Manvers - Dereliction and Rebirth

Dereliction and Rebirth

The land remained derelict until the mid–1990s when the government started a regeneration programme with the assistance of the European Social Fund. Manvers, and the adjoining areas that were formerly the Wath Main Colliery and the Wath marshalling yard were bulldozed, landscaped and are now an area of light industry and commerce, with a beautiful nature reserve managed by the RSPB Old Moor Wetland Centre RSPB reserve, including the call centres of companies such as Ventura, TSC, T-Mobile and many others occupying purpose-built units. They are now the area's largest private employers with approximately 60,000 employees between them. It was also home to the nursing campus of the University of Sheffield, although this has since closed and currently stands empty.

Plans have now been put in place to develop more land to be used for 9 hole golf course with driving range, hotel, restaurants and residential home after the original plan for a multiplex cinema was objected to by Barnsley Council.

Several very large distribution and warehousing centres have been built in Manvers: these are so large as to dominate the surrounding area. Maplin Electronics is one of the companies that is located in these buildings, after relocating their headquarters there from Wombwell, two miles away.

In 2009, several builders began construction of housing developments based around the lake at Manvers and the area will eventually have more than 300 homes consisting of apartments and houses.

Other developments such as retail outlets, a health centre and restaurants are planned to add to the Blue Bell public house already on the site.