Businesses hope plan will bring 'real buzz' to city centre

Doncaster council bosses have unveiled their vision of how the city centre should develop up to 2025 - complete with top-grade offices and canal-side apartments. But businesses say there are some quick and easy changes which could boost the economy now.

"I was at a business dinner one Thursday - it finished early evening but as I walked the short distance back to my car through the city centre I didn't enjoy the experience," says Dan Fell, chief executive of Doncaster Chamber of Commerce.

Fell is one of the proudest and loudest advocates for the city - but says even as a "middle-aged, relatively fit guy" he felt on edge walking through the streets in the evening.

City of Doncaster Council's masterplan looks at investment over the next 25 years, but Fell wants to see some small quick wins.

"We still have a persistent anti-social behaviour issue. I know it's hard, I know it's complex and I know there has been real effort from the council and the police to tackle it but we can go further and faster.

"Ultimately, the city has to feel safe but we can't police our way out of these challenges either.

"We have to create compelling reasons for people to be in the city centre and over this next 12 months there needs to be a real focus on events and activities which give people a reason to be there.

"That can be really impactful, generates habits and behaviours and buys a bit of time while the capital investment catches up."

More than 8,000 residents completed a council consultation during summer 2024 and the results, along with feedback from local businesses, has shaped the vision.

The council says key issues included safety, cleanliness, empty shops and the overall look and feel of the place.

Residents want "a more welcoming feel" when bringing families to the city centre.

A public space protection order, which gives the council and police extra powers to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour, was recently renewed.

Council officers have enforced against 1,333 breaches of the order since November 2023.

Fell says while he is a "big fan" of the masterplan and its ambition, he is also realistic.

"If we go back to whenever the last plan was launched, I'm fairly sure that would have also been characterised by beautiful images, aspiration and ambition.

"We have delivered some great stuff in Doncaster with the civic and cultural quarter, the revamp of the Corn Exchange and the Wool Market, but if we have an honest self-appraisal, those interventions have added up to less than the sum of their parts.

"If we're honest, if you walk around the city centre, it doesn't feel yet like that vibrant, bustling place.

"We have to be realistic about where we're starting from if we're going to have a credible plan for the future."

He says having a "big and sprawling" city centre is among the big challenges.

"I've often pointed to Barnsley as an example of a place that is really getting its urban core right and feels bustling.

"For me, the one thing that can really shift the dial is the Gateway One building outside the railway station and in the masterplan is a Gateway Two.

"I would really try and hurry that up - tech, AI, digital developments, slap-bang by the railway station, can be really impactful.

"The number-one focus for me will be getting a really exciting inward investor to change our business stock, create new supply chain opportunities and generate a real buzz."

Jordan Smith is one of those people bringing innovative companies to the city centre.

He is a director of Seven Studios, Scene coffee shop and The Don digital media platform.

Seven Studios started off as a podcast studio - based by the railway station for good transport links - and expanded into video production and "good news media channel" The Don.

"We've been here for almost three years with a coffee shop on the ground floor, our studios on the first floor then our office space with a lovely 360 view of the city centre on the top floor," he says.

"Doncaster is a B-city as it's not Sheffield or Leeds, but I always say the B stands for big opportunity.

"If you make an effort in Doncaster, people love it and appreciate it. I think right now it is the land of opportunity."

Smith says both politicians and residents need to have more faith in their city.

He points to two colleagues, video producers with national TV and streaming channel experience, who moved to Doncaster because it is well connected with transport and house prices are far lower than in London.

"Step one is to get people speaking better of their own city. You go to Liverpool and everyone is super proud of their city," he says.

"Get the messaging right and that will drive people to think, you know what, Doncaster is a great place with great people and I want to invest there."

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