The Big Gun: Plans submitted for historic former Sheffield pub on The Wicker

Plans have been submitted for changes to a historic former pub in Sheffield - after work began without permission.

The Big Gun, on The Wicker, which dated back to 1790, shut for good in September 2023.

The Star reported in April how work had begun on the building, with new windows and doors installed, but Sheffield City Council said this work had taken place ‘without appropriate permission’.

Now a planning application has been submitted, by Ibrahim Jama, for work including ‘alterations’ to the ‘shop front’, the installation of roller shutters and ‘alterations to door and window openings’.

The plans show commercial space on the ground floor, with nine bedrooms spread across the two floors above. The application only states that the building will be used for the ‘sale of food and drink for consumption mostly on the premises’, with no further details about its future use.

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An objection has been lodged by Dave Pickersgill, on behalf of Sheffield and District CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale).

He states that there are ‘several errors and omissions’ in the planning application, with the ‘existing plans’ not showing one of the internal walls or the Victorian draught screen which were in place when the pub was open.

He also questions when the rooms labelled as bedrooms were last used for this purpose and asks why there is no mention of a potential change of use and whether this means the owners intend to reopen the building as a pub. “We suggest that the application is withdrawn until all errors and omissions are rectified,” the objection concludes.

The planning application 24/01523/FUL was received by the council on Tuesday, May 21, and people have until Thursday, June 13 to comment via the council’s planning portal.