BARNSLEY Council accepted an extra £3.1m in order to complete its town centre Glass Works regeneration.
When the plans for the scheme were first announced in 2017 it was expected the new town centre would cost the council £120m.
However, ‘additional cost pressures’ saw the overall capital cost of the regeneration - which has seen Nando’s, Cineworld and The Botanist arrive - increase to more than £210m.
The Chronicle can reveal the project has now gone overbudget by a further £3m following the construction of the new Market Gate bridge - but it will not impact the council’s own reserves as it has been provided from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).
Ruling cabinet members approved the cash at a behind-closed-doors meeting on Wednesday.
A report said: “We note the increased cost of the Glass Works scheme and the wider town centre redevelopment.
“We accept the funding award of £3.1m from the SYMCA to fund the overall increase.”
