employees. Nearly 2,500 people are employed in the council’s central offices alone, and a strong customer base is also provided by local solicitors and other businesses within the professional sector. The centre offers: • More than 55,000 sq m (over 600,000 sq ft) of commercial floor space, housing over 300 national and independent retailers • 56 different bus routes, with over 1,600 departures a day, bringing in thousands of people to town • More than 12,000 people a day passing through the interlinked bus station, car park, taxi rank and shopping mall • A full and part-time college student population of nearly 11,000, who use it in their free periods and lunch breaks • A wide selection of restaurants, cafés and bars, as well as a theatre and live music venues, making it a great choice for an evening out • A vibrant indoor and outdoor market, attracting an 80,000-plus footfall every week and trading Monday to Saturday, complemented by specialist farmers’ and continental markets • Regular town-centre events such as street entertainment, live opera and ballet shows on the Big Screen, raising the footfall • And, just a couple of minutes’ drive away, Parkgate Shopping, one of the largest and leading retail parks in the UK – a comprehensive shopping complex offering a wide range of major stores in most retail sectors and currently consisting of more than 52,200 sq m (over 550,000 sq ft) of retail floor space. The town centre benefits from being mostly pedestrianised, and offers competitive costs for car parking in comparison to neighbouring towns. There are plenty of opportunities for specialist, independent niche traders to do well in affordable and attractive units. Our primary shopping streets have a foot flow ranging from 2.4m to 8.5m per year. New high-quality apartments being built above shops, and sold, in the town centre are already bringing in a new clientele – young executives looking for that different shopping experience that can be provided on their doorsteps. Future retail developments on several sites earmarked in the town centre offers huge potential for expanding the range of shopping in Rotherham. A new cultural quarter proposed for Rotherham town centre will see a new and larger theatre and art gallery arrive, with plans for a cinema as well. A programme of events running throughout the year is strongly promoted to increase footfall and spend. Popular events include Rotherham by the Sea, Christmas Markets, street entertainment and the BBC Big Screen. For a touch of tranquillity, a few minutes’ walk takes you to the award-winning Clifton Park, which has just been granted over £8m for regeneration. This attracts people from towns across the region. Rotherham also has safety high on its agenda and has recently acquired a dedicated town centre policing team with neighbourhood wardens and a Town Centre Safety Manager who operates a Business Against Crime Partnership and town centre radio links scheme.