said the steelworks were understood to have closed in 1993.

'Site derelict'

They said: "At present, there are several dilapidated steelworks buildings which are large and unsightly.

"The remainder of the application site is currently derelict and overgrown having been unused since the 1980s."

A spokeswoman for Rotherham Council said the developers were given permission to build 16 buildings on the site, which would house 31 industrial units.

They will be used for light industry, storage and distribution and offices, she said.

In 2004 outline planning permission was granted for industrial units and a hotel on the site, but that was withdrawn in June 2006.