Rotherham Borough Council and the Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estate are seeking to appoint a strategic development partner to plan, service and deliver the phased development of land at Bassingthorpe Farm in Rotherham.

Rotherham Borough Council has published a preliminary market engagement notice for the Bassingthorpe Farm Strategic Development Partner opportunity. This follows an earlier pipeline notice and signals the next stage in preparing for a formal procurement. The Council, working with the Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estate, is seeking a strategic development partner to help plan, service, deliver and facilitate the phased development of the site. The project is a residential-led mixed-use scheme expected to deliver up to approximately 2,000 homes, together with supporting infrastructure, highways, utilities, drainage, public open space, community facilities and placemaking works. A Supplementary Planning Document already guides the development of the allocated land.

The selected partner will be expected to work collaboratively with the landowners to optimise viability and deliverability, secure a comprehensive planning strategy, coordinate or deliver enabling and strategic infrastructure, facilitate phased delivery (including possible onward sales of parcels to housebuilders), and support longer-term stewardship. The exact commercial structure remains flexible and could involve development agreements, land disposals or phased land drawdowns. The partner will take on substantial development, delivery, market and implementation risk. The estimated contract period now runs from 1 November 2027 to 31 March 2047.

As part of the engagement process, an in-person preliminary market engagement event is scheduled for Tuesday 13 October 2026 from 10:00am to 12:30pm at the ARC Cinema on Forge Island in Rotherham. The session will include presentations on the background of the strategic allocation, planning policy, funding, procurement and commercial arrangements, followed by networking. Attendance is limited to three guests per organisation and requires advance registration by email. A Request for Information will then be issued via the YORtender portal on 14 October 2026, with responses due by 28 October 2026. The formal tender notice is still expected to be published around 31 January 2027.