Race Cottam Associates - General Development - Rotherham, South Yorkshire

Date: 16 May 2008

The transformation of an historic Rotherham landmark has been given the green light by councillors.

Award-winning architects Race Cottam Associates submitted plans on behalf of Rotherham based Horbury Estates Ltd to create 60 new apartments at Moorgate House in Hollowgate.

The scheme will retain the building's original Victorian red brick façade as part of a major conservation project.

Moorgate House was built in the 1850s as two luxury semi-detached villas. In 1858 the building was owned by renowned local industrialist and iron founder William Owen. The villas were converted into offices in 1929 and a prominent, incongruous tower was added in the 1950s. The building was last used as trade union offices until 2004.

The redevelopment will create 48 apartments behind the original façade and 12 more in a new block on an adjacent brownfield site on Godstone Road. Two of the ground floor apartments have been specially designed as accessible units to accommodate wheelchair occupants.

Moorgate is a designated Conservation Area and has undergone massive regeneration in the last few years, including the new Race Cottam-designed Moorgate Crofts business centre.

Project architect Peter Fauset said: "This is a really exciting conservation project for one of Rotherham's most treasured buildings and we are delighted the building's original Victorian façade will form a key part of the redevelopment

"Moorgate House, which had fallen into decline over recent years, presented a number of design challenges and we have worked very closely with Horbury and the council over many months to come up with a design which matches their aspirations for the building and the area."

Knight Frank are acting as agents for the scheme.

Computer Generated Impression of the proposed development

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