Rotherham records fastest productivity growth in the North
A report from the Northern Powerhouse Partnership has underlined the role of the Advanced Manufacturing Park in transforming the borough’s economy through long-term regeneration and development investment.
The report, Rotherham’s Economic Transformation, examines how productivity in the South Yorkshire borough increased by 63.9% between 2004 and 2024, significantly outperforming many comparable locations as the local economy shifted away from traditional heavy industry towards advanced manufacturing, engineering, and innovation-led sectors.
Central to that transformation has been the development of the AMP, a flagship regeneration scheme developed by Harworth on the former Orgreave colliery through a partnership with local authorities, universities and major employers.
The AMP has evolved into one of Europe’s leading advanced manufacturing clusters. Anchored by the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, the development has attracted major occupiers including Boeing, Rolls-Royce, and McLaren Automotive, helping to establish the wider Don Valley corridor as a nationally significant centre for research, engineering, and manufacturing.
According to the report, economic output within the Rotherham section of the AMP has grown by more than 230% since 2004, while the wider advanced manufacturing corridor spanning Rotherham and Sheffield now generates around £2bn in economic activity.
The report argues that the success of the AMP has been underpinned by sustained collaboration between public and private sector partners, combining strategic land development, infrastructure investment, research capability, and skills provision over several decades.
With a foreword from former Treasury Minister Lord O’Neill, the report highlights the importance of long-term planning and partnership working in delivering economic transformation, particularly in locations seeking to diversify away from traditional industries.
For the development and regeneration sector, the AMP is increasingly viewed as a benchmark project, illustrating how large-scale brownfield regeneration can create nationally significant employment clusters while delivering lasting economic benefits for surrounding communities.
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “For all too many people in South Yorkshire, since the death of our traditional industries, life hasn’t been very fair, or very fun. What’s happening in Rotherham, driven by a long-term plan and a partnership approach between the public and private sector, is showing that we can fight back against that sense of decline, building new industries of the future right here.
“This country is not broken. We can create places where everyone can stay near and go far. By learning the lessons that Rotherham has to offer we can rebuild the North and renew the whole country.”
Cllr Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council, said: “The story of Orgreave and its transformation into something genuinely world‑leading at the Advanced Manufacturing Park is testimony to an extraordinary group of people, but it demonstrates a model which should inspire us for the future.
“Rotherham’s success story over the last decade is perhaps slightly obscured by the fact that hard work was undertaken in the typically determined, resilient but never showy style of our community. As we look towards the next decade of opportunity, the Don Valley Corridor has the potential to be one of the most important growth areas anywhere in the country and an exemplar for the North.”
Professor Koen Lamberts, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: “We are really proud of the impact our Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre has had on the South Yorkshire region over the last 25 years – attracting inward investment, creating highly-skilled jobs and driving economic growth.”
Lynda Shillaw, chief executive officer of Harworth Group, said: “During the last 20 years, Harworth has invested over £200m to transform the former Orgreave Colliery into a globally recognised innovation zone for advanced manufacturing.
“This report underlines the key role we have played alongside public sector partners in unlocking regional economic growth, creating a thriving and sustainable employment community at the Advanced Manufacturing Park that stands as a UK success story.
“As we look to the future, the Don Valley Corridor presents an opportunity to build on these foundations and apply the lessons of the AMP at an even greater scale across South Yorkshire and beyond.”
Andrew McPhillips, chief economist at the Northern Powerhouse Partnership and author of the report, said: “Rotherham has recorded the fastest productivity growth of any major town in the North since 2004, but what is particularly striking is what sits behind that performance.
“Our analysis shows a long-term shift away from traditional heavy industry towards advanced manufacturing, engineering and innovation-led activity centred on the Advanced Manufacturing Park and the wider Don Valley corridor.
“The lesson is not that every place should try to replicate Rotherham exactly, but that through sustained collaboration between universities, businesses, investors and local leaders, we can create the conditions for long-term economic transformation.”
