Rotherham Town Centre Regeneration

The scheme created homes for sale, shared ownership and affordable rent across Wellgate Place, Westgate Riverside and Millfold Rise, bringing more people, activity and confidence back into the heart of Rotherham.

Willmott Dixon Developments supported the council from RIBA Stage 0, providing development management, design and planning support, viability analysis, phasing strategy, stakeholder engagement and residential sales and marketing. With Willmott Dixon Construction delivering the homes, the programme brought together early-stage development expertise, construction delivery and post-completion sales support.

The completed development provides a mix of homes for sale and social rent, aligned to local demand and the council’s housing strategy. The scheme also introduced ground source heat pump technology, delivering fossil fuel-free heating and improved energy performance.

A programmatic approach to town centre living

The council had ambitious housing targets and limited experience delivering a multi-site residential programme incorporating market sale and shared ownership.

Rather than treating the three sites as separate projects, Willmott Dixon Developments helped shape a coordinated programme. This allowed each site to progress in sequence, with Willmott Dixon Construction using lessons learned on one development to improve delivery on the next.

The approach created consistency across design, delivery and sales, while helping the council manage risk, maintain momentum and reduce development time by 9.6% compared with a traditional consultant-led approach.

Building confidence through sales and marketing

Willmott Dixon Developments led the sales and marketing strategy, creating The Trilogy Collection brand to bring the three developments together under one identity.

Strong sales performance was critical to reducing commercial risk and proving demand for town centre living. The strategy generated strong interest, with 80% of the first-release homes sold off plan and two-thirds of the development sold within weeks of handover.

Supporting local skills and businesses

The project delivered £9.1 million Social Return on Investment, with 90% local labour within 40 miles, 85% local spend within 40 miles and 78% spend with SMEs.

Willmott Dixon Developments also supported local estate agents with limited experience of selling new-build homes and appointed a local SME interior designer to fit out the show homes.

The scheme delivered 600 apprentice hours for 51 local people, 200 hours of staff time in schools and colleges, and diverted 96% of construction waste from landfill.