‘Meanwhile use’ lined up for Doncaster site

Planner Pegasus and architect Pick Everard are working with the council on plans for remediation and temporary public space, with close to £9m of Levelling Up Fund cash in place.

A report set to go before City of Doncaster Council’s planning committee on 6 February outlines proposals to take forward the redevelopment of Waterfront East, a 19-acre site where a gas holder once stood, off Wharf Road.

Grant support via the Levelling Up Fund has been allocated to the project, which in the council’s local allocations is classed as a key main urban area mixed-use site.

Waterfront East is described by planning officers as one of the largest urban centre brownfield development sites in the UK, and as a priority regeneration area for Doncaster.

It is currently underutilised given its prime location – with a mix of public car parks, vacant land, and small-scale industrial uses. Officers said: “Remediation will assist in unlocking the site by making it more appealing and viable for future development. The site has potential as a large scale, mixed-use regeneration scheme, which is consistent with the allocation in the Local Plan for a mixture of flexible employment, commercial and residential uses.”

Until the LUF allocation, anticipated costs to remediate the extent and types of contamination have acted as a major blockage to the redevelopment. Further funding has been applied for from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

The council is seeking full planning permission for remediation: this will involve excavation to a depth of approximately 2m. Soils and effluent would be treated, reused/left in situ where appropriate or, alternatively, physically removed from the site and taken to a licensed waste facility. Up to 17 wells across the site will monitor groundwater quality during and post remediation

Following this, the site would be landscaped and opened to the public as interim open space ahead of its potential redevelopment.

According to Pegasus, the open space will be comprised of maintained grassland, trees and footpaths with solar lights.

Around 350 parking spaces will remain at the Chappell Drive East (long stay) car parkjust outside the application site boundary, although a repositioned eight-space coach park from Chappell Drive is also proposed in the south western corner of the site.

The plans can be viewed on City of Doncaster’s planning portal at 23/02196/3FULM.